I've been mulling whether to drop off the list because of exactly this point. I am certainly only a novice beekeeper with only a few hives. But I have a strong environmental biology background, with both academic and real-world training and experience. I've been involved with not only field experimentation but also peer-review research and commercial-level environmental site assessments, for both ag and non-ag purposes, since the late 1980's. And finally, I have been a grower now for 15 years, with a tremendous amount of exposure, training and experience to a wide variety of both small scale and commodity crops and growing systems in many parts of the country. I am particularly involved with our national organic certification program, and helping to communicate the multiple facets of how that program impacts grower profits, food safety, consumer choice and environmental protection.
I came to the list because I was searching for more rigorous experimental data about field-level honeybee exposure to various agricultural practices, along with stronger documentation and experimentally verified success rates for various management techniques. I wanted that information not only for my own hobby-level beekeeping, but because honeybees are "big news" in recent years. I've fielded more than one question about how other growers might be able to modify their practices to improve bee habitat. Towards that end I have gotten some benefit from the list, particularly in terms of learning about Jerry Bromenshek's work in combination with the Univ of MT; Jerry I am saving up to take every online class you folks offer. Randy I am also endlessly impressed with the level of work you're doing and your goal of having an abundance of field test stations to "ground truth" so many of the claims which are floating around out there. I would like to tighten up my own honeybee operations a bit more and then participate in that research. We have working fields at two very different locations/altitudes just within our own operation, and I'd love to be feeding you long-term multi-year data (the good, the bad and the ugly). Since joining the list I have learned quite a bit about the complexities of bee research, particularly in terms of determining real-world exposure to complex combinations of both natural and synthetic substances, and how that exposure can have multiple, complex impacts upon the hive.
Yet whenever I have tried to share any of my own training and experience in the context of whatever is currently being discussed, particularly regarding the management tools I've seen used in sustainable or organic ag practices, frankly, I have felt my opinions were dismissed. I do recall at one point that my 30 years of training, experience and practices were labeled as "quaint". Other opinions expressed were that my experience was not relevant because I wasn't currently growing 10,000 acres of corn and soybeans, using all the latest chemicals to ensure a harvest which hopefully did better than barely break even.
If I have to be a commodity farmer following one very small subset of chemically intensive practices before my opinions will be valued, then I may as well drop out now. If, on the other hand, folks are interested in hearing about the other 1001 options which are being used and tested with varying degrees of success by thousands of growers in all parts of the country, I'm happy to share those options. I would just ask that if folks want that diversity of information, don't shoot the messenger when it's delivered.
Kathryn Kerby
Frogchorusfarm.com
Snohomish, WA
-----Original Message-----
From: Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of randy oliver
Sent: Friday, November 6, 2015 9:06 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [BEE-L] Bees and agriculture
I feel that discussion on the List greatly benefits by those involved in agriculture other than beekeeping.
To that end, I wish to thank Charlie Linder for sharing his expertise and perspective, as it helps keep us from being a bunch of dittoheads.
Please, other professional grower/beekeepers on the List please post in order to help inform us non growers (I realize that many of us, including myself, are hobby growers, but our livelihood does not depend upon pest management of our crops). I feel that we have the best chance of resolving bee/agriculture issues if both points of view are offered in the discussion.
Thanks in advance.
--
Randy Oliver
Grass Valley, CA
www.ScientificBeekeeping.com
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