Staff \u2014 May 1, 2015<\/p>\n

The Society of American Florists (SAF) joined with dozens of groups from agriculture and beyond in April to call on Congress to increase funding for important research on pollinator health.<\/p>\n

The letter, addressed to Reps. Robert Aderholt (R-Ala.) and Sam Farr (D-Calif.) and Sens. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), asks lawmakers to support increases in President Obama\u2019s fiscal year 2016 budget, including a $7 million increase to the USDA\u2019s Agricultural Research Service budget for the Pollinator Health Initiative and $500,000 increase for the National Agricultural Statistics Service to further analyze honey bee colony losses and pollination costs for the Pollinator Health Initiative.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor over a decade, beekeepers have been suffering from higher than typical overwintering losses,\u201d according to the letter. \u201cThese losses and the unpredictability of their severity have threatened the sustainability of this important segment of agriculture. That is why all sectors of agriculture, including row crop, specialty crop, beekeepers, and related agricultural industries have come together to express support for the allocation of these funds and exhibit our shared interest in pursuing this research so that we may all base our decisions on sound science.\u201d<\/p>\n

The groups signing the letter also expressed their support for the National Institute of Food and Agriculture and its role in coordinating efforts for long-term protection of pollinator health.<\/p>\n

The letter comes at a time when pollinator health is in the headlines \u2014 and \u201cmisunderstandings about the highly complex issue, and the role that neonicotinoids, or \u2018neonics,\u2019 a class of pesticides, play in pollinator health, are many,\u201d said Lin Schmale, SAF\u2019s senior director of government relations. \u201cThis is an issue for which sound science must take priority.\u201d<\/p>\n

The letter falls on the heels of the Bee and Pollinator Stewardship Initiative\u2019s launch of the website growwise.org. Supported by SAF, AmericanHort and the industry\u2019s research arms, the Horticultural Research Institute (HRI) and the American Floral Endowment (AFE), the Initiative\u2019s website provides a go-to resource for information about bee and pollinator health \u2014 whether bee colonies are really still declining and the positive impact the industry can play in promoting bee health. It also cites bee research being conducted by HRI and AFE. Go to the website to download a brochure and \u201cfrequently asked questions,\u201d designed for growers, landscapers, and their customers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Staff \u2014 May 1, 2015 The Society of American Florists (SAF) joined with dozens of groups from agriculture and beyond in April to call on Congress to increase funding for important research on pollinator health. The letter, addressed to Reps. Robert Aderholt (R-Ala.) and Sam Farr (D-Calif.) and Sens. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) and Jeff Merkley […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[65,66,67,68,69,13,70,71],"class_list":["post-445","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-nursery","tag-afe","tag-american-floral-endowment","tag-americanhort","tag-bee-colonies","tag-beekeepers","tag-bees","tag-hri","tag-the-horticultural-research-insitute"],"yoast_head":"\n