Pollinator Week is an annual event celebrated internationally in support of pollinator health.

So, what exactly are pollinators? Birds, bats, bees, butterflies, beetles, and other small mammals that pollinate plants are responsible for bringing us one out of every three bites of food. They also sustain our ecosystems and produce our natural resources by helping plants reproduce.

If you enjoy coffee, chocolate, apples, almonds, and many other foods that are part of our daily lives, you may be surprised to learn that without pollinators they might no longer exist. About 35 percent of the world’s food crops are the result of pollinating species, an essential component in global food production.

Learning about the importance and benefits of pollinators on the world’s food supply is the idea behind the 4-H Pollinator Habitat Program. The three-year program aims to teach 30,000 youth nationwide about the importance of pollinators and pollinator habitats, while encouraging the establishment of quality pollinator habitats at 22 sites across the country.

The program features a “Teens as Teachers” approach which is a true win-win for kids. The young people learn skills from teen ambassadors they look up to while 4-H teens develop their leadership skills through teaching.

The great thing about Pollinator Week is that you can celebrate and get involved any way you like! Kids can take part in craft activities by making their own ants from clothes pins and pipe cleaners, or designing a butterfly using a coffee filter and food dye, among many other ideas found on the 4-H website. https://www.4-h.org or http://www.4-h.org/corteva

4-H teen ambassador Grace Moeller from Minnesota will join Rancher & 4-H Mom Natalie Kovarik to discuss the 4-H Pollinator Habitat Program, how kids can get involved during National Pollinator Week, and the importance of the program for the future of U.S. agriculture and the global food supply.

Grace Moeller
Grace is a 17-year-old Pollinator Ambassador from Blue Earth County, Minnesota. She is passionate about pollinators, climate change, and the outdoors. Grace loves to ride horses, design clothes, and run Cross Country + Track and Field.

Natalie Kovarik
From the heart of the Nebraska Sandhills, Natalie Kovarik shares her ranching and familying story to showcase the beauty behind the western lifestyle as well as foster a community that supports and trusts in agriculture as much as she does. Most of her days are spent bouncing around in a dusty old tractor or out in pasture on horseback, and she wouldn’t have it any other way. With roots firmly planted in the ranching community, she aims to spend her time advocating for rural life while collecting meaningful moments on her ranch with her ever-growing family.

Interview is courtesy: National 4-H Council & Corteva AgriScience
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The post Help Celebrate National Pollinator Week June 21 – 27 appeared first on Good News!.

44% of colonies GONE in just a year…and more dying off every day.

We can’t afford that math: Make your gift now and help us get toxic neonics off the shelves.

As thanks for your donation, we’ll send your choice of our exclusive cooler tote or a packet of wildflower seeds that pollinators love, so you can help the bees right in your neighborhood!

Bee feed and cooler tote

We’re counting on YOU to raise $50,000 by midnight on May 23.

Dear David,

We’re running out of time to save our bees.

Public awareness — and outrage — of the impact of deadly neonics is growing. But so too has production of pesticides like imidacloprid and thiamethoxam, huge moneymakers for chemical giants like Bayer, and Syngenta, and other corporations.

The result? Farmers lost 44% of their colonies in the past year alone.

Yes! I want to help save bees and fight back against chemical polluters and corporate interests that threaten bees and all wildlife. Make a gift today >>

Don’t forget -– we’ll send every donor a cooler tote perfect for the summer, or a packet of Bee Feed so you can show the honeybees in your backyard some love.
Nearly 100 varieties of fruits and vegetables rely on honeybees for pollination. If bees disappear, so do delicious avocados, strawberries, and apples. Farmers will be pushed into poverty. Our entire food ecosystem would be destroyed.

Mounting research is proving the link between neonics and bee deaths — now, it’s up to us to pressure lawmakers and the EPA to ban the sale of these poisons in the U.S.

With your help, we lobbied the EPA to review the science on neonics. Let’s finish the job and protect bee colonies from deadly toxins and certain extinction. Make your gift now and we’ll send you an Insulated Cooler Tote or packet of Bee Feed >>

Your generous gift enables us to:
Fight back against the Koch brothers and chemical giants
Defend our forests, animal habitats, and public lands against destructive oil drilling, pesticides, and more
Pressure Congress and policymakers to protect threatened species
Mobilize grassroots support wherever and whenever needed to protect the wilderness we cherish, from the tallest mountains to the tiniest bees.
Make your gift now and help us generate $50,000 by May 23 >>
We can’t hope for the best. We need to act — now — before bees disappear.

Sincerely,
Michael Brune
Michael Brune
Executive Director

The post Explore, Enjoy and Protect appeared first on Good News!.

More than 70 percent of pollen and honey samples collected from foraging bees in Massachusetts contained neonicotinoids, a type of insecticide that has been linked to colony collapse disorder, researchers are reporting. The disorder causes adult bees to abandon their hives in winter.

In the new study, published in The Journal of Environmental Chemistry, researchers analyzed 219 pollen samples and 53 honey samples from 62 hives in 10 counties in Massachusetts. Honeybee colonies have experienced significant losses over the last decade, and the effects can be far-reaching: Bees are the prime pollinators of one-third of all crops worldwide.

(http://mobile.nytimes.com/2015/07/28/science/honeybees-show-evidence-of-insecticide.html)

The post Honeybees Show Evidence of Insecticide appeared first on Good News!.