A new certification program enables agricultural producers to let consumers know they are farming in ways that benefit bees. Funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation partnered with Oregon Tilth to develop and launch the Bee Better Certified program.

“Bee Better Certified is working with conservation-minded farmers to meet a growing interest from consumers to know how their food choices impact bees,” said Xerces Executive Director Scott Hoffman Black. “Many species of bees have suffered declines over the years, but by creating habitat and reducing pesticide use, Bee Better is generating meaningful change on working farms, helping to preserve crop pollinators and the valuable services they provide to farmers.”

After piloting the program with 13 farmers over the past few months, Xerces and Oregon Tilth are now opening it to farmers nationwide. The program focuses on integrating flower-rich habitat on farms in order to provide food and nesting sites for native bees, honey bees and other pollinators. It also helps farmers reduce or eliminate use of pesticides known to cause harm to bees.

Oregon Tilth assesses and certifies farms based on the amount and quality of habitat created as well as the incorporation of pest management strategies aimed at protecting crop pollinators.

“When Xerces approached us as a possible partner, it seemed like a great fit,” said Oregon Tilth Certification Director Connie Karr. “We knew our missions were aligned, and we could bring our certification expertise alongside their technical expertise in invertebrates to develop this standard together. It’s important to make sure a new set of standards is credible, valuable and achievable. By working together, we could achieve all those things.”

The project received a $350,000 Conservation Innovation Grant in 2016 from USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) which Xerces matched to develop and test the first-of-its-kind program. The Conservation Innovation Grant program aims to drive public-private innovation to support next-generation conservation efforts.

As part of USDA’s commitment, NRCS works with conservation partners like Xerces to help farmers plan and implement conservation practices that benefit bees and other pollinators. NRCS offers more than three dozen conservation activities that farmers can use to integrate bee habitat amid working lands and to use pesticides wisely. Several of the farmers who piloted Bee Better Certified have worked with NRCS to make conservation improvements on their land.

“About two-thirds of the country is privately owned, meaning the land management choices of our nation’s farmers, ranchers and forest landowners can have positive impacts from pollinators,” NRCS Acting Chief Leonard Jordan said. “We’re inspired by the many men and women who step up and voluntarily implement conservation practices on their land, which benefits bees and other pollinators as well as our soil, water and air.”

Bee Better is open to farms of all types and sizes. Those interested submit an application to Oregon Tilth, which inspects the farm and certifies if it meets standards. Certified farmers are able to use the Bee Better seal on their farmstands. Manufacturers can also use the seal on products that contain Bee Better Certified ingredients.

To learn more, visit Bee Better’s website.

About Oregon Tilth
Oregon Tilth is a leading national nonprofit certifier, educator, and advocate for organic agriculture and products since 1974. Our mission to make our agriculture biologically sound and socially equitable requires us to find practical ways to tackle big challenges. We advance this mission to balance the needs of people and planet through focus on certification, conservation, policy, and the marketplace. For more on our mission and services, visit www.tilth.org.

About the Xerces Society
The Xerces Society is a nonprofit organization that protects wildlife through the conservation of invertebrates and their habitat. With the largest and most experienced pollinator conservation team in the world, Xerces is a trusted source for science-based information and advice. We collaborate with people and institutions at all levels and our work to protect pollinators encompasses all landscapes. Our team draws together experts from the fields of habitat restoration, entomology, botany, and conservation biology with a single focus—protecting the life that sustains us. To learn more about their work, please visit xerces.org.

About the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service
For more than 80 years, USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service has helped farmers, ranchers and forest landowners make investments in their agricultural operations and local communities that keep working lands working, boost rural economies, increase the competitiveness of American agriculture and improve the quality of our air, water and soil. NRCS provides technical and financial assistance to agricultural producers to help them plan and implement a variety of conservation practices, including those that benefit bees and other pollinators. NRCS offers more than 30 conservation activities that can benefit bees. Learn more by visiting nrcs.usda.gov.