Grain Farmers of Ontario encourages all corn and soybean farmers to take the initiative to connect with their local bee keepers.
A new smart phone app, called BeConnected, will be piloted this season as a tool to make communication between farmers and bee keepers easier. It allows users to locate grain fields and bee hives within a defined radius of their GPS coordinates and quickly connect with those people.
“Whether to just make introductions, or to inform each other of activities planned on the land, the BeConnected app will be a great tool,” says Alma area cash cropper Henry Van Ankum, chair of Grain Farmers of Ontario (GFO).
“As we pilot test the app this season, we encourage farmers to start the conversation with local beekeepers the old-fashioned way. Cooperating and sharing information at the local level is especially important this year.”
Improved communication between farmers and bee keepers was one of the 13 recommendations from the Ontario Bee Health Working Group. GFO has been actively working to address many of the recommendations and would like to remind members that much can be done on a farmer-by-farmer level.
“Reaching out to your neighbours who have bee hives is a simple thing to do and can garner great information as you prepare for planting,” continues Van Ankum. “Every farmer needs to do their part – from following the label instructions on the fluency agent to letting bee keepers know your intentions – it’s important to put forth extra effort in mitigating the risk to pollinators.”
Grain Farmers of Ontario is the province’s largest commodity organization, representing Ontario’s 28,000 corn, soybean and wheat farmers.
