What is ABC doing to address these two concerns ?
near the outside the orchard, the added food for native bees helps protect those bees from the impacts of pesticide exposure. So, there is a net benefit to those native bees. This research provides quality, peer-reviewed and data- based evidence that shows these kinds of activities we have seen many growers in our industry do have a net benefit. AB: ABC and partners are already addressing these concerns, which is good because more and more growers and handlers are utilizing this practice, right ? JL: A lot of growers have been looking at cover crop and adding that into their orchard management. This year in particular, I heard a grower who planted cover crops talk about how the water didn’t stay standing in their orchards back in early spring when we had so much rain, rather that the water infiltrated and drained much more quickly. There are agronomic benefits from the practice that are worth considering, in addition to benefits to pollinators. And adding more permanent habitat outside the orchard is another area where a number of our handlers in the industry have seen a market value. Buyers want to know that they have a supply chain of almonds that allows biodiversity and a healthy ecosystem on the farm. Some handlers have really leaned in with their growers and are encouraging those kinds of practices, and that’s added certain value to both growers and handlers.
JL: We’ve been working with the Almond Alliance of California, other California agricultural interest groups, and some conservation groups who have been valuable partners of the California almond industry to negotiate a conservation agreement with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that would protect growers who have monarch habitat if they accidentally harm any of those monarch butterflies or larvae. In those agreements, we have to show that there’s a net benefit to the pollinators. Things like adding flowers and habitat for monarch butterflies, and in exchange for doing those good things, in this agreement you’re then protected if you accidentally harm monarchs. Also, as part of those negotiations, we are including practices that reduce risks of crop protection products and are working to demonstrate that we can use those safely and still have a net benefit to monarch butterflies. AB: “Net benefit” seems like the important term in this conversation. ABC grower-funded research has already been completed in this realm and showed pollinator gains from increased habitat outweighs the risk. Can you explain that ? JL: That’s right. ABC funded research with a native bee expert at UC Davis, which was published last year. That research showed that when farmers add floral strips, such as wildflower strips, part of a hedge row or just wildflowers
Article contributed by the Almond Board of California.
The partnership is also conveying industry practices that reduce pollinator risk from crop production products to avoid added scrutiny and restrictions of those products.
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