Pollinator Partnership

USEFUL RESOURCES- Farmers, Ranchers and All Things Agricultural


Farmers and Their Stories	Farmer and Rancher Resources	NAPPC Awards	Farm Bill and CIG

Farmers and Their Stories

There are hundreds of farmers and ranchers across North America who are supporting pollinators on and for their lands, and each has their own story. Each farmer's story provides insight on what has been successful and what lessons were learned on farms small and large. Farmers and Their Stories is a project of the North American Pollinator Protection Campaign (NAPPC) Agricultural Task Force to collect profiles of some of these farmers with the goal of sharing information and encouragement among farmers.

	Bob Russell and his wife Barbara rely on wild native pollinators on their vegetable and herb farm in Sussex County, Delaware. Learn more >>
	Al Courchesne actively boosts pollinator services from honey and native bees on his 145 acre organic fruit farm in Brentwood, Contra Costa County, California. Learn more >>
	Peter Berthelson understakes pollinator friendly rangeland methods on his farm in the Loess Hills of Howard County, Nebraska. Learn more >>

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Farmer and Rancher Resources

1) ABOUT POLLINATORS
Links to general information about pollinators provided by various organizations and government agencies.

Pollinator Partnership
Pollination Canada
The Xerces Society
Native Pollinator
Operation Pollinator
National Pollinator Week
The Great Sunflower Project
Bat Conservation International
The Hummingbird Society
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
U.S. Forest Service

2) POLLINATOR FRIENDLY PRACTICES
Information about practices that support pollinators.

Websites providing general information and resources for pollinator support

Useful Resources for Farmers and Ranchers (North American Pollinator Protection Campaign)
How to Farm for Pollinators (Xerces Society)
Pollination Information Management System (Information on pollination services of key crops)
Insects & Pollinators (USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service)
Bee-friendly Farming Self-certification (Partners for Sustainable Pollination)

Guidebooks with more in depth information (most links go to PDFs)

Pollinator Friendly Practices (Pollinator Partnership)
Guidelines For Providing Native Bee Habitat on Farms (Xerces Society)
Enhancing Nest Sites for Native Bees (USDA National Agroforestry Center)
Webinar Files Available for Download (67 MB ZIP file) (Includes Powerpoint, webinar video & audio, handouts)
Managing Alternative Pollinators: A Handbook for Beekeepers, Growers, and Conservationists
(Evaluating, establishing & maintaining habitat for pollinators and beneficial insects)

Information about specific practices (listed in alphabetical order)

Beekeeping (Also check local resource listings)
American Beekeeping Federation
American Honey Producers
Canadian Honey Council
Canadian Association of Professional Apiarists
Beekeeping resources (Pollinator Partnership)
International Pollination Systems
Questions and Answers: Colony Collapse Disorder (USDA)
Honey Bee Colony Collapse Disorder Progress Report (USDA 2010)
“Silence of the Bees” videos (PBS Nature)
Vanishing Bees (Natural Resources Defense Council)

Orchard management
How to Manage the Blue Orchard Bee as an Orchard Pollinator (Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education)
Wild Pollinators of Eastern Apple Orchards (Cornell U, Penn State U, and Xerces Society)

Native planting guides
Region Specific Pollinator-friendly Planting Guides (Pollinator Partnership)
Native Plant Catalog for North America (North American Native Plant Society)
Canadian Native Plants Database (Evergreen)
Canadian Ecozones (Evergreen)

Pesticides
Protecting Pollinators: Why and How Pesticide Applicators Can Help Them (NAPPC)

Prescribed fire
Prescribed Burning (Michigan Department of Natural Resources)

Urban gardening
Urban Bee Gardens

3) LOCAL RESOURCES
Links specific to a certain geographic area.

United States (listed alphabetically by state)

Entire U.S.
USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service

Delaware
Farm Management for Native Bees: A Guide for Delaware

Michigan
Michigan State University
Michigan DNR Wildflower Planting Guide

Nebraska
Nebraska Pheasants & Quail Forever
Prairie Nebraska
The Prairie Ecologist

Canada (listed alphabetically by province)

All of Canada
Canadian Pollination Initiative
Environmental Farm Plans
(Resources for pollinator plantings may be available through the Environmental Farm Plan process)

Alberta
Alberta Beekeepers

British Columbia
BC Beekeepers

Manitoba
Manitoba Beekeepers

New Brunswick
New Brunswick Beekeepers

Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia Beekeepers

Ontario
Ontario Beekeepers
Best Management Practices for Pollination in Ontario Crops (Most of this information applies beyond Ontario)

Quebec
Féderation des Apiculteurs du Québec

Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan Beekeepers

4) FARMER TO FARMER RESOURCES
From farmers, for farmers. Farmer profiles.

Yarns From Bee Friendly Farmers (Seeds of Diversity)
Farmers and Their Stories (NAPPC)
Farmers and Conservation Planning (NRCS)

5) RESEARCH ON POLLINATORS
What does current science tell us about farming for pollinators?

Bee-Vectored Biocontrol

6) VIDEOS

Measuring and Assessing Pollinator Dynamics and Benefits in CRP Systems

Protecting Pollinators ~ Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)

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Awards

NAPPC Farmer-Rancher Pollinator Conservation Award, initiated in 2006, recognizes an individual or family in the farm and ranch community in the U.S. who has contributed significantly to pollinator species protection and conservation on working and wild lands. NAPPC and NACD encourage further pollinator conservation stewardship through their recognition of the award winners. The multi-colored, cut-glass award features a hummingbird, bees and a butterfly and was designed by artist James Randolph, whose previous work includes the Air and Space Museum’s Challenger Tribute.

The National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) represents America’s 3,000 conservation districts, which are local units of government established under state law to carry out natural resource management programs at the local level. Districts work with millions of cooperating landowners and operators to help them manage and protect land and water resources on all private lands and many public lands in the United States. More information about NACD is available at http://www.nacdnet.org/.

The Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA) and Pollinator Partnership (P2) [support the] Canadian Farmer-Rancher Pollinator Conservation Award. This award recognizes an individual or family in the farm and ranch community in Canada who has contributed significantly to pollinator species protection and conservation on working and wild lands. CFA and P2, through their recognition and appreciation of these individuals and organizations, encourage their conservation stewardship and hope to catalyze future actions on behalf of pollinators through public recognition of the award winner. The Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA) is the nonprofit organization that was formed in 1935 to act as the national voice of Canadian farmers. It is the country's largest farmers' organization, representing provincial general farm organizations as well as national and interprovincial commodity organizations from every province - over 200,000 Canadian farmers and farm families. The CFA's mission is to promote the interests of Canadian agriculture and agri- food producers, including farm families, through leadership at the national level and to ensure the continued development of a viable and vibrant agriculture and agri-food industry in Canada. One of its objectives is to promote and advance acceptance of positive social, economic and environmental conditions of those engaged in agricultural pursuits; pollination is an area that has a direct impact on all three conditions, and is becoming increasingly important for farmers to recognize and promote on their farms.

	2012 NAPPC Canadian Federation of Agriculture Farmer-Rancher Pollinator Advocate Don Ruzicka Farmer The Ruzicka’s have been practicing sustainable farming since the mid 90’s, long before organic agriculture and ecologically functional farmscapes were popularized. Pollinators became a solid part of their conservation focus when cases of CCD started appearing south of the boarder in the United Sates and they became aware of the critical roles that pollinators play in agricultural systems. This plugged Don and Marie into the connection that all members of the agricultural community have with pollinators. Click here to read more about him and the press release.
Picture coming soon..	2012 NAPPC Farmer-Rancher Pollinator Advocate Mark Wagonor Farmer Mark Wagoner is a fourth generation farmer whose crops include alfalfa and the native solitary alkali bee, Nomia melanderi. Mark practices a unique style of holistic farming where care for the land brings in native pollinators to native crops. Sticking to his roots and making innovation out of tradition has made Wagoner Touchet Farms a place where native bees and production agriculture coexist. Click here to read more about him and the press release.
	2011 NACD-NAPPC Farmer-Rancher Pollinator Conservation Award Pete and Laura Berthelsen Peter and Laura Berthelsen have taken steps to help pollinators on their land in Elba, Nebraska, creating not only habitat but also an outdoor education classroom where people from across the state can see firsthand just how important pollinator habitat is. As a result, many other landowners have begun planting pollinator habitat on their own property. Peter also helped secure many of the pollinator planting guidelines present in new Conservation Reserve Program across the United States, doing significant work in Washington DC to ensure that polliatnors remain a key concern for conservation programming. To this end Peter has served as a speaker at meetings across the country to help educate stakeholders and decision-makers about the importance of pollinators and pollinator habitat, working to help them use and implement Farm Bill provisions to better the landscape for pollinators. Click here for press release
	2010 NACD-NAPPC Farmer-Rancher Pollinator Conservation Award Paul Kaiser, Singing Frogs Farm Paul Kaiser of Singing Frogs Farms in Sebastopol, California is the 2010 recipient of the NACD-NAPPC Farmer Rancher Pollinator Conservation Award, sponsored by North American Pollinator Protection Campaign (NAPPC) and the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD). The award was given as part of an international effort to promote public awareness about pollinators – birds, bees, bats, butterflies, beetles, and other animals that enable the reproduction of over 75 percent of flowering plants, accounting for as much as one-third of the nation’s food supply. Press Release for Paul Kaiser
	2009 NACD-NAPPC Farmer-Rancher Pollinator Conservation Award James Anthony “Tony” Thompson, Willow Lake Farm Tony Thompson is a tireless and passionate advocate for sustainable agriculture, who is continuously seeking innovative methods to protect and restore native biodiversity on his farm while also earning a living from farming at the lowestcost to the land. The Thompson farm isa model for how productive agriculture can operate in an environmentally sustainable - pollinator friendly - fashion. His openness to the natural resource conservation community provides an opportunity for positive dialogue between producers and conservationists. His leadership, example, compassion for farmer neighbors and friends, and outreach to thebroader agricultural community lend credibility to conservation on privateworking lands. Tony is a fifth generation farmer, producing primarily corn and soybeans on fertile land in southwestern Minnesota that has been owned by his family since 1876. The family farm is composed of 2000 acres of cropland and nearly 1400 acres of remnant prairie and wetlands.Wetlands and waterways are buffered with up to 600-ft wide bands of diverse, native grasses and forbs. Tony farms or otherwise manages in partnership an additional 1700 acres of cropland. The Thompson farm is situated in the Northern Tallgrass Prairie Region, where <1% of native habitats remain and restoration indigenous plant and animal communities is a regionaland national priority http://www.fws.gov/midwest/planning/northerntallgrass/. To learn more about Tony Thompson, his Willow Lake Farm and see more images, click here 2009 Farmer Rancher Winner Tony Thompson
2008 Winner Chuck Hurd, Lister Acres
2007 Winner Mike Omeg, Omeg Orchards
2006 Winner John Keeley

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Farm Bill and CIG

Final 2014 Farm Bill Pollinator Provisions

Farm Bill Conference Report, Legislative Pollinator Provisions

Farm Bill Statement of Managers, Pollinator Report Language

Read the Pollinator Week Press Release - Pollinator-Beneficial Farm Bill Amendment Adopted by House During Pollinator Week
Would Help Ensure Viability of Honey Bees, Native Pollinators and Other Beneficial Insects

• Pollinating the Farm Bill: Media Release- May 15, 2008
• Pollinating the Farm Bill: Conference Report Summary
• Letter to Congressional Leaders

USDA Montana Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Conservation Innovation Grant (CIG)

The Pollinator Partnership has been awarded a USDA Montana Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Conservation Innovation Grant (CIG). The purpose of this project is to assess pollinator friendly plantings on Montana rangelands and farms for their impact on pollinator populating, to measure the success of educational outreach materials, and to increase best practices in Montana.
To learn more, go here http://pollinator.org/montana.cig.htm

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