The total value for pollination of all crops in the 17-state census region, which included Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio, was 16.45 million dollars, down 11% from a year ago according to Marlo Johnson, director of the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service Great Lakes Regional Field Office.

The Cost of Pollination survey, conducted by NASS in all 50 states, collected information on acres paid to be pollinated, honeybee colonies used, and dollars spent for pollinating a variety of crops. “Nationally, around 14,500 farms and ranches with at least one acre of a crop determined to be potentially pollinated by honeybees were contacted this fall to help with this unique and important project,” Johnson says. “There were 34 specific crops targeted in the Cost of Pollination sampling scheme, 19 of these crops were listed individually on the questionnaire.”

NASS released the results of the Cost of Pollination survey on Dec. 21, with statistics published for seven census regions. Region 1 includes Indiana, Ohio and Michigan, as well as Connecticut, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Massachusetts, Maine, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Wisconsin. Here are some highlights from the report:

• Dollars spent to pollinate blueberries, which had the highest total value of pollination of crops reported in Region 1 during 2016, decreased by 26% to 4.25 million dollars in 2017. The price per colony for blueberries, at $77.30 per colony in 2017, was down $10.90 from a year earlier. The price per acre for pollinating blueberries was $126 per acre.

• Apple orchards accounted for the highest number of paid pollinated acres in Region 1, with 91,600 total acres. The price per colony for pollinating apples, at $70.90, was $1 higher than the year before, and the price per acre for pollinating apples decreased by $1 from last year to $32 per acre in 2017. The total value of pollination for apples in Region 1 for 2017 was $3.33 million.

• Cucumbers had the highest total value of pollination for vegetable crops in Region 1 reported during 2017. The price per acre increased 50% from a year ago to $44.10 per acre, while the cost per colony rose by 7% to $67 per colony. The total value of pollination for cucumbers in Region 1 for 2017 was $1.11 million, up 18% from the previous year.

For additional survey results, visit nass.usda.gov and search for “Cost of Pollination,” or visit the Quick Stats database at quickstats.nass.usda.gov.

Source: USDA-NASS