Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68 Page 69 Page 70 Page 71 Page 72 Page 73 Page 74 Page 75 Page 7618 / SEEDWORLD.COM SEPTEMBER 2016 PROTECTINGPOLLINATORS ThisseriesissponsoredbyOperationPollinator, aSyngentaglobalinitiative. WITH INPUT COSTS up and crop prices down, many family farms have turned to a monoculture cropping system in an attempt to improve efficiencies and make ends meet. However, these practices not only limit a piece of land’s long-term productivity potential, but also impact pollinators in a pretty significant way. Jill Wheeler is head of sustainable productivity for Syngenta in North America. She is passionate about the six commitments Syngenta has targeted as part of its Good Growth Plan, which include input efficiency, farmland revitalization and biodi- versity, among others. When it comes to biodiversity benefits, Wheeler said there are three main areas to consider. “First of all, biodiversity can improve pollination, which we know is critical for food production. It affects some crops more than others, but is still an important consideration,” Wheeler said. Biodiversity also facilitates nutrient cycling and pest control, which provides farmers the founda- tion for better land productivity. Wheeler also said Syngenta is working to increase genetic diversity through its plant breed- ing program by giving farmers a wider variety of genetic options within each crop family. “We’re working on creating biodiversity by encouraging farmers to plant multi-functional field margins and buffer strips for pollinator and wildlife habitat. Equally important, we’re encouraging them to enhance the genetic diversity of their fields as a genetically diverse cropping system has more resilience to disease, pests and other environmen- tal factors,” Wheeler said. Return on Investment For many of these efforts, the biodiversity benefits are not instantaneous. “It’s not immediate. In fact, it’s a multi-year pro- cess. It could be several years before farmers see the full return on their investment, but there will be a payoff eventually,” Wheeler said. Rod Snyder is president of Field to Market: The Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture, which looks at eight sustainability indicators, including biodiversity, and provides measure- ment tools and resources for growers and the supply chain that track opportu- nities for continuous improvement at the farm level. “We’re looking at ways farmers can enhance that biodiversity, whether it’s installing buffer strips, using crop rotation or maintaining pollinator-friendly plants,” Snyder said. Snyder agrees it’s a challenging topic because these efforts can seem, on the surface, to be at odds with what farmers are trying to achieve, such as weed con- trol. It’s also challenging because the effects aren’t always measurable right away. “Whether building soil health through crop rotation and cover crops or other management techniques, there will be additional benefits that are only realized over time,” Snyder said. Efforts pay off with long- and short-term benefits. Melissa Shipman BUILDINGBIODIVERSITY Changing agricultural practices have altered rural landscapes and natural habitats for many of the pollinators we need.