Honeybee Shortage and Farm Bankruptcies Climb
From the Ag Information Network, this is your Agribusiness Update.
**California almond orchards have turned snowy white, signaling the start of bloom, but beekeepers say bee mortality rates are at an all-time high, and there may not be enough honeybees to pollinate the 2025 almond crop.
California State Beekeepers Association president, Ryan Burris says the commercial beekeeping industry is experiencing significant hive loses nationwide.
He’s especially concerned about growers who didn’t secure pollination contracts with beekeepers early in the year.
**The National Chicken Council urged the Department of
Health and Human Services to reject recommendations from the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee emphasizing plant-based proteins over lean meats like chicken.
Among the recommendations the NCC took issue with was the emphasis on eating beans, peas, and lentils as optimal protein sources above chicken.
There was no specific mention that lean meat, like chicken, can be part of a healthy dietary pattern.
**Federal courts report that 216 farm bankruptcies were filed in 2024, up 55% from 2023.
Bankruptcy filings in territories and states outside the contiguous 48 states more than tripled in 2024, hitting a five-year high of 14 bankruptcies.
The American Farm Bureau reports Chapter 12 bankruptcies filed in the Northwest doubled from 2023 to 24, tying the Southwest with the second fewest.
All other regions – Southeast, Northeast, Mid-Atlantic and Midwest – had double-digit increases.
