Wisconsin Ag Connection - Pollinator Protection Planning Forum Slated for August 12

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Pollinator Protection Planning Forum Slated for August 12
Wisconsin Ag Connection - 07/27/2015

The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture is working with researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison to develop a pollinator protection plan. The plan is intended to improve understanding of factors affecting pollinator health, increase communication among stakeholders, and identify voluntary actions Wisconsin residents can take.

"Wisconsin agriculture would be much less prosperous and much less diverse without pollinators," said State Agriculture Secretary Ben Brancel. "Our fruit crops like cranberries, cherries and apples rely on insect pollinators, especially honeybees. Many of the vegetable crops on our organic farms and in the Central Sands need pollinators. Our alfalfa crop depends on bumblebees, and our vine crops like cucumbers, pumpkin and squash rely on squash bees. Pollinators are a matter of millions of dollars and thousands of jobs in Wisconsin."

A meeting is planned for August 12 at the Arlington Agricultural Research Station. The forum will consist of invited stakeholders, including representatives from agricultural organizations and businesses; environmental groups; the University of Wisconsin; and state, federal and tribal governments. Members of the general public will have a brief opportunity for comment at this meeting and two later meetings, but the main public comment period will come in November when a draft of the plan has been written.

In Wisconsin, pollinators include honeybees as well as wild, native species of bees and other insects that carry pollen between plants, fertilizing the plants so they produce fruit, vegetables and seeds.

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