of these efforts by helping growers target practices for which beekeepers are willing to provide a discount on pollination fees. In 2020 Project Apis m . (P Am .) awarded National Honey Board funds to Dr. Brittney Goodrich of UC Davis, for her project titled: “Measuring Beekeepers’ Economic Value of Cover Crops and Contract Enhancements in Almond Pollination Agreements.” Dr. Goodrich surveyed over 90 commercial beekeepers, representing about 20% of all honey bees contracted for
Beekeepers feeding bees just after arriving in the almond orchards. Photo credit: Project Apis m.
The region where the growers were located within the Central Valley had an impact on cover cropping practices, likely due to local differences in rainfall and water costs. Growers who desired stronger colonies and were concerned about the future availability of bees had a higher likelihood of using cover crops. Durant and Ponisio summed up the findings this way: “We found that region and concerns about future pollination services were consistently important factors in determining the adoption.” Of the study, Durant and Ponisio state, “These findings suggest that a regionally flexible pollinator conservation strategy focused on supporting honey bee colonies might have the highest likelihood of grower participation and adoption.” Other considerations also moved the needle for growers considering cover crops: access to planting equipment, cost share programs, and reduced pollination rental fees. Organizations, like Project Apis m ., that are working to cover more ground, can take the data-backed barriers, incentives, and beekeeper preferences from both surveys and provide the information in a way that helps growers and beekeepers broker new and more nuanced contracts. For example, communicating to growers clearly about the benefits these practices have for pollinators, and how much beekeepers value them, is important because that information directly addresses growers’ concerns about the supply of bees.
almond pollination, to determine their preferences and the value they place on various practices like cover crops in the almonds. Her findings revealed some clear preferences: “Our results demonstrate that beekeepers place the highest value on additional pesticide protection. Secondly, we find that beekeepers value two types of cover crops, brassica and soil builder mixes, but do not value legume mixes, likely due to the timing of bloom. Our work shows there is potential for development of pollination contracts that could improve honey bee colony health, though future work must compare the costs of implementation of these practices.” — Dr. Brittney Goodrich Goodrich found that beekeepers were willing to reduce pollination fees in exchange for some practices that can provide benefits prior to and during the bloom: approximately, an eight-dollar-per-hive cost reduction for pesticide protection and five to seven dollars for cover crops. Another survey, funded by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), was conducted in 2020 by Dr. Jennie Durant of UC Davis and Dr. Lauren Ponisio of the University of Oregon. The researchers gathered insights from 329 almond growers in the Central Valley about cover cropping practices and found that only 35% of growers have used cover crops in the last five years. 3 This indicates that there is plenty of room to expand the practice if it makes sense for growers to invest in it.
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