sept-oct-2020

CULTIVATING SUSTAINABILITY Please welcome our guest contributor, Billy Synk — Director of Pollination Programs for Project Apis m. (PAm). Billy manages the Seeds for Bees program which encourages cover crop use in agriculture by supplying growers with seed mixes designed to increase soil health while providing forage for bees. Enrollment for Seeds for Bees is currently open. Read on to learn more about the program and the benefits it provides to growers. Seeds for Bees Encourages Cover Crop Use Program Benefits Not only do cover crops support bees, but there are other benefits as well. Other pollinators, soil, orchard management, and environmental efforts all benefit from cover crop usage. See examples below: Soil Benefits • Improves soil fertility • Increases organic matter and water availability • Suppresses weeds • Prevents erosion and improves water infiltration 1 8 A L M O N D F A C T S sustainability of pollination and agriculture. bees, beekeepers, and growers, increasing but bees are active. Seeds for Bees servesthe needs of critical times of the year when natural forageis scarce, The seed mixes available are designed to bloom at providing seed and advice specific to their operation. develop bee friendly cover crops and habitat by to be the best one yet! Seeds for Bees helps growers The 2020–2021 Seeds for Bees season is shaping up