USDA News
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EPA and USDA to Hold Public Listening Sessions on Pollinator Strategy
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will host two public listening sessions to solicit stakeholder input to assist the Pollinator Health Task Force in development of a federal strategy to protect honey bees and other pollinators. The Task Force is asking for input on the types of activities that could be part of the strategy, including ...
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Media Advisory: EPA’s Pollinator Summit on March 5
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will hold a public meeting with key stakeholders to collaborate on activities to protect honey bees and other pollinators from pesticide risks. Bees are an important component of agricultural production and are critical to food and ecosystems. The summit will be an opportunity to advance our collective ...
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Poison pulled: bee toxic pesticide removed from store shelves
After rounds of legal wrangling in federal court, a bee-toxic pesticide may no longer be sold or distributed because it entered the marketplace illegally. Bayer CropScience’s pesticide spirotetramat (trade-named Movento, Ultor, and Kontos) is now illegal to buy, sell, or transport in the United States after NRDC and Xerces Society successfully argued that it was approved through a flawed ...
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Conservation Videos Give Quick Glimpse into Assistance Available
USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service in California is releasing eight short videos on YouTube, providing a quick glimpse into some of the Agency's most popular conservation opportunities (http://www.youtube.com/user/NRCSCalifornia). In four minutes or less viewers can meet a California farmer or rancher who is working with the Agency to solve a conservation dilemma, meet the ...
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NRCS Honors Four RCDs for Conservation Work in California
The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has honored four California Resource Conservation Districts (RCDs) as "Outstanding Districts of the Year." The honors were presented at NRCS's partnership awards luncheon held during the 66th annual California Association of Resource Conservation Districts (CARCD) conference in Stockton on November 9. The Outstanding Districts of the Year ...
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USDA spending $3M to feed honeybees in Midwest
The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Tuesday it will spend millions of dollars to help farmers and ranchers improve pastures in five Midwestern states to provide food for the nation's struggling honeybees. Commercial honeybees pollinate an estimated $15 billion worth of produce each year. Many beekeepers bring hives to the Upper Midwest in the summer for bees to gather nectar and ...
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USDA Conservation Reserve Program Initiative Praised by Conservation Group
One million acre initiative will help restore grasslands, wetlands, wildlife habitat WASHINGTON, March 2, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) praised Agriculture Secretary Vilsack's announcement today to offer producers the option to preserve grasslands, wetlands and wildlife habitat by enrolling a total of 1 million acres of land in a new Conservation ...
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USDA and EPA Release New Report on Honey Bee Health
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today released a comprehensive scientific report on honey bee health. The report states that there are multiple factors playing a role in honey bee colony declines, including parasites and disease, genetics, poor nutrition and pesticide exposure. "There is an important link between the health of American ...
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ARS scientists develop self-pollinating almond trees
Self-pollinating almond trees that can produce a bountiful harvest without insect pollination are being developed by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists. This is good news for almond growers who face rising costs for insect pollination because of nationwide shortages of honey bees due to Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) and other factors. ARS geneticist Craig Ledbetter, at the agency’s ...
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Protectuin for Pollinators: Conservation Groups and Scientists Push USDA to Save Wild Bumble Bees
Leading conservation and science voices renewed their call today for a key federal agency to protect bumble bees in light of numerous threats contributing to population declines. The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), Defenders of Wildlife and Dr. Robbin Thorp asked the Secretary of Agriculture to take action on a petition to regulate the ...
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New Pesticide Labels Will Better Protect Bees and Other Pollinators
In an ongoing effort to protect bees and other pollinators, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has developed new pesticide labels that prohibit use of some neonicotinoid pesticide products where bees are present. “Multiple factors play a role in bee colony declines, including pesticides. The Environmental Protection Agency is taking action to protect bees from pesticide ...
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Organic dairy farmer albert straus speaks out against USDA’s decision on GM alfalfa
As an organic farmer, I protest the USDA’s recent decision to approve the unregulated planting of genetically modified alfalfa. This is a ruling that seriously jeopardizes the integrity of the organic food chain, and could cause irreparable harm to organic farmers by ruining our ability to supply organic dairy foods to customers. I believe that allowing genetically modified alfalfa to be ...
By 3BL Media
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Regulatory Developments: Proposal for Restriction of Neonicotinoid Products in the EU
The European Union (EU) voted April 29, 2013, on a proposal to restrict the use of three neonicotinoid substances for agricultural uses. The substances are clothianidin, imidacloprid, and thiamethoxam. The proposal failed to gain sufficient support from the 27 EU Member States Appeal Committee and was passed to the European Commission (EC), which has confirmed that the proposal will be adopted in ...
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Proposal for Restriction of Neonicotinoid Products in the EU
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By Acta Group
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Method to differentiate open pollinated varieties of maize developed
Open pollinated varieties of maize are going to be easier to distinguish from each other, thanks to scientists at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) in Africa and Mexico. They have developed a new technique to differentiate the genes of one open pollinated variety from another, particularly important to African farmers, most of whom do not plant hybrid varieties. The ...
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A kaleidoscope of restorative food and farming programs at the 2011 bioneers conference
As always, the 2011 Bioneers conference will highlight the growing edges of the global movement to transform our food systems. One major theme is Food and Education. Keynotes will include Karen Brown, Creative Director of the Center for Ecoliteracy, on "Revolutionizing K-12 Education with Sustainability in Mind," and Anim Steel, Director of National Programs at Boston's famed The Food Project, ...
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Bayer CropScience Breaks Ground on North American Bee Care Center
As part of its continued commitment to honey bee health, today Bayer CropScience broke ground on its North American Bee Care Center, a recognition of the importance of these pollinators to agriculture. Senior company managers, bee health experts and representatives from the community were on hand to begin work on the new facility, approximately a 6,000-square-foot state-of-the-art building which ...
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Feeding a growing population that relies on ecosystem services (Part II of II)
The future of farming, food supply, and protection of natural resources are utterly interdependent. While all economic sectors depend to some degree on ecosystem services, agriculture has the most intimate relationship with nature. Agriculture depends on healthy ecosystems for services such as pollination for nearly 75% of the world’s crop species, freshwater, erosion control, and climate ...
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Wild Bee Decline Threatens U.S. Crop Production
The first national study to map U.S. wild bees suggests they’re disappearing in many of the country’s most important farmlands — including California’s Central Valley, the Midwest’s corn belt and the Mississippi River valley. If losses of these crucial pollinators continue, the new nationwide assessment indicates that farmers will face increasing costs — and ...
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Bayer welcomes the U.S. National Pollinator Strategy as a concerted approach to improve pollinator health
Bayer welcomes the National Strategy to Promote the Health of Honey Bees and Other Pollinators published by the U.S. President’s Pollinator Task Force on Tuesday, May 19, 2015. “Bees are important pollinators in modern and sustainable agriculture. The U.S. strategy to improve pollinator health is a reasoned and multi-faceted approach,” said Annette Schuermann, Head of the Bayer ...
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