USDA Commemorates National Pollinator Week, Highlighting Agricultural Significance

Jun 20, 2023

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recognizes National Pollinator Week, underscoring its commitment to supporting the health and research surrounding pollinators. Throughout the designated week from June 19 to 25, 2023, the USDA acknowledges the crucial role that pollinator species, including bees, insects, birds, and bats, play in the pollination process of over 100 crops grown nationwide. The economic value added by honeybee pollination alone amounts to more than $18 billion annually.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack emphasizes the significant impact pollinators have on ecosystems and food supplies. Without them, the production of fruits, nuts, and vegetables would be severely compromised, resulting in reduced supplies and increased prices.

Preserving pollinators and their habitats is of utmost importance, as their decline negatively affects farm income and nutrition security. The thriving population of pollinators remains indispensable for the success and well-being of agricultural producers, rural communities, and the overall U.S. economy.

The USDA demonstrates its recognition of pollinators' critical role in agriculture through its dedicated support for pollinator health and research. This commitment encompasses activities such as research initiatives, data collection, diagnostic services, monitoring programs, habitat enhancement projects, and investments in pollinator health. The upcoming release of the "2023 Annual Strategic Pollinator Priorities Report" will outline the USDA's research and programmatic priorities, addressing both managed and wild pollinators.

This strategic approach empowers the USDA, partners, and communities to make informed decisions in supporting pollinator health within agricultural systems, ecosystems, and economies that rely on their services.

To celebrate National Pollinator Week, the USDA will organize a pollinator exhibits exposition, providing the public with an opportunity to explore and gain knowledge about the essential role of pollinators in food production. The event will be held in conjunction with USDA's Farmers Market, creating awareness about pollinators' health and their significant contributions to agriculture.

Source : wisconsinagconnection

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.