Natural Beekeeping International Forum

[jsallington]

Just a FYI under the new farm bill that passed there is a USDA grant you can get where they pay you if you plant certain bee friendly plants on your property!!

[WileyHunter]

I believe this is actually a renewal(?) or at least a modification to a previous program. I remember reading something about it several years ago when I was researching other USDA supported programs for or family farm, to create a Turkey/Deer habitat area.

Either way, it seems to be a pretty good program. Again, if I remember correctly, they're not asking farmers to give up huge parcels, but rather encouraging them to create boundary areas along the field/fencerow to plant bee friendly crops/flowers. My biggest concern with this though, is the farmer who uses GMO seed and sprays with 'fill-in-the-blank'cides with these flowers bordering same fields. Essentially baiting the bees to poison, which will certainly drift. Now if they could somehow stipulate in the program that the farmer not use either, on neighboring crops, but if doubt many would sign up for that then... #bigsighoffruwtration!