Big Data Comes to California Farmers with Much Sorrow

That was the news that farmers and everyone who grows some crops were talking about during this year's Tulare World Ag Expo. The representatives of major Ag companies were on the site to present the info about how Big Daga technology can be used to produce great crops. Farmers came from all over the world to check the big tractors and other ag-related products and equipment. Seed manufacturers such as Monsanto and Dupont are pushing the farmers to adopt the new Big Data tech. All the farmers did not roll down and accept the presentation provided by those seed manufacturers.

Farmers are not ready to share their planting techniques with those big seed producers. They fear that they could be used against them. Who is to blame them? A refusal to share and adopt the Big Data will keep their seed costs down. Seed producers are urging farmers to implement data-driven 'prescriptive planting' tech suggesting how densely row of seeds should be planted. Among the critics, we find the American Farm Bureau Federation that stated that those seed companies stand to win from the higher crop returns and planting denser fields

Let's Talk about Bumblebees, What They Do For Our Food Supply and food plants

Native to the US, bumblebees are one of the major pollinators who work so hard to produce our food supply. They pollinate both wildflowers and food crops. They can be found on the alfalfa field, almond trees, and pumpkin patches etc. In the Central Valley of California, we can see bumblebees on most of these food plants: Nectarines, blueberries, strawberries, peppers, tomatoes etc. The truth is that their lack of communication with their peers make them fertilize our plants more efficiently than the non-native European honeybees. Bumblebees can forage in cold weather without freezing. They are warm-blooded insects.

So what can we do to make sure they survive? What can farmers do on their own land? What can homeowners do for these hard-working insects?

Homeowners as well as farmers can plant flowers that attract them. In order to work on the fruits and vegetables we depend on, they will need to be strong and healthy. Do not use pesticides which can kill them. Farmers can reserve a portion of their land to plant wildflowers such lavender, clover, dandelions etc. In the spring, they can plant these varieties: Lilacs, penstemon, sage, lavender, verbena, and wisteria. In the Summer, they can plant mint, cosmos, squash, tomotoes, pumpkins, sunflowers, oregano, rosemary, poppies, black-eyed Susan, passion flower vine, honeysuckle. In the Fall, they can plant fuschia, mont, bush sunflower, sage, verbena, toadflax etc. If you are a homeowner, be careful about what type of chemicals you put on your lawn. On most occasions, your gardener may be the one to apply the pesticides. Make sure you talk to him and find out what he is using on your lawn. You do not want the gardener to use any chemicals or pest treatments on your lawn that will cause damage to the honeybees systems. What usually happens is that by using these chemicals when the flowers are in bloom can be dangerous and fatal in that they will get into the pollen and nectar. Guess what? the bees will take them back to their hives. That means other bees including the queen may be affected. These chemicals or pesticides can get into the honey which we enjoy consuming. Everything we do is part of this cycle.

Advocate for the bees! Stop buying neon-nicotinoids or neonics that will kill bees!

Bee Gardening: Facing the Decline of Honey Bee Pollinators or Colony Collapse Disorder

Urban farmers as well as large-scale farming companies are taking actions to prevent the disappearance of bumble bees in California and the rest of the world. They have realized that our food supply depends on honey bees and bumblebees. It will be at risk if we cannot have these pollinators to pollinate our crops and blooming plants. Yes, California's farmers have to deal not only with the drought but also with the death of these amazing insects.

For a number of years now, Colony Collapse Disorder has become a critical issue in that it has been covered by the press and social media. Californians are realizing that they need bees. We need them to preserve the future of every single plant that blooms. In California, we could see bumblebees everywhere we turned. But in the last few years, especially since the 1990s, they have been reduced because of the colony collapse disorder. What would we do without blooming plants?

We all know that the Central Valley of California is the fruit basket of the world. It makes sense that the president visited Fresno and Firebaugh last week. Politicians are working hard to try to find a solution to the drought. We all know that 'fruit grows where water flows.' Without water and pollinators, we will have no fruit, no fresh fruit in the Summer. Agriculture remains a multi-billion dollar business in California.

Scientists are trying to find the cause of the honeybee colony collapse. Some of them state that the cause of the collapse is due to the extreme use of neo-nicotine pesticides. Others state that the apocalypse is due to the conversion of grazing lands, prairies, and other wildflower-rich habitats into new neighborhoods, streets, and parking lots. They also state that vineyards and orchards represent the ideas of monoculture which does not sit well with the idea of sustaining the hard-working honeybees and bumblebees. The bumblebees work all over the field because they cannot communicate with other bumblebees when they find a rich source of foods. All over the Central Valley, the land that used to be farming land has been paved and built on. Fig trees are removed and replaced by apartments, homes, and mcmansions. Builders buy farming lands way ahead of the time they set aside to develop them into new business areas.

Some scientists have discovered that pesticides are to be blamed for the disappearance of bees. Neo-nicotinoid-based pesticides are a major problem in most developed countries where agriculture is dominant. In California, and especially in the Valley, farmers use pesticides to grow the crops. Mexican workers and airplanes spread them. Those scientists have found out that these poisons kill pollinators that suck in the nectar of affected plants. These honeybees and bumblebees are just doing their job. They have no idea that they are sucking poisons. They are ready to complete a job that has been done by their ancestors way before farmers realize the importance of these insects.

Other scientists have also found out that climate change may be the cause of the apocalypse too. So diseases, climate change, habitat loss, and pesticides may have a lot to do with the elimination of the pollinators.

So what can farmers do? What can Californians do? What can the rest of the world do? What's clear is that all of us want to eat. Our food supply keeps us alive. Our species would starve and vanish without food.

All of us can engage in farming for Native Bees. In our garden, in the backyard, on our farm, we can have bee plantings. We can use pollinator-friendly practices everywhere we can. This way, we can help the bees pollinate our crops. By planting bumblebee friendly gardens, we can give these critters a chance to survive. There are amazing wild flowers for native bees. Become an urban pollinator. Farmers can reserve a portion of their lands to plant attractive plants for bees. These hard-working critters need a lot of food to continue working. Think about lavender, big sage which attracts hummingbirds and monarch butterflies. Goldenrod is an attractive bee plant. Tansy Phacella is a great pollen / nectar source for several spring bee species. CA Phacella is attractive to bumblebees. Male bees sleep on the flower heads of Sneezweed. California lilac is good for bees too.

As for me, I have already started my own effort to sustain these pollinators. Once the drought is over, we will have enough pollinators to pollinate the crops that make California or especially the Central Valley, the fruit basket of the world.