Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68 Page 69 Page 70 Page 71 Page 72 Page 73 Page 74 Page 75 Page 76 Page 77 Page 78 Page 79 Page 80 Page 81 Page 82 Page 83 Page 84 Page 85 Page 86 Page 87 Page 88 Page 89 Page 90 Page 91 Page 92 Page 93 Page 94 Page 95 Page 96 Page 97 Page 98 Page 99 Page 100 Page 101 Page 102 Page 103 Page 104 Page 105 Page 106 Page 107 Page 108 Page 109 Page 110 Page 111 Page 112 Page 113 Page 114 Page 115 Page 11620 www.seed.ab.ca | Advancing Seed in Alberta I don’t think the cost would be prohibitive to put in a cover crop. As much as seven acres are available in the pivot corners which could be used for something else, such as perennial vetches or forages that could also be a crop.” Townsend suggests pesticides can be managed to protect bees. He says systemic pesticides used in seed treatments have been a saving grace for bees because they don’t affect the bees as long as the insects are healthy. Foliar sprays can be much harder on honeybees, he says, especially if they are sprayed when the bees are at work. He believes the only time a seed treatment could cause an issue is if the seed is mishandled or seeded incorrectly. “In a perfect world we wouldn’t need pesticides,” Townsend says. “But it’s not a perfect world, so we need to work together.” “Neonicotinoids are the safest class of pesticides we have,” comments Ovinge. “The outcry is by people who don’t under- stand the issue. If foliar spray is necessary during the peak foraging time, alert the beekeeper so the hives can be moved. Beekeepers also need to be better communicators and let grow- ers know there are bees in their area. We used to hide the hives because people react with fear, but maybe we need to do a better job of educating the public and our farm partners.” Manson says in Western Canada there is plenty of food to go around for both honeybees and wild pollinators; there just needs to be better habitat management. She says there is data from around the globe that shows an increase in the yield of many flowering crops when wild pollinators are present. “Communication is paramount for healthy bees and healthy crops,” says Ovinge. “We are getting better at talking to our neighbours. I’ve even started getting calls from aerial sprayers about when they are going to spray.” He adds as crop producers get more efficient there are fewer fence lines or marginal areas for bees and he would like to see attention given to preserve bee habitat, such as seeding the pivot corners to forage. “Despite what you see in the media, our industry is thriving,” says Townsend. “The best things farmers could do for us is to give beekeepers access to high land, north shelter, natural water sources, provide good crops for foraging, access to fields and com- munication. There’s a huge benefit to having bees in the area.” Research continues on bees and their relationship to agricul- ture. No one disputes bees are good for crops. What is needed is communication between sectors so beekeepers can provide the insects that crop producers need to ensure healthy, pollinated crops. Rosalie I. Tennison DoPesticides“Train”Bees? ResearchattheUniversityofGuelphsuggestsbumblebeebehaviourischangingduetopesticidepresence.Areported declineinglobalpollinatorssuggestsanimpactonfoodsecurity.Thestudysuggestsnormallevelexposuretoneonicotinoid insecticidehasanimpactontheforagingabilityofbumblebeesincropsthathavecomplexflowershapes,suchaswhiteclover. Wildpollinatorsappeartobethefocusoftheresearchthatsuggestsexposuretopesticidesimpedesthebees’abilitytolearn howandwheretocollectfood.Inamediareleaseexplainingthestudy,theresearchersreported:“…Whilebumblebeesexposed topesticidescollectedmorepollenthancontrolbees,controlbeeswereabletolearnhowtomanipulatethesecomplexflowers afterfewervisits.” TheresearchwasacollaborativeeffortbetweentheUniversityofGuelphandtheUnitedKingdomInsectPollinatorsInitiative. Dr.NigelRaine,theRebanksFamilyChairinPollinatorConservationattheUniversityofGuelph,saysthereisanincreasing needforfieldresearchintotheimpactofallpesticidesonbumblebeesandotherwildpollinators. “Ourresultssuggestthatcurrentlevelsofpesticideexposurecouldbesignificantlyaffectinghowbeesareinteractingwithwild plants,andimpairingthecrucialpollinationservicestheyprovidethatsupporthealthyecosystemfunction,”Dr.Rainereports. THIS YEAR, YOUR PURCHASE OF GENUITY®ROUNDUP READY 2 YIELD® OR ROUNDUP READY 2 XTENDTM SEED FROM PROGRAIN COULD HELP YOU WIN BIG! CONTACT YOUR SALES REPRESENTATIVE OR ONE OF OUR TERRITORY DIRECTORS FOR DETAILS. WIN A 2016 CAN-AM® DEFENDER XT ! Exclusive Western Canadian Distributor Shawn Rempel, General Manager [email protected] quarryseed.com 888-274-9243 Semences Prograin inc. t (800) 817-3732 f (450) 469-4547 145, Bas-de-la-Rivière Nord St-Césaire (Québec) J0L 1T0 Canada