The USDA will recognize and celebrate the critical role pollinators play in producing more than 100 crops grown in the U.S. during National Pollinator Week, held June 17-23. Pollinator species include bees, other insects, birds and bats.
“Our nation’s farmers depend on a vibrant ecosystem to feed and fuel communities, and pollinators are an important part of that ecosystem,” Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a news release. “This week and every week, it is critically important that we protect pollinators and their habitats. Healthy pollinator populations are essential to the continued success and well-being of agricultural producers, rural America and the entire U.S. economy because, without them, many of our nation’s crops wouldn’t be able to produce as many fruits, nuts or vegetables.”
The USDA said it supports pollinators through research, data collections, diagnostic services, pollinator health monitoring, pollinator habitat enhancement programs, pollinator health grants and financial assistance programs.
Earlier this year, the USDA established a pollinator subcommittee that will identify annual USDA strategic pollinator priorities and said it will make pollinator health-related recommendations to strengthen its pollinator research efforts in support of USDA’s Science and Research Strategy.
The USDA said it will focus on stressors that impact pollinators, including pests and pathogens; pollinator habitat; and climate change. And this focus will require a better understanding of pollinator needs around climate adaptation and the entire agricultural ecosystem.
USDA will host a Pollinator Expo on Friday, June 21, (no rain date), from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Eastern in Washington, D.C., on the Jaime L. Whitten lawn, on Jefferson Drive SW (next to the Smithsonian Metro Station), in conjunction with the USDA Farmers Market. The event is an opportunity for the public to explore and learn about pollinator health and how these powerhouses help bring food to the table, USDA said.
Learn more about USDA pollinator work at usda.gov/pollinators.
