Three of every five acres in the long-term Conservation Reserve provides “healthy habitat and forage” for honeybees and other pollinators, said USDA, as part of National Pollinator Week. Some 269,000 acres are enrolled in a program that focuses on pollinator health but a review found 15 million of the 23.4 million acres in the reserve have wildflowers, shrubs and safe nesting places conducive to pollinators, which include birds.
A government-wide project aims for restoration or enhancement of 7 million acres for pollinators. The Conservation Reserve includes a honeybee habitat initiative in the upper Midwest and northern Plains. More than 65 percent of the commercial honeybee operations spend the summer in the region, so improvement in habitat will provide better nutrition for the bees. Nearly one-third of honeybee hives die each winter. The initiative includes special payments to landowners to share the cost of planting beneficial grasses, shrubs and flowers.
USDA also announced a memorandum of understanding with two honeybee organizations to “ensure USDA’s conservation initiatives are as advantageous as possible to pollinators and that beekeepers understand how they can benefit from USDA’s conservation and safety net programs.”