Bee habitat funding applications due Nov. 21
November 4, 2014
From: AgWeek
FARGO, N.D. — The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service will deliver $4 million for honeybee habitat funding through its Environmental Quality Incentive Program in fiscal year 2015.
By: Mikkel Pates, Agweek
FARGO, N.D. — The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service will deliver $4 million for honeybee habitat funding through its Environmental Quality Incentive Program in fiscal year 2015.
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The deadline for applying for this year’s EQIP funding is Nov. 21. U.S. Sens. John Hoeven, R-N.D., and Heidi Heitkamp, D-N.D., both announced their support of the spending, to help offset effects of colony collapse disorder, which causes 30 to 90 percent of bee die-offs. Bees pollinate $15 billion in crops across the country.
Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack says the expenditure is designed to improve the health of honeybee populations.
“Significant progress has been made in understanding the factors that are associated with colony collapse disorder and the overall health of honeybees, and this funding will allow us to work with farmers and ranchers to apply that knowledge over a broader area,” Vilsack says.
The amount contributes to a June 2014 Presidential Memorandum — Creating a Federal Strategy to Promote the Health of Honey Bees and Other Pollinators — which directs USDA to expand acreage and forage value in its conservation programs.
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