Pollination is everything when trying to grow crops, and it is why tree nut growers are getting picky about the bees touching their crops.
They are using Blue Orchard Bees, which are like honeybees but do not use a queen or worker bees. Orchard farmers tend to prefer them because man-made nests can be placed throughout the rows.
One grower says that while they are beneficial, they are not for everyone.
“It takes the right grower. It takes, you know, a progressive grower. The challenge for the grower as we see it right now is that it’s hard for them to attribute the bump in yield to the bee, you know, if you’re talking about a 10% bump in yiled, what you have to do is either believe the research or you don’t, is really what it comes down to,” said Jim Watts.
The EPA has approved over-the-top dicamba applications for the 2026 and 2027 growing seasons, outlining new rules that impact herbicide use for U.S. crop producers.
February 09, 2026 11:32 AM
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Top issues facing the beef industry took center stage at CattleCon this year in Nashville.
February 06, 2026 04:58 PM
Predator pressure and public lands policy were front and center at CattleCon.
February 06, 2026 04:29 PM
Dr. Peter Beetham, interim CEO of Cibus, joined us to discuss the status of EU gene-editing deregulation and its potential implications for agriculture.
February 06, 2026 12:36 PM
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Representative Henry Cuellar (D-TX), who sits on the U.S. House Appropriations Committee, spoke exclusively with RFD NEWS about what Congress is doing to address screwworm concerns, including funding for a sterile fly production facility in Mexico.
February 06, 2026 12:07 PM
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HHS Secretary Robert Kennedy calls on cattle producers to retain breeding cows while Ivomec receives emergency authorization to prevent New World screwworm.
February 06, 2026 11:48 AM
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