5. Utilize IPM to reduce or eliminate the use of chemicals. Blue Diamond has received a $45 million grant through the U.S. Department of Agriculture to help growers implement on-farm practices through the Advancing Markets for Producers (AMP) program. This is a voluntary program for Blue Diamond member-growers, or growers who farm on a Blue Diamond orchard. The AMP grant provides a cost-share incentive to cover seed and plant material, and direct financial reimbursement for implementing one or more of the following eligible practices: hedgerows, cover crops and whole orchard
recycling. Blue Diamond ’s growers are eligible to receive their standard OSIP incentive in addition to the reimbursement for eligible AMP practices. Pollinator Partnership (P2) (pollinator.org) and Project Apis m . (P Am .) (projectapism.org) are partnering with Blue Diamond to provide technical assistance to growers through the planning and implementation process; P2 will support with hedgerow projects while P Am . supports with cover crops. Learn more about the AMP program here: bit.ly/AMPGrantApp.
Cody Wilson, Agricultural Manager, Pollinator Partnership
Codi Hale, Western Pollinator Habitat Manager, Pollinator Partnership
10 Morandin, L.A., Long, R.F., and Kremen, C. Pest Control and Pollination Cost Benefit Analysis of Hedgerow Restoration in a Simplified Agricultural Landscape. Journal of Economic Entomology. (2016). <http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/jee/tow086> 11 May, E., Isaacs, R., Ullmann, K., Wilson, J., Brokaw, J., Foltz Jordan, S., Gibbs, J., Hopwood, J., Rothwell, N., Vaughan, M., Ward, K., and Williams, N. Establishing wildflower habitat to support pollinators in Michigan fruit crops. Michigan State University Extension Bulletin E-3360: 1–18. (2017). 12 Long, R.F, Garbach, K., and Morandin, L. Hedgerow benefits align with food production and sustainability goals. California Agriculture. 71: 117-119. (2017). 13 Morandin, L.A., Long, R.F., and Kremen, C. Hedgerows enhance beneficial insects and pest control on adjacent tomato fields in an intensive agricultural landscape. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, 189: 164-170. (2014). 14 Goodrich, B. Maximizing profitability in almond production. Almond Conference: special Grower Breakfast Session Presentation, slides 19-40. (2022). 15 Fenton M., Goodrich B. K., and Penn J. Measuring beekeepers‘ economic value of contract enhancements in almond pollination agreements. Ecological Economics, 227, 108351. (2025). 16 Goodrich, B. K. Do more bees imply higher fees? Honey bee colony strength as a determinant of almond pollination fees. Food Policy, 83, 150-160. (2019).
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