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Bee-Friendly Beef:

Virginia Working Landscapes Bee-Friendly Beef farms

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Erin Shibley, Natalie Izlar, Jordan Coscia, and Amy Johnson

Smithsonian’s Virginia Working Landscapes

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Virginia Working Landscapes

Mission: To promote the conservation of native biodiversity and sustainable land management through scientific research, education, and community engagement

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Figure Courtesy of Glen Aiken

Director / North Florida Research and Education Center / University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences

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Biodiversity Decline – Insects

According to global monitoring data for 452 species, there has been a 45% percent decline in invertebrate populations over the past 40 years. Dirzo, Science (2014)

Graphic from the New York Times

67%

decrease in

insect mass

in grasslands

Sanchez-Bayo & Wyckhuys, Biological Conservation 2019

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Biodiversity Decline – Pollinators

>1/4

Bumblebees

susceptible

to extinction

Xerces Society, 2019

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Bee-Friendly Beef

In collaboration with Virginia Tech and University of Tennessee

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Oxbow Farm

Hidden Creek Farm

The Clifton Institute

Lakota Ranch

Black Rock Farm

Bean Hollow Grassfed

VWL Research Farms 2010 – 2022

Publicly-owned lands

Conservation easements

Bee-friendly Beef farms

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2021

Today

Jun

Oct

Feb

Jun

Oct

Feb

Jun

Oct

Oct 1 - Nov 30

Cattle Exclusion

Oct 1 - Oct 31

Plant Cover Crop

Jun 1 - Jun 30

Plant Wildflower Seed Mix

Jun 1 - Aug 31

Baseline Vegetation Surveys

Aug 1 - Sep 30

Pollinator Surveys

Aug 1 - Sep 30

Vegetation Surveys

Jun 1 - Aug 31

Pollinator Surveys

Jul 1 - Jul 31

Vegetation Surveys

Regular Grazing Operations

May 1 - Sep 30

Cattle Exclusion

2022

2023

Field Prep (bushhog/graze; spray/till)

Sep 15- Oct 15

Field Prep (bushhog/graze; spray/till)

May 1 – Jun 15

Project Timeline

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Experimental Treatments

Control (C)

Wildflower-enhanced (WE)

Each pasture (at least 10 acres) was divided into 2 treatments
At least 25% of WE treatment planted with wildflowers
Planting acreages ranged from 1.25 acres to 6 acres

C WE

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Field Preparation

Fall 2021

Grazed and/or bushhogged
Field prep: producers chose between herbicide or tilling
Cover crop: Nomini barley or annual rye (winter grazing, soil retention)

Spring 2022

2^nd round of herbicide or tilling
1 month later - planted wildflower seed with no-till drill

In the fall of 2021, producers grazed or bushhogged the entire study area in preparation for applying herbicide or tilling. To prepare the “wildflower-enhanced” field for planting, producers applied herbicide to reduce the density of fescue grass. A cover crop (either Nomini barley or annual rye- Hidden Creek only) was planted in the portions of the field that had been prepared, serving as forage for winter grazing and ensuring soil retention.

In May 2022 to prepare for the wildflower planting, producers bushhogged the cover crop and initiated a second field preparation treatment via tilling or applying herbicide. In June 2022, the wildflower seed mix was drilled with a no-till drill in at least 25% of the “wildflower-enhanced” treatment field at each farm. The control field did not have any wildflowers planted. (Lakota Ranch broadcasted instead of drilling)

Planted in patches rather than rows; many producers opted to plant along field borders near roads with higher visibility

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Common Name	Scientific Name	#seeds/lbs	target lbs/ac
Black-eyed Susan	Rudbeckia hirta	1,576,000	0.08
Calico Aster	Symphyotrichum lateriflorum	800,000	0.16
Common Milkweed	Asclepias syriaca	70,000	1.87
Early Goldenrod	Solidago juncea	2,538,000	0.05
Flat-top Goldentop	Euthamia graminifolia	5,600,000	0.02
Narrow-leaf Mountainmint	Pycnanthemum tenuifolium	5,336,000	0.02
Ox Eye Sunflower	Heliopsis helianthoides	105,000	1.24
Panicleleaf Ticktrefoil	Desmodium paniculatum	200,000	0.65
Partridge Pea	Chamaecrista fasciculata	65,000	2.01
Wild Bergamot	Monarda fistulosa	1,272,000	0.1

Common Name	Scientific Name	#seeds/lbs	target lbs/ac
Anise Hyssop	Agastache foeniculum	1,500,000	0.09
Black-eyed Susan	Rudbeckia hirta	1,576,000	0.08
Grey-headed Coneflower	Ratibida pinnata	430,000	0.3
Lanceleaf Coreopsis	Coreopsis lanceolata	221,000	0.59
Maximilian Sunflower	Helianthus maximiliani	196,360	0.67
Narrow-leaf Mountainmint	Pycnanthemum tenuifolium	5,336,000	0.02
Partridge Pea	Chamaecrista fasciculata	65,000	2.01
Purple Coneflower	Echinacea purpurea	115,650	1.13
Showy Ticktrefoil	Desmodium canadense	72,500	1.8
Wild Bergamot	Monarda fistulosa	1,272,000	0.1

Eastern U.S. Wildflower Mix

6.5 lbs/acre

Virginia Wildflower Mix

8lbs/acre

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Vegetation Surveys

10 sampling quadrats per treatment

Percent vegetation and ground cover
Bloom counts
Stem counts (density)
Livestock browse
Vegetation structure
Soil sampling

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Wildflower Establishment

2022

Partridge Pea

Showy Ticktrefoil

Black-eyed Susan

2023

Wild Bergamot

Sunflowers

Black-eyed Susan

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Pollinator Surveys��

Photo Credits (right): Hugh Kenny for Kinloch Farm

15 volunteers conduct walking transects to monitor pollinator presence and field composition

Identify and categorize pollinators into 8 categories

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Honey bees

Bumble bees

Small native bees

Large native bees

Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths)

Flies

Beetles

Wasps

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The recent work of Virginia Tech graduate student, Elizabeth Chishimba-Musonda, who conducted an online survey of 2,162 consumers to answer the question of what consumers would be willing to pay for bee-friendly beef. Consumers were shown images of packages of beef with different combinations of labels like “grassfed,” “organic,” and “bee-friendly beef.” They were then asked how much they would be willing to pay for each product per pound. The survey results showed that consumers who are more informed about pollinator declines and other environmental issues were willing to pay more for bee-friendly beef. This finding suggests that market based voluntary labeling of beefriendly beef has the potential to increase adoption of wildflower-enhanced pastureland and that continuing to educate the public about pollinator declines could have a positive effect on consumer activity.

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Resources and Next Steps

Beesandbeef.spes.vt.edu
Facebook and Instagram: Bee-friendly Beef

vaworkinglandscapes.org

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Acknowledgements

VWL Research Team

Amy Johnson – Program Director
Erin Shibley – Research Coordinator
Jordan Coscia – PhD Research Fellow, Virginia Tech
Natalie Izlar – Botany Technician
VWL Community Scientists and Interns

Landowners and Land Managers

Beatrice and Adie von Gontard, Oxbow Farm
Andrea and Dendy Young, Hidden Creek Farm
Andrea and Dendy Young; Bert and Eleanor Harris, The Clifton Institute
Jeremy and Jill Engh, Lakota Ranch
Mike Sands and Betsy Dietel; Amanda Frye, Bean Hollow Grassfed
Nick and Gardiner Lapham; Mike Sands; Eddie Fletcher, Amanda Frye, Blackrock Farm

Virginia Tech and University of Tennessee Research Teams

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VWL Farm Case Studies

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Acres converted: 2.5
Grazing Longhorn Cattle
Seed mix: Virginia natives
Establishment method: Herbicide
Continuously grazed

Oxbow Farm

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Oxbow Farm

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Acres converted: 2
Grazing: Red Poll Cattle
Seed mix: Eastern U.S. natives
Establishment method: Tilling
Rotationally grazed

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��

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Acres converted: 1.25
Grazing: Red Poll Cattle
Seed mix: Virginia natives
Establishment method: Tilling
Rotationally graze – 3.5 day graze, 35 day rest

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Acres converted: 2.8
Grazing: South Poll and Red Devon Cattle Crosses; Sheep
Seed mix: Eastern U.S. natives
Establishment method: Herbicide
Rotationally graze a “flerd” – 1-3 day graze, 25 day rest (spring) or 55 day rest (summer)

Photo Credit: Mike Sands

Grazing a "flerd" (flock/herd) with roughly 85 ewes, 35 cattle, and pigs

2023- eating partidge pea, purple and grey coneflowers, coreopsis, and cupplant. Mountain mint, hyssop, and monarda are selected more carefully.

Animals in a paddock for 1-3 days, followed by long rest periods

Shorter rest periods in spring flush (21-30 days)

Longer rest periods in the summer (45-60 days)

Grazed for 36 hours

They clearly grazed from the ground up. Lots of stalks of Monarda and Hyssop were very noticeable in this regard. The Mountain Mint, mullein and fleabane seemed to have the lowest grazing pressure. The mullein and fleabane were not part of the planted mix, but came from the existing seed bank. The grey and purple coneflower, the milkweed, partridge pea all seemed to be popular. Even after the grazing, the pollinators still seemed to find plenty of flowers for their foraging.

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Blackrock Farm

Acres converted: 6
Grazing: South Poll and Red Devon Cattle Crosses
Seed mix: Eastern U.S. natives
Establishment method: Herbicide
Rotationally graze

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Blackrock

Farm

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Acres converted: 5
Grazing Red Devon Cattle
Seed mix: Eastern U.S. natives
Establishment method: CATTLE
Rotational grazing

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Next Steps

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Oxbow Farm

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