20 / SEEDWORLD.COM SEPTEMBER 2017 PROTECTINGPOLLINATORS ThisseriesissponsoredbyOperationPollinator, aSyngentaglobalinitiative. AS HARVEST SEASON continues, some farmers have turned their atten- tion to planting, but not necessarily planting their fields. Rather, they are planting pollina- tor plots. In some areas, fall is actually the best time to plant wildflower seeds for pol- linator habitats. Other areas seem to do better when planted in the spring or summer; even then site preparation is best done in the fall. Syngenta recently developed an Operation Pollinator guide for farmers who want to convert unused land to pol- linator habitat. The guide outlines steps farmers can take starting in the fall. Tim Huggins, a natural resource specialist at the Delta F.A.R.M. in Mississippi, has experience setting up Operation Pollinator plots on farmland. He says the guide is a great starting point for farmers. “It covers the basics on the how and why to get started,” Huggins shares. “It has a lot of great information that can be used as a jumping off tool for farmers, and then they can tailor the program to their operation.” Site Selection The first stage in establishing a pollina- tor plot is site selection. Farmers typically start by identifying areas of their opera- tion that aren’t as productive. However, areas that are too wet for row crops could also prove too wet for pollinator plots. “Poor site selection is one of the big- gest issues we face,” Huggins says. “If farmers are dealing with a little excess moisture in the area, there are specific seed mixes we can choose to try there, but nothing will grow if the area is consistently dealing with standing water or something like that.” Huggins advises looking for an area that needs to be mowed each year or an old building site that isn’t cultivated. For Operation Pollinator, a plot should ideally be about an acre in size. Other conserva- tion stewardship programs focus on larger sites for larger payment incentives, while other farmers choose to create several smaller plots. Chuck Foresman, a Syngenta digi- tal agriculture technical agronomy lead based in Greensboro, N.C., operates Foresman Family Farm in central Illinois in partnership with his siblings and son. They are in their first year of managing pol- linator plots on their farm, and have even added two bee hives. “My son Charlie is very interested in pollinators, and he’s been influential in getting this set up,” Foresman shares. The Foresman family has three small pollinator plots, one chosen because it Experts explain why you should start preparing now. Melissa Shipman THEPOLLINATORPLOTPROCESS was near a pond and the hives. The other two are located around the bases of large electrical towers near the road. “We wanted to reclaim those tower sites, and eliminate the unsightly weeds that took over those areas, and we also liked those spots because they were near the road so our neighbors could see them,” Foresman says. “We think it’s important for the non-farming commu- nity to know we invest in stewardship of our agricultural environment.” Another factor to consider when choosing a pollinator site is protection. Would the site be protected, at least on one side, to avoid any potential drift or overspray from chemical applications in the field? “A lot of these pollinator-friendly plants would be easily damaged by traditional herbicides that might be applied to row crops,” Huggins notes. In Northwest Mississippi, a group gathers at a Delta F.A.R.M. (Farmers Advocating Resource Management) Operation Pollinator site.