Professional Development Program in Apiculture and Pollination

Professional Development Program in Apiculture and Pollination

Summary

This project is designed to increase awareness and knowledge among agriculture educators and Master Gardeners about the importance of beekeeping and pollination so that they will incorporate this information into their programs. Nine workshops were held and 149 persons trained. Evaluations indicated that participants increased their knowledge of workshop topics; they also identified how they planned to use the information. Participants rated the workshop highly, especially the “hands on” opening of a small beehive.

Objectives/Performance Targets

• Professional Development Program in Apiculture and Pollination

  Summary
  This project is designed to increase awareness and knowledge among agriculture educators and Master Gardeners about the importance of beekeeping and pollination so that they will incorporate this information into their programs. Nine workshops were held and 149 persons trained. Evaluations indicated that participants increased their understanding of workshop topics and they also identified how they will use the information. Participants rated the workshop highly, especially the “hands on” opening of a small beehive.

  Objectives/Performance Targets
  Project Outcomes
  Short Term Outcomes
  Educator Awareness
  Role of beekeeping and pollination in agriculture and human nutrition.
  Educator Knowledge
  Importance of pollination for fruit & vegetable production; how to protect pollinators from insecticides.
  How to be a knowledgeable consumer of pollination services (pollination standards, etc.)
  Importance of a network of beekeeping and grower’s associations as sources of information and industry support.
  Basic beekeeping, role of honeybees in pollination.
  Increased knowledge of specific needs and of barriers and problems of beekeeping industry.
  Educator Attitudes
  Importance of working with beekeepers and those interested in apiculture.
  Educator Skills
  Identify how to obtain research-based information on beekeeping/pollination (via Extension & project publications/presentations)
  How beekeeping can be integrated into sustainable small and mid-size farms beekeeping into farm operations increases.

  Intermediate Outcomes
  Educator Behavior/Practice
  4-H Leaders, classroom & vo-ag teachers incorporate into teaching.
  Educators develop programs, including information on alternative pollinators.
  Educators assist in the development of networks, including using associations as sources of information.
  4-H educators & leaders provide information to youth.
  Educators provide needed information and assist service providers to improve beekeeper access to resources.
  Educators work with beekeeping sector in forming advisory groups, partnerships and networks.
  Educators interact with farmers & beekeepers to identify research and education needs.
  Educators increase knowledge of sustainable farmers re: beekeeping.

  Long Term Outcomes
  Systemic Changes
  Educator changes result in: Increased awareness among youth of the importance of beekeeping and pollination.
  Changes in educator behavior result in: More growers making better decisions resulting in improved pollination and crop production. Growers implement practices that reduce pesticide damage. More growers become knowledgeable consumers of pollination services.
  Educator’s efforts to develop networks results in: Networks that facilitate growers locating pollinating beekeepers and vice versa. Increased association contacts with growers, youth and other persons interested in beekeeping.
  Educator and volunteer changes result in: More youth conducting beekeeping projects and more successful projects.
  Educators’ programs with beekeepers result in: More beekeepers using business & marketing plans; more beekeepers receiving loans and crop insurance.
  Partnerships between educators and other stakeholder groups provide: Opportunities to conduct on-farm research projects. Beekeepers provide input into on-farm research projects and programming and local policy issues.
  Partnership of beekeepers and other stakeholders resulting in: Increased number of persons accessing research-based information on beekeeping. Number of farmers integrating beekeeping into farm operations increases.

Accomplishments/Milestones

Milestones
Accomplishments by Objective

Written workshop evaluations as well as oral and written comments provided information relevant to a number of outcomes. These outcomes are restated below along with data relevant to accomplishments for each of them; in a number of cases they have been put into groups of related topics. We used a “pre-post” evaluation based on a presentation at the November, 2004 PDP meeting in Nebraska City. With this approach, the evaluations are to be handed out at the end of the workshops. Participants are asked to assess their gains in awareness or knowledge, or changes of attitude due to participation in the workshops. For this purpose, the evaluation form used a scale of 1 to 5; 1 meaning having very little awareness (or knowledge or positive attitude) and 5 meaning having a substantial amount of knowledge, etc about a specific topic. A considerable majority of participants increased their awareness or knowledge of the topics listed below to a level 5; in some cases they had started with a good deal of knowledge (level 3 or higher). The increases in knowledge, etc as judged by the participants themselves are listed below.

The evaluation form had five questions that addressed these three outcomes:
Outcome: Educator Awareness of the role of beekeeping and pollination in agriculture and human nutrition;
Outcome: Educator Knowledge of the importance of pollination for fruit and vegetable crops;
Outcome: Educator Knowledge of the role of honeybees in pollination.
Mean scores for changes in awareness, etc regarding specific information and the topics include:
Knowledge of basic pollination processes increased: 3.4 to 4.4
Knowledge of results of inadequate pollination increased: 3.3 to 4.6
Knowledge of importance of insects for pollination increased: 4.3 to 4.9
Knowledge of 8 Midwestern crops requiring pollination increased: 3.3 to 4.6
A positive attitude of honeybees increased: 4.1 to 5.0
Outcome: Educator knowledge of basic beekeeping.
Knowledge of honey bee biology increased: 3.4 to 4.7
Knowledge of the role of honeybee swarms increased: 2.8 to 4.3
Outcome: Educator Knowledge of how to protect pollinators from insecticides.
Knowledge of precautions for spraying insecticides increased: 4.0 to 4.4
Educators and Master Gardeners had previously requested information relevant to the issue of pesticides and pollinators and how to identify the major groups of stinging insects and how to assist consumers over the telephone to identify appropriate responses to these insects. These steps include decisions what to do if one has identified a honey bee swarm or colony nearby. This is important because people often spray pollinators and other insects that they fear. Participants indicated an increase in their knowledge of these topics, as indicated by the following:
Knowledge of different stinging insects increased: 3.3 to 4.4
Knowledge of how to assist the public to deal effectively
with stinging insects increased: 3.0 to 4.4
Educator skills on how to obtain research-based information on beekeeping/pollination from university sources was not assessed but was addressed in several Power Points and in the pollination Factsheet distributed to participants.

Other Short-Term Outcomes that were not assessed include: Educator Knowledge of the importance of a network of beekeeping and growers’ associations as sources of information and industry support; Educator Knowledge of the importance specific needs, etc of the beekeeping industry; and Educator Attitudes regarding the importance of working with beekeepers and those interested in apiculture.

Intermediate Outcomes
Educator Behavior/Practice

Changes in Intermediate and Long-Term Outcomes are to be assessed using follow-up surveys of selected groups of workshop participants. Information was collected in this past December’s workshop regarding participants’ intentions to change their behaviors and practices. Participants were asked to state specifically how they planned to use the information from the workshops in their programs and activities. These plans are listed below:

To help solve homeowner problems and misconceptions about pollinators.
To educate and help with inquiries from clientele.
Answer questions from unit leader to public; hosting beekeeping meeting.
To answer questions and to make my area more attractive to bees.
Hobby beekeepers; school talks.
In my future use working with honey bees as a hobby.
Answer homeowner’s bee questions.
Share with Extension clients – will also incorporate into current/new programs.
”We use the Ortho book to ID insects.” I’ll save handouts and put into file to use.

Work accomplished towards project outcomes include: 149 educators, unit leaders, and Master Gardeners participated in nine five-hour workshops in northern, central and southern Illinois. In addition, about 70 growers attended a presentation on pollination at a field day on pumpkin growing; six USDA Farm Services employees participated in a “hands on” opening of a beehive at the same venue. Participants in workshops from spring to mid-fall also participated in the opening of a bee hive and identified the different castes, reproductive stages, pollen, nectar and honey.

An important adjustment that we made was to arrange for more workshops that target both Master Gardeners and Extension educators. During 2004 we observed that targeting only educators resulted in disappointingly small audiences. Once we starting working through Master Gardener coordinators, we found that overall attendance increased to an average of about 20 and we were reaching at least as many educators as before.
What work is left to do: for 2006 we will make at least two changes to the project. These include: Presenting workshops for Master Gardeners in Missouri, working in cooperation with the U of Missouri Master Gardener Program Coordinator.; Making CDs with the project’s Power Point presentations available to participating individuals or offices for use in later programs and/or distance learning opportunities. An additional advantage is that the CDs will be available for later reference or use by educators and volunteers. Further, Extension staff and volunteers in offices in additional states may be able to “plug into” these distance learning opportunities utilizing the CDs.

How has/will this training benefit producers/consumers and others in the North Central Region?

The trainings are designed to increase the knowledge and understanding of the importance of honey bees for the pollination of fruits and vegetables, among other topics. As indicated above, educators and Master Gardeners reported that they substantially increased awareness and knowledge of pollination topics and honey bee biology by a significant amount. Virtually all the workshop participants provide information, over the phone or via to members of the public, and less often to producers. While it is hard to gather direct data, based on their responses to the evaluations, it is reasonable to conclude that the participants became more effective in providing information on these topics to homeowners and growers of crops that necessitate insect pollination.

In addition, the project coordinator provided information on pollination to about 70 growers at a field day on pumpkin production. Based on several questions from the audience, it became clear that at least a number of them lacked an understanding of the importance of pollination for pumpkins.

Economic benefits to producers can provide economic and nutrition benefits to consumers. Improving producers’ “bottom line” will allow them to sell produce at lower costs. In addition, improvements in production and net income should increase the chances that growers will continue farming, or in some case even expand their operations. Local production of fruits and vegetables provide nutritional benefits to consumers. In addition, the continuation of family, mostly small farms that grow fruits and vegetables contributes to the sustainability of rural communities, unlike the huge grain and soybean operations that contribute to losses of rural populations and available services in much of the Midwest.

Impacts and Contributions/Outcomes

How has/will this training benefit producers/consumers and others in the NCR?

The trainings are designed to increase the knowledge and understanding of the importance of honey bees for the pollination of fruits and vegetables, among other topics. As indicated above, educators and Master Gardeners reported that they substantially increased awareness and knowledge of pollination topics and honey bee biology by a significant amount. Virtually all the workshop participants provide information, over the phone or via to members of the public, and less often to producers. While it is hard to gather direct data, based on their responses to the evaluations, it is reasonable to conclude that the participants became more effective in providing information on these topics to homeowners and growers of crops that necessitate insect pollination.

In addition, the project coordinator provided information on pollination to about 70 growers at a field day on pumpkin production. Based on several questions from the audience, it became clear that at least a number of them lacked an understanding of the importance of pollination for pumpkins. In addition, four growers were referred to beekeeping associations in their areas for the purposes of finding someone to pollinate their crops. (This was also done at two meetings with growers during 2004). This has the effect of strengthening the role of these associations in facilitating networks between growers and pollinating beekeepers. This in turn benefits both growers and beekeepers.

Economic benefits to producers can provide economic and nutrition benefits to consumers. Improving producers’ “bottom line” will allow them to sell produce at lower costs. In addition, improvements in production and net income should increase the chances that growers will continue farming, or in some case even expand their operations. Local production of fruits and vegetables provide nutritional benefits to consumers. In addition, the continuation of family, mostly small farms that grow fruits and vegetables contributes to the sustainability of rural communities, unlike the huge grain and soybean operations that contribute to losses of rural populations and available services in much of the Midwest.

To the “average” consumer, the only good stinging insect is a dead one. This frequently leads to unnecessary overuse of insecticides. Workshop participants stated that they increased their knowledge of identification of stinging insects and appropriate methods to control these insects. The workshop presentation on stinging insects emphasized the point that many of these species do not merit treatment with insecticides. At the same time, other species (e.g., the bald-faced hornet) frequently should be sprayed and require extreme care in doing so. To the degree that Extension educators and volunteers can assist those who call about stinging insects, these callers/consumers will benefit from making better choices.

Collaborators: