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Hello All,
I thought I might post some current figures on corn in the U.S.. Current
figures are at least 90% of all corn planted is with neonic treated seed.

92 million acres of corn expected to be planted (largest crop planted in the
U.S.). Up 4 million new acres over last year.

The above is from the USDA conference.

From today's TV program "U.S. Farm Report" the show was of the opinion most
of the 4 million acres was land taken out of CRP program. Bee pasture for
many of us.

The program said futures for corn was running $6-7 a bushel and might hit
$8 a bushel by year end.

The list is welcome to check the above but I have quoted recent sources.

My point is to show those which do not live in the Midwest the Billions of
dollars being made on corn.
Although atrazine is leaching into ground water and lakes and streams
MILLIONS of new acres are being planted. Most common places for corn is in
the river bottoms above the aquifers.

I was told in my current conversation with a high up American Beekeeping
Federation member the solution in his opinion is too relocate from the
Midwest as chemical company solutions are in his opinion not going to
happen.

Both chemical companies & FARMERS are seeing the "Gold" (dollars) in corn. I
have spoke with a few farmers I have normally kept bees on their farm and
said like last year will not be bringing bees if they are planting corn.

I asked one farmer why he keeps planting corn year after year and he replied
corn is the money crop now and his seed/chemical seller says not rotating is
getting to be commonplace and corn crops seem unaffected. His concern was
mostly about bushels per acre of corn not the fact that repeated plantings
of neonic treated corn could cause levels of the neonics to build up in the
soil and repeated treatments of atrazine will further increase levels of
atrazine in the ground water .

We have learned on BEE-L that bees do collect corn pollen thanks to the
video in the archives although even some beekeepers on the list said was not
so.

We know bees at times WILL collect the gutation water and the water can
carry lethal levels of the neonics.

We know the neonics will build up in soil with year after year planting of
corn.

We know the chemical companies and farmers making huge profits on corn are
not going let bees stand in the way of profits.

My solution (for now) is not relocation (as suggested) but to keep hives in
my quarry 35 acre holding yard miles from row crops. Then move into range
country (areas without neonics) and into pollinations then return to my safe
place. The only reason the area around the holding yard has no row crops is
the yard is on a small mountain top (highest spot in my county). My trucks
drop to around 20MPH and the lowest years to climb the road to the top.

I post to share what I see as the only possible solution for those
commercial beekeepers in a similar  corn situation.

Today's "U.S. Farm Report" has long range drought forecasts for the U.S. and
half the U.S. is in from moderate to severe drought even with the snow fall.
I see corn issues worse in a drought year.
My area is in the moderate drought area.

bob

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