FS PARTNERS recognize pollinators as an essential part of our ecosystem, and encourage responsible farming practices to protect them.
Our Bringing You What's Next Grower Demonstration Plots in Ayr and Elmvale each feature a pollinator plot annually. These plots are planted with a combination of annual and perennial flowers that provide nectar and pollen to honey bees.
This wildflower seed mixture includes specific favorites of honey bees and provides forage all season long. Up to 19 different flowers recommended by honey beekeepers are found in the mix, including Purple Coneflower, China Aster, Dianthus, Corn Poppy and Forget-me-Not, among others.
These demonstration sites also feature a Food Bank donation plot. All food collected during harvest benefit the Cambridge Self-Help Food Bank and the Elmvale Food Bank.
The FS System played host to nearly 25 acres of honeybee habitat in the first year of this program. Other important agriculture pollinators, native to the Midwest, also benefit from the plots, including Syphid flies, hummingbird moths, leatherwing beetles, bees such as bumble, mason, polyester, squash, digger and others.