Charlie, I can't completely agree with you on the sustainability of
agricultural practices.  I subscribe to the Council of Agricultural
Sustainability think tank analyses (you'd like them, if you don't already
subscribe), which go into incredible detail on agricultural practices in
the U.S. and the world.

In many areas of the planet, agricultural practices, both past and present,
are or were clearly not sustainable.  We have massive desertification and
overgrazing, salt buildup in soils, diminishing aquifiers, and dependence
upon exotic fertilizers transported over great distances, a high dependence
upon cheap energy, etc.  All of those factors are unsustainable.

In recent years, much agricultural land has been purchased as a short-term
investment by investors looking for a safe place to park money.  They do
not intend to be farmers, and do not care about sustainability.

I put far more faith in those small or large family farmers who have a
long-term connection with "their" land, and who intend to pass
well-maintained land on to their grandchildren.  They are in general the
best land stewards.

Beekeepers can be either (or all) commensal, mutualistic, or parastitic
symbiotic organisms in the grand agricultural scheme of land "ownership"
("ownership" of a part of this planet's surface by a short lived primate is
a ridiculous concept on the face of it).  Few studies have found planting
of forage specifically for the production of honey to be economically
justified.

However, although you dismiss pollination services as being unnecessary for
anything other than almonds, there is substantial data to the contrary.
Pollinators are critical to the biological diversity of healthy
ecosystems.  Honey bees play a key role in the continents of Africa,
Europe, and Asia.  They also play a key role in agricultural production of
non native crops in the Americas, New Zealand, and Australia.


--
Randy Oliver
Grass Valley, CA
www.ScientificBeekeeping.com

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