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.
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China’s beef policy risk stems from domestic volatility, making export demand inherently unstable. Jake Charleston with Specialty Risk Insurance offers his perspective on cattle markets, risk management, and producer sentiment.
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U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins said permanent access to the higher ethanol blend would provide farmers with much-needed certainty while supporting domestic crop demand.
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Food prices increased in December, but not as much as expected, according to the latest Consumer Price Index from the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics.
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