Pollinators are a crucial part of healthy agricultural and natural landscapes. The 2014 Farm Bill retains all of the pollinator conservation provisions of the 2008 Farm Bill and adds targeted support for the creation of honey bee habitat. The 2008 Farm Bill made pollinators and their habitat a priority for USDA, and authorized special consideration when determining payments for practices that promote pollinator habitat under Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP). Wild and managed (both native and introduced) pollinators are to be considered during the review or development of Farm Bill conservation practice standards. Most importantly, the 2008 Farm Bill authorized the Secretary of Agriculture to encourage “the development of habitat for native and managed pollinators; and the use of conservation practices that encourage native and managed pollinators” during administration of any conservation program.
