> We could link farm insurance benefits to forage planting
> We could ask for greater support for Extension promotion of IPM.
> We could ask for sentinel apiaries to be established across 
> the country to monitor adverse pesticide use.

Why could more than a miniscule fraction of farmers be
expected to be interested in planting flower strips for bees,
given that beekeepers are having no major problem keeping 
them supplied with bees?

And if only a tiny fraction of farmers would be interested,
how could that trivial effort accomplish biologically meaningful 
landscape scale change?  

I believe it's mainly the pollinator protection groups and
academics who are affliated with them who are pushing for 
federal dollars for flower strip plantings because their 
incomes and future career advancement opportunities would 
directly benefit.  In fact, your "forage planting", "Extension
promotion of IPM", and "Installation of sentinel apiaries"
proposals all involve giving federal dollars to pollinator
protection groups and academics.

Paul Cherubini
El Dorado, Calif.

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