Drones Get A Boost & Supporting Pollinators

Drones Get A Boost & Supporting Pollinators. I'm Greg Martin with today's Northwest Report.

On Tuesday the U.S. House of Representatives unanimously passed Rep. Dan Newhouse from Washington's amendment to require the Federal Aviation Administration to take agricultural applications of small unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technology into consideration during the rulemaking process for UAVs. Newhouse said "The U.S. should not fall behind other nations that are currently developing safe testing and commercial use of UAV technology."

Earlier this year the President released the White House's National Strategy to Promote the Health of Honey Bees and Other Pollinators which includes funding for research as well as a directive for the EPA to re-evaluate neonicotinoids. There is an urgency to educate ordinary citizens about their role in protecting pollinators according to Rose Kachadoorian, an entomologist with the Oregon Department of Agriculture.

KACHADORIAN: One of the things that is being stressed is that government can't do it all by itself, we need the participation of homeowners, farmers, and other landowners and now is the perfect time of year to go to your local garden center and buy pollinator-friendly plants. It's good to have an array of plants that bloom at different times of the year.

That's today's Northwest Report. I'm Greg Martin on the Ag Information Network of the West.