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Minnesota Ag News Headlines
'Supporting Beneficial Birds and Managing Pest Birds' Created
Minnesota Ag Connection - 02/15/2019

Wild Farm Alliance and a number of partners reviewed more than 600 research articles, synthesizing them into readily accessible information that assists farmers in implementing practices which benefit the farm and wild nature. Click www.wildfarmalliance.org/bird_resource to download a free pdf.

Inside this resource you will find valuable information covering:

- Colorful Accounts of How Birds Can be Beneficial in Crops and on Pasture

- USDA's Historic Economic Ornithology Division

- How Best to Manage and Co-exist with Pest Birds

- Why On-Farm Habitat and the Surrounding Landscape Influences Pest Control

- What Farmers Can Do to Make Farms More Bird-Friendly and Resilient

- How Birds' Diets, Foraging Strategies and Nesting Periods Affect the Farm

- Inspiring Stories from Ten Innovative Farmers

This new resource discusses the research behind both beneficial and pest birds, getting new information into the hands of farmers.Not surprisingly, growers tend to know a lot more about the birds that cause damage than about those that are beneficial. Losses can be significant for some crops, but the benefits of the pest control services provided by birds have not often been measured.

Today farmers who are masters at IPM--Integrated Pest Management--are using ecological pest-control strategies that include birds. They understand that the overwhelming majority of songbirds are beneficial during nesting season because they feed pest insects to their voracious nestlings. With this publication, we are spreading the knowledge of how all farmers can make the most of birds on their farms.

Jo Ann Baumgartner, WFA executive director, explains that "by providing habitat for beneficial birds, farmers are improving the biodiversity of their operations which increases the resiliency of the farm. This new resource gives farmers practical and research-based information on the importance of specific birds to crops."


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