I think some minimize too much the availability of good pollen in fall to guide a colony heathy and with a great resistance through winter.  In my opinion the number of treatment free colonies you can keep depents on the resistance quality of the winterbees builded up on good pollen. During more than 10 years I gradually improved the pollenpresence in fall. It gives me now the opportunity to keep 55 colonies treatmentfree in this area. 
Only a long period of constantly bad wetter, when the ladies can't fly, can drop down the resistance. There we can use some commercial or self-made pollenpaties to help them pass the period. But you can't replace natural pollen with pollenpaties for a long time.
What's in a number if you can't feed your bees what they need. I know beekeepers who only keep 4-5 colonies and have a lot of losses, but in fall they only have grass and mais for them.

How can you translate this to US commercial beekeeping, like Bob described very well ?
It's very difficult for them to work treatment free. They can only try to divide their number of colonies over several yards. Numbers depending on the availibilty of pollen there. Is this possible for commercial beekeepers (cost) ?
If you don't have a good fall pollen area, you have to improve it or you have to keep treating and feeding your colonies and hope they see spring. Some beeks simply don't have the chance to work treatment free.

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