More than $4 million in technical and financial assistance will be provided by the Agriculture Department to help farmers and ranchers in the Midwest improve the health of honey bees, which play an important role in crop production. An estimated $15 billion worth of crops is pollinated by honey bees, including more than 130 fruits and vegetables. USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service is focusing the effort on five Midwestern states: Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin. This announcement renews and expands a successful $3 million pilot investment that was announced earlier this year and continues to have high levels of interest.
Read more in the bulletin here.