09/04/08 Pollinator habitat

Washington Ag September 4, 2008 Bees are needed for the pollination of some important crops in Washington and we have all heard about the problem of colony collapse disorder and the loss of bee populations. One way Congress addressed the issue in the new farm bill was to give the Secretary of Agriculture the authority to encourage pollinator habitat for native and managed pollinators in all conservation programs. Natural Resources Conservation Service chief Arlen Lancaster explains. Lancaster: "One of the things that Congress did with all our programs, it said as you are implementing these programs be mindful of all the benefits they can provide. So as you are implementing conservation programs you can make decisions on seeding and you can make recommendations to producers on what to plant, how to plant and where to plant it. And what Congress wanted us to do is keep in mind pollinator habitat. So as we are making recommendations to producers they want to be cognizant that, well NRCS you can always make recommendations that promote pollinator habitat or are neutral on it. And we want you to as you make those recommendations, make sure producers know what they can be doing to promote pollinator habitat." Pollinator habitat is also authorized for additional payments under the Environmental Quality Incentives Program. I'm Bob Hoff.