South Dakota farmers and ranchers are eligible for federal dollars to help promote honey bee habitats. The USDA is dedicating more than $4 million dollars to five states in the Midwest – including South Dakota. The funding is an expansion of a pilot program launched last year to encourage bee health after a dramatic population drop.
Since 2006, each year America loses 30 percent of its honey bee hives, and experts say that kind of degradation isn’t sustainable. That’s why the USDA is allocating resources encouraging honey bee health.
The newly-announced $4 million provides aid to farmers and ranchers who put conservation techniques in place. Kirk Hanlin is the assistant chief at the National Resources Conservation Service. He says more than three dozen practices can provide safe and diverse food sources for bees.
"What cover crops do is they benefit both the bees and the farmer, because you plant a cover crop during the time that your corn or your soybeans are not growing. They provide pollen during those off-times, but they also put roots down into the soil which helps increase the carbon content of the soil. It helps hold that topsoil in place so it doesn’t blow away through wind erosion or water erosion," Hanlin says.
Hanlin says other opportunities for conservation include rangeland and pasture management, increasing soil health, and inhibiting invasive species that threaten bees and their food supplies.
South Dakota received the most money from the USDA during the $3 million pilot program last year with $900,000 in applications awarded. Hanlin says producers in the state show an understanding that bees are essential to crop production and that farmers and ranchers are committed to supporting honeybee health.
The deadline for applications from producers is Friday, November 21st. For details on the program and qualifications, visit this link to the USDA website.