Pacific Nut Producer Magazine

Tag: Project Apis m.

  • Last Chance for Free Cover Crop Seed from Project Apis m.

    There are less than 100 spots left for growers to take advantage of free cover crop seed from Project Apis m. Through their Seeds for Bees program.

    Running from April 1 to Aug. 31, Seeds for Bees encourages the adoption of cover crop to provide forage for bees in orchards in California and elsewhere. This has the added benefit of fixing nitrogen and other vital nutrients into the soil. The seed mixes available through Seeds for Bees are designed to bloom through critical parts of the year, when natural forage is scarce and pollinators need it the most.

    Learn more about Project Apis m. and their Seeds for Bees program here.

  • Seeds for Bees Program Helps Growers Unlock the Benefits of Cover Crops

    Project Apis m.’s Seeds for Bees program is open and accepting application now through August. With support from several agricultural groups, including the Almond Board of California, the program is back again to help growers experience cover crop benefits in their orchard by providing them with free cover crop seed, nurturing a landscape that fosters both agricultural productivity and environmental stewardship.

    The Seeds for Bees program offers free seed support through Project Apis m. First-year participants are eligible for up to $2,500 worth of free seeds, while second-year participants can receive up to $1,500. Returning applicants can continue to benefit from discounted seed purchases through the program, ensuring ongoing support for seasoned growers.

    One of the program’s key strengths lies in its diverse seed offerings, tailored to meet the unique needs of various crops and farming practices. From popular mixes like the Pollinator Brassica, which blooms early to support almond cultivation, to specialized blends such as the Nitro Builder, designed to enhance nitrogen fixation, the program caters to a wide range of agricultural requirements.

    The benefits of cover crops extend far beyond their role in supporting pollinators. Improved water infiltration, often likened to a sponge, is one of the immediate advantages noted by growers. “Your soil is a lot like a sponge,” said Stetcyn Maldonado, manager of the Seeds for Bees program. “If you have a sponge that’s really open, you got all your pores in there and you can hold a lot more water and air than a sponge that’s squished. A cover crop really helps with getting your rainfall into your soil as quick as possible.”

    Addressing concerns about competition, Stetcyn reassures growers that cover crops, especially those offered through the Seeds for Bees program that are winter cover crops, are allies in weed suppression rather than adversaries to perennial crops. By occupying space and utilizing resources, cover crops naturally outcompete weeds, offering a sustainable solution to weed management and then are terminated before almond trees start growing again.

    With the application period open from April 1 to August 31, growers are encouraged to seize the opportunity and secure their spot in the program. “We’ve had a ton of applications already and the program is always increasing popularity,” Maldonado noted. “Seed is limited, so you want to make sure that your spot is secured,” The goal is to ensure timely delivery of seeds to growers’ doors, well before the optimal planting window from early to mid-October.

    Visit the Seeds for Bees website to learn more about the program and to apply for seeds. Additionally, upcoming videos featuring grower testimonies will offer insights into real-life experiences with cover crops and the Seeds for Bees program, providing a firsthand glimpse into its impact on agricultural practices. 

  • Project Apis m.’s Seeds for Bees’ 2022–2023 Season Open Enrollment Launched!

    The Seeds for Bees program open enrollment launched in California today and is open for three months until August 31st. This year’s goal is to plant 15,000 acres of cover crop in what growers and beekeepers are saying is one of the most challenging years in recent memory. “Last year was tough, this year is even tougher,” said Rory Crowley, Project Apis m.’s Director of Habitat Programs. “In every way possible, growers and beekeepers are being pressed to their limits, and that is why cover crop is so important. That is why Seeds for Bees is so important.” Crowley said that the drought and economic pressures actually demands more cover crop being planted.

    The challenges that growers and beekeepers are facing run the gamut, from economic—extreme increases in cultural cost—to agronomic—water availability, quality, and price. Project Apis m. is stressing its important economic and agronomic niche amidst these challenges. Seeds for Bees is now offering more money for free seed for first- and second-year participants. $2500 in free seed is being offered off overall seed purchases for first-year participants and $1500 for second-year participants. Because Seeds for Bees is nonprofit, buys seed in high volumes, and pays for shipping, growers of honey bee-pollinated crops in California can capitalize on pricing discounts through the program. Seeds for Bees has a huge competitive advantage that directly benefits producers’ pocketbooks, especially this year.

    “We are doing absolutely everything at Project Apis m. to help—giving away more, negotiating for better pricing on seed, and creating easy-to-use tools that growers can look at quickly and understand what to do and how to do it, like our new Management Quick Guide,” Crowley said. “We have two goals this year: to help growers and beekeepers get through and make a profit and get the bees the nutrition they need to come back strong and do it again next year. Let’s get to work.”

    There is only a 3-month Enrollment Period and funding is limited, so apply today HERE.

    Seeds for Bees

    Seeds for Bees encourages the use of cover crops to increase the density, diversity, and duration of bee forage in California working lands while improving soil health and crop production. The seed mixes available through Seeds for Bees are designed to bloom at critical times of the year when natural forage is scarce but managed and native bees are active. Seeds for Bees serves the needs of bees, beekeepers, and growers, increasing sustainability of pollination and agriculture. Learn more at www.ProjectApism.org/Seeds-For-Bees

    Project Apis m.

    Project Apis m. (PAm) is the go-to organization at the interface of honey bees and pollinated crops. Since 2006, we’ve infused over $8.5 million into honey bee research and $2.9 million into forage programs, resulting in better pollination and increased crop yields for growers, and lower losses and better honey production for beekeepers. We work closely with commercial beekeepers, growers, and top bee scientists in the USA and Canada to fund projects and direct strategic efforts focused on practical solutions. PAm funds studies, offers graduate scholarships to encourage careers in pursuit of science-based solutions to honey bee challenges, and has expanding efforts to put forage on the landscape where bees need it most. We are a 501(c)5 nonprofit organization governed by an eleven-member board of stakeholders representing major national and state industry organizations, and an additional seven-member Science Advisory Board.  Learn more at www.ProjectApism.org

  • New Almond Board Programs Assist Growers with Pollination


    As almond pollination costs have gone up in recent years, the Almond Board of California has engaged in studies to help growers reduce costs and developed strategic partnerships with other organizations to provide some new services that almond growers should take advantage of.  Watch this brief interview with Josette Lewis from the Almond Board as she explains and read more about it in Pacific Nut Producer Magazine.

    Please thank this video’s sponsor Suterra for their industry support.

  • Almond Pollination and Hive Removal Timing

    Almond pollination is underway in California and growers are hoping for another good crop this year.  How can you monitor the progress of your bees during almond pollination and determine when it is time to remove the hives?  Watch this brief interview with Billy Synk from Project Apis m. for some answers, and read more about it in the March issue of Pacific Nut Producer Magazine.

  • Enhancing Almond Pollination with Cover Crops

    How do you maximize the efficacy of your investment in bees for a successful almond pollination period?  According to Billy Synk, director of Pollination Services with project Apis m., the answer is planting cover crops in the fall that will flower prior to almond bloom to get the bees active early in preparation for a successful pollination period.Watch this brief interview as Synk explains, and read more about it in the February issue of Pacific Nut Producer Magazine.

    Enjoy our Ag video news?  Be sure to let our sponsor Duarte Nursery know & thank them for their industry support!

  • Forage Crops Yield More Successful Almond Pollination

    THANKS TO THIS VIDEO’S SPONSOR

    As growers get into the 2018 almond growing season, they hope for a successful pollination period. According to Billy Synk from Project Apis m., almond growers can achieve better pollination when they plant a forage cover crop in the fall to trigger the bees into activity come spring. Watch this interview as Billy explains, and read more about it in Pacific Nut Producer Magazine.

  • Cover Crops Complement, Not Compete with Almond Bloom

    The engineering of flowering agricultural field borders has emerged as a research and policy priority to mitigate threats to pollinators. Studies have, however, rarely addressed the potential that flowering field borders might compete with neighboring crops for pollinator visits if they both are in bloom at the same time, despite this being a concern expressed by growers. We evaluated how wildflower plantings added to orchard borders in a large (512 ha) commercial almond orchard affected honey bee and wild bee visitation to orchard borders and the crop. The study was conducted over two consecutive seasons using three large (0.48 ha) wildflower plantings paired with control orchard borders in a highly simplified agricultural landscape in California. Honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) and wild bee visitation to wildflower plots were at least an order of magnitude higher than to control plots, but increased honey bee visitation to wildflower plots did not lead to any detectable shifts in honey bee visitation to almond flowers in the neighboring orchard. Wild bees were rarely observed visiting almond flowers irrespective of border treatment, indicating a limited short-term potential for augmenting crop pollination using wild bees in highly simplified agricultural landscapes. Although further studies are warranted on bee visitation and crop yield from spatially independent orchards, this study indicates that growers can support bees with alternative forage in almond orchards without risking competition between the wildflower plantings and the crop.  Read the full report from Oxford’s Environmental Entomology Journal Here.