Bees, Beetles & Broccoli: Establishing & Managing Native Habitat for Beneficial Insects

Tuesday, June 8 | 10-10:45 a.m.

Hosts: Jake Kundert & Sarah Nizzi

Partner: Xerces Society

Xerces logo CMYK horizontalDid you know only 2% of insects are pests? The rest are beneficial insects that contribute to the farm ecosystem by preying on pest insects, eating weed seeds, recycling nutrients, aerating and building soil structure, providing pollination services and supporting other wildlife in vast food webs.

Join PFI member and farmer Jake Kundert and Xerces Society biologist Sarah Nizzi to hear about the decisions Jake and his colleagues have made on the Grow: Johnson County farm to benefit these native beneficial insects and other wildlife. You will also learn about strategies and resources you can use to establish and manage many types of habitat to foster communities of beneficial insects.

Topics:

  • Beneficial insects
  • Establishing and managing habitat
  • Beetle banks
  • Conservation programs

Jake kundert headshotJake Kundert is a farmer and food systems director at Iowa Valley RC&D. He works with a team of growers to manage Grow: Johnson County, a 5-acre farm that produces organic vegetables for hunger relief agencies and offers farm-based education. Since 2018, Grow: Johnson County has partnered with the Xerces Society to establish native beneficial insect habitat.

 

Nizzi editedSarah Nizzi is a farm bill pollinator conservation planner and Natural Resources Conservation Service partner biologist with the Xerces Society. Sarah works across Iowa to offer technical assistance to landowners interested in pollinator habitat. She also provides pollinator-related training to NRCS staff and partners.

Partner: Xerces Society

This event is made possible by a grant from the Wildlife Conservation Society Climate Adaptation Fund, supported by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation.

Sponsors:

JCPH Logo Full Large Color New Final PNG September 2016 RGB Ffph Black Square Bottom 8 RGB