COLUMBUS, Ohio — Pollinators are an essential link in agriculture. Animal pollinators, especially bees, are critical for producing more than one-third of our food products. In fact, bee-pollinated commodities account for $20 billion in annual U.S. agricultural production and $217 billion worldwide.

In addition to bees, other pollinators – including butterflies and moths, beetles, flies, wasps, birds and bats – are necessary for pollinating more than 80 percent of plants in nature.

In an attempt to bolster these much-needed pollinators, the Farm Service Agency (FSA) with its Pollinator Habitat Initiative, or CP-42, hopes to entice farmers and other rural land owners to get involved with pollinators because it benefits the environment.

Jeff Burris, private land biologist with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources’ Division of Wildlife, says there are many benefits to this pollinator program, one of special interest to farmers. "There are many benefits, such as providing a beneficial habitat for many wildlife species, and entire fields may be enrolled," Burris said.

Other benefits, he added, are the aesthetics of colorful wildflowers and the opportunity to enhance the habitat with brush piles, edge feathering and downed tree structures. Pollinator strips, he adds, may be beneficial for organic and non-organic farm systems as well as vineyards and orchards. "The signup for the program started in June, and it’s ongoing," Burris said. "Farmers and others can get on board as long as they meet eligibility requirements. Incentive and rental payments and cost-share assistance may be available for acres enrolled in the Pollinator Habitat Initiative, or CP-42."

Since 1986, the Farm Service Agency (FSA) with its Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) has provided millions of acres of vital habitat for honey bees and other pollinators. With abundant acres of legume-rich forage or diverse wildflower plantings, CRP lands offer hives a safe haven from the pressures of modern agriculture – supplying large-scale sources of pollen and nectar that keep bee colonies healthy and generating millions of dollars worth of honey every year.

The CP-42 program has been designed to provide habitat for honey bees and native pollinator species. Participants of newly enrolled pollinator habitat practices are eligible to receive annual rental payments.

The CP-42 Pollinator Habitat practice comprises a diverse mix of at least nine species of pollinator friendly wildflowers, such as Black-Eyed Susan and purple coneflowers; legumes, such as crimson clover; or shrubs. The mix needs to provide at least three species in each of the bloom periods from April to October. A half acre of planting is required. "As of Aug. 1, there is 1,074 acres enrolled in this program in Ohio," Burris said.

Offers for enrollment into CP42 may be made at any FSA county office in which the land is located. Offers are automatically accepted, provided the land and applicant meet these requirements. To sign up for this program, contact your county’s FSA office or an ODNR private lands biologist. For more details, call 1-800-945-3543.