Ryan's District Boards

The White House on Friday announced a federal strategy to reverse a rapid decline in the number of honey bees and other pollinators in the United States that threatens the development of billions of dollars in crops. As part of the plan, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced $8 million in funding for farmers and ranchers in five states who establish new habitats for honey bee populations. "Honey bee pollination alone adds more than $15 billion in value to agricultural crops each year in the United States," the White House said in a statement announcing the establishment of a multi-agency task force and other measures. The contribution of native wild pollinators such as bumble bees were valued at $9 billion in 2009.