Farm406

Dr. Casey Delphia and Dr. Kevin O'Neill pollinator researchers, Montana State University. farm406 34 Photo: Eliza Wiley bees. "More habitat will ultimately benefit both managed and wild populations," she says, "but it's really important for people to understand the difference between them." Doug Crabtree and his wife, Anna Jones-Crabtree, who operate a 7,400-acre organic farm on the plains of northern Hill County, have developed more than 300 acres of pollinator habitat, with more planned on land they just started farming. The intention all along, they say, was to benefit wild bees and other pollinators by establishing native plants in a region where agriculture has reduced natural diversity. The couple incorporated "buffer strips" of native flowers and grasses 20 feet wide into their crop fields. In addition to offering food for pollinators, the strips mitigate wind erosion, capture snow, and provide habitat for other wildlife. The effort started in 2010 when they received an NRCS contract to cost-share the expenses of preparing and seeding their first 34 acres buffers, in a field they were converting to organic production. They've tried several seed mixes and continue to monitor and experiment with flower species. "We continue to find more advantages to integrating nature into the farm," says Doug. "We're finding a number of other beneficial insects along with the pollinators, and the strips also enable the layout and management of our five- and seven-year crop rotations." Doug and Anna's operation, Vilicus Farms, is on track to become the first "Bee Better Certified Farm" in Montana in 2018. The certification is a new project of the Xerces Society. Like the Bonsells in Ekalaka, Doug and Anna say their pollinator project mirrors their commitment to stewardship. "This is about cultivating a relationship with the other living things in your place," Anna says. "The more diversity we can incorporate into our farm, the better our system functions. It's a collaboration." One of the challenges for increasing participation in pollinator conservation in Montana involves large- scale agriculture. Wheat, Montana's premiere crop, is wind-pollinated and doesn't require the services of bees. Alfalfa seed is another major crop for the state, and while native bees visit alfalfa and contribute to the pollination effort, their numbers are limited, "and when you have a single crop on a very large scale, you need a bee that's in abundance," says Delphia. To reach that needed scale,

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