Cost of Pollination ISSN: 2475-4315 Released December 21, 2017, by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Agricultural Statistics Board, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Cost per Colony to Pollinate Almonds up 2 Percent from Previous Year In Regions 6 & 7, the average cost per colony for almonds increased 2 percent from 167 dollars per colony to 171 dollars per colony in 2017. The average price per acre, however, decreased from 287 dollars per acre to 272 dollars per acre during that period. The total value of pollination for almonds decreased 5 percent. Almonds were the highest valued crop in that region. The total value of all pollination in Regions 6 & 7 for 2017 was 273 million dollars, down 7 percent from last year. Cranberries had the highest total value of pollination of crops reported in Region 1 during in 2017. The price per colony for cranberries increased slightly to 78.0 dollars per colony in 2017. The price per acre decreased 3 percent to 162 dollars per acre. The total value of pollination for cranberries in Region 1 for 2017 was 4.76 million dollars. The total value for pollination of all crops in Region 1 for 2017 was 16.5 million dollars, down 11 percent from a year ago. Blueberries had the highest total value of pollination of crops reported in Region 2 during in 2017. The price per colony for blueberries increased 4 percent to 55.9 dollars per colony in 2017. The price per acre increased 5 percent to 85.5 dollars per acre. The total value of pollination for blueberries in Region 2 for 2017 was 1.96 million dollars. The total value of pollination of all crops in Region 2 for 2017 was 5.99 million dollars, up 17 percent from previous year. Watermelons had the highest total value of pollination of crops reported in Region 3 during in 2017. The price per colony for watermelons decreased 5 percent to 55.7 dollars per colony in 2017. The price per acre increased 7 percent to 63.7 dollars per acre. The total value of pollination for watermelons in Region 3 for 2017 was 1.50 million dollars. The total value of pollination of all crops in Region 3 for 2017 was 6.84 million dollars, up 45 percent from last year. Apples had the highest total value of pollination of crops reported in Region 4 during in 2017. The price per colony for apples increased 10 percent to 50.1 dollars per colony in 2017. The price per acre increased 27 percent to 41.2 dollars per acre. The total value of pollination for apples in Region 4 for 2017 was 160 thousand dollars. The total value of pollination of all crops in Region 4 for 2017 was 855 thousand dollars, down 66 percent from last year. Apples had the highest total value of pollination of crops reported in Region 5 during in 2017. The price per colony for apples increased 1 percent to 51.9 dollars per colony in 2017. The price per acre decreased 3 percent to 46.3 dollars per acre. The total value of pollination for apples in Region 5 for 2017 was 5.55 million dollars. The total value of pollination of all crops in Region 5 for 2017 was 16.7 million dollars, up 14 percent from previous year. Contents Paid Pollinated Acres, Price per Acre, Colonies Used, Price per Colony, and Total Value of Pollination - Region 1: 2016............................................................................................................ 3 Paid Pollinated Acres, Price per Acre, Colonies Used, Price per Colony, and Total Value of Pollination - Region 1: 2017............................................................................................................ 3 Paid Pollinated Acres, Price per Acre, Colonies Used, Price per Colony, and Total Value of Pollination - Region 2: 2016............................................................................................................ 4 Paid Pollinated Acres, Price per Acre, Colonies Used, Price per Colony, and Total Value of Pollination - Region 2: 2017............................................................................................................ 4 Paid Pollinated Acres, Price per Acre, Colonies Used, Price per Colony, and Total Value of Pollination - Region 3: 2016............................................................................................................ 5 Paid Pollinated Acres, Price per Acre, Colonies Used, Price per Colony, and Total Value of Pollination - Region 3: 2017............................................................................................................ 5 Paid Pollinated Acres, Price per Acre, Colonies Used, Price per Colony, and Total Value of Pollination - Region 4: 2016............................................................................................................ 6 Paid Pollinated Acres, Price per Acre, Colonies Used, Price per Colony, and Total Value of Pollination - Region 4: 2017............................................................................................................ 6 Paid Pollinated Acres, Price per Acre, Colonies Used, Price per Colony, and Total Value of Pollination - Region 5: 2016............................................................................................................ 7 Paid Pollinated Acres, Price per Acre, Colonies Used, Price per Colony, and Total Value of Pollination - Region 5: 2017............................................................................................................ 7 Paid Pollinated Acres, Price per Acre, Colonies Used, Price per Colony, and Total Value of Pollination - Region 6 & 7: 2016........................................................................................................ 8 Paid Pollinated Acres, Price per Acre, Colonies Used, Price per Colony, and Total Value of Pollination - Region 6 & 7: 2017........................................................................................................ 9 Statistical Methodology............................................................................................ 10 Regional Listing................................................................................................... 11 Terms and Definitions of Cost of Pollination Estimates............................................................. 11 Information Contacts............................................................................................... 12 Paid Pollinated Acres, Price per Acre, Colonies Used, Price per Colony, and Total Value of Pollination - Region 1: 2016 [See regional listing on page 11] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : Region 1 :------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Crop : Paid : Price per : Colonies : Price per : Total value :pollinated acres: acre : used : colony 2/ : of pollination ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : acres dollars colonies dollars 1,000 dollars : Tree fruit : Apple ...............: 83,400 33.0 46,000 69.9 3,215 Cherry ..............: 26,600 21.9 15,000 55.0 825 Peach ...............: 2,150 33.9 2,200 58.5 129 : Melons : Watermelon ..........: 5,600 40.4 3,700 78.1 289 : Berries : Blueberry ...........: 37,500 147.0 65,000 88.2 5,733 Cranberry ...........: 30,300 167.0 66,000 77.9 5,141 : Vegetables : Cucumber ............: 29,100 29.4 15,000 62.7 941 Pumpkin .............: 11,200 32.4 11,000 76.8 845 Squash ..............: 9,400 32.3 7,500 74.1 556 : All other 1/ ....... : 7,100 31.0 17,500 49.9 873 : Total .............. : 242,350 66.0 248,900 74.5 18,547 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1/ Includes crops not categorized above. 2/ Regional total price per colony is total value of pollination divided by colonies used. Paid Pollinated Acres, Price per Acre, Colonies Used, Price per Colony, and Total Value of Pollination - Region 1: 2017 [See regional listing on page 11] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : Region 1 :------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Crop : Paid : Price per : Colonies : Price per : Total value :pollinated acres: acre : used : colony 2/ : of pollination ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : acres dollars colonies dollars 1,000 dollars : Tree fruit : Apple ...............: 91,600 32.0 47,000 70.9 3,332 Cherry ..............: 29,400 25.8 14,000 56.6 792 : Melons : Watermelon ..........: 4,150 28.1 2,500 77.7 194 : Berries : Blueberry ...........: 32,500 126.0 55,000 77.3 4,252 Cranberry ...........: 29,500 162.0 61,000 78.0 4,758 : Vegetables : Cucumber ............: 23,000 44.1 16,500 67.0 1,106 Pumpkin .............: 8,400 40.2 9,000 76.2 686 Squash ..............: 7,500 29.7 5,000 67.8 339 : All other 1/ ....... : 6,800 42.5 11,500 86.2 991 : Total .............. : 232,850 62.4 221,500 74.3 16,450 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1/ Includes crops not categorized above. 2/ Regional total price per colony is total value of pollination divided by colonies used. Paid Pollinated Acres, Price per Acre, Colonies Used, Price per Colony, and Total Value of Pollination - Region 2: 2016 [See regional listing on page 11] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : Region 2 :------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Crop : Paid : Price per : Colonies : Price per : Total value :pollinated acres: acre : used : colony 3/ : of pollination ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : acres dollars colonies dollars 1,000 dollars : Tree fruit : Apple ...............: 21,200 15.9 8,500 48.6 413 : Melons : Cantaloupe ..........: 2,200 43.0 2,500 56.1 140 Watermelon ..........: 15,300 71.6 17,000 69.8 1,187 : Berries : Blueberry ...........: 15,900 81.8 33,000 53.7 1,772 : Vegetables : Cucumber ............: 9,300 45.7 9,000 55.2 497 Pumpkin .............: 5,200 31.6 4,600 63.0 290 Squash ..............: 5,600 37.2 5,500 47.9 263 Other vegetables 1/ .: 2,000 44.9 2,000 85.6 171 : All other 2/ ....... : 2,050 39.3 6,500 59.6 387 : Total .............. : 78,750 48.4 88,600 57.8 5,120 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1/ Includes other vegetables. 2/ Includes crops not categorized above. 3/ Regional total price per colony is total value of pollination divided by colonies used. Paid Pollinated Acres, Price per Acre, Colonies Used, Price per Colony, and Total Value of Pollination - Region 2: 2017 [See regional listing on page 11] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : Region 2 :------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Crop : Paid : Price per : Colonies : Price per : Total value :pollinated acres: acre : used : colony 2/ : of pollination ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : acres dollars colonies dollars 1,000 dollars : Tree fruit : Apple ...............: 15,700 17.0 6,500 51.6 335 Peach ...............: 2,300 20.0 1,700 39.9 68 : Melons : Cantaloupe ..........: 4,100 75.8 5,500 64.1 353 Watermelon ..........: 23,100 69.9 28,000 60.3 1,688 : Berries : Blueberry ...........: 18,900 85.5 35,000 55.9 1,957 : Vegetables : Cucumber ............: 15,400 43.3 14,000 51.4 720 Pumpkin .............: 3,200 56.6 3,400 66.6 226 Squash ..............: 5,600 47.6 7,000 47.3 331 : All other 1/ ....... : 2,900 38.5 5,500 56.8 312 : Total .............. : 91,200 55.7 106,600 56.2 5,990 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1/ Includes crops not categorized above. 2/ Regional total price per colony is total value of pollination divided by colonies used. Paid Pollinated Acres, Price per Acre, Colonies Used, Price per Colony, and Total Value of Pollination - Region 3: 2016 [See regional listing on page 11] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : Region 3 :------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Crop : Paid : Price per : Colonies : Price per : Total value :pollinated acres: acre : used : colony 3/ : of pollination ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : acres dollars colonies dollars 1,000 dollars : Tree Fruit : Other tree fruit 1/ .: 7,000 16.5 7,500 38.0 285 : Citrus : Orange ..............: 6,700 1.3 38,000 16.4 623 : Melons : Cantaloupe ..........: 3,650 47.1 4,100 49.8 204 Watermelon ..........: 28,200 59.5 31,000 58.7 1,820 : Berries : Blueberry ...........: 3,150 87.5 8,500 43.3 368 : Vegetables : Cucumber ............: 5,700 56.8 7,500 47.5 356 Pumpkin .............: 2,250 73.4 2,400 74.0 178 Squash ..............: 3,700 67.3 7,500 41.7 313 : All other 2/ ....... : 2,100 39.0 14,500 38.7 561 : Total .............. : 62,450 49.3 121,000 38.9 4,708 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1/ Includes other tree fruit. 2/ Includes crops not categorized above. 3/ Regional total price per colony is total value of pollination divided by colonies used. Paid Pollinated Acres, Price per Acre, Colonies Used, Price per Colony, and Total Value of Pollination - Region 3: 2017 [See regional listing on page 11] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : Region 3 :------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Crop : Paid : Price per : Colonies : Price per : Total value :pollinated acres: acre : used : colony 2/ : of pollination ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : acres dollars colonies dollars 1,000 dollars : Melons : Cantaloupe ..........: 3,300 43.4 2,800 54.6 153 Watermelon ..........: 22,600 63.7 27,000 55.7 1,504 : Berries : Blueberry ...........: 4,300 118.0 15,500 57.8 896 : Vegetables : Cucumber ............: 4,750 19.5 2,900 16.3 47 Pumpkin .............: 6,000 61.0 7,500 52.1 391 Squash ..............: 4,150 21.8 3,600 28.6 103 : All other 1/ ....... : 5,400 31.4 91,000 41.2 3,749 : Total .............. : 50,500 55.5 150,300 45.5 6,843 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1/ Includes crops not categorized above. 2/ Regional total price per colony is total value of pollination divided by colonies used. Paid Pollinated Acres, Price per Acre, Colonies Used, Price per Colony, and Total Value of Pollination - Region 4: 2016 [See regional listing on page 11] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : Region 4 :------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Crop : Paid : Price per : Colonies : Price per : Total value :pollinated acres: acre : used : colony 2/ : of pollination ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : acres dollars colonies dollars 1,000 dollars : Tree fruit : Apple ...............: 3,000 32.5 3,900 45.5 177 Cherry ..............: 3,100 27.5 3,100 34.3 106 : Vegetables : Pumpkin .............: 3,850 26.7 2,500 80.3 201 : All other 1/ ....... : 3,400 71.9 35,000 57.9 2,027 : Total .............. : 13,350 40.0 44,500 56.4 2,511 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1/ Includes crops not categorized above. 2/ Regional total price per colony is total value of pollination divided by colonies used. Paid Pollinated Acres, Price per Acre, Colonies Used, Price per Colony, and Total Value of Pollination - Region 4: 2017 [See regional listing on page 11] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : Region 4 :------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Crop : Paid : Price per : Colonies : Price per : Total value :pollinated acres: acre : used : colony 2/ : of pollination ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : acres dollars colonies dollars 1,000 dollars : Tree fruit : Apple ...............: 2,050 41.2 3,200 50.1 160 Cherry ..............: 2,600 25.7 2,400 30.8 74 : All other 1/ ....... : 2,700 41.7 12,500 49.7 621 : Total .............. : 7,350 36.1 18,100 47.2 855 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1/ Includes crops not categorized above. 2/ Regional total price per colony is total value of pollination divided by colonies used. Paid Pollinated Acres, Price per Acre, Colonies Used, Price per Colony, and Total Value of Pollination - Region 5: 2016 [See regional listing on page 11] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : Region 5 :------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Crop : Paid : Price per : Colonies : Price per : Total value :pollinated acres: acre : used : colony 4/ : of pollination ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : acres dollars colonies dollars 1,000 dollars : Tree fruit : Apple ...............: 112,600 47.6 105,000 51.5 5,408 Cherry ..............: 39,900 75.4 61,000 49.3 3,007 Peach ...............: 2,900 38.5 2,500 48.1 120 Pear ................: 24,300 65.4 30,000 53.1 1,593 : Melons : Watermelon ..........: 2,750 74.8 4,200 51.8 218 : Berries : Blueberry ...........: 14,200 106.0 33,000 46.5 1,535 Cranberry ...........: 5,700 118.0 9,000 74.3 669 Raspberry ...........: 6,400 46.9 8,000 40.0 320 : Vegetables : Other vegetables 1/ .: 6,700 47.2 9,500 35.9 341 : Other crops : Clover ..............: 8,300 34.9 10,500 33.6 353 Misc. crops 2/ ......: 10,900 69.2 18,500 47.9 886 : All other 3/ ....... : 5,600 32.3 6,500 35.6 231 : Total .............. : 240,250 59.5 297,700 49.3 14,681 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1/ Includes other vegetables. 2/ Includes miscellaneous crops. 3/ Includes crops not categorized above. 4/ Regional total price per colony is total value of pollination divided by colonies used. Paid Pollinated Acres, Price per Acre, Colonies Used, Price per Colony, and Total Value of Pollination - Region 5: 2017 [See regional listing on page 11] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : Region 5 :------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Crop : Paid : Price per : Colonies : Price per : Total value :pollinated acres: acre : used : colony 2/ : of pollination ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : acres dollars colonies dollars 1,000 dollars : Tree fruit : Apple ...............: 115,900 46.3 107,000 51.9 5,553 Cherry ..............: 38,600 80.6 60,000 52.6 3,156 Peach ...............: 2,050 49.7 2,400 46.0 110 Pear ................: 20,700 61.9 24,000 55.7 1,337 : Melons : Watermelon ..........: 2,100 74.7 3,400 50.0 170 : Berries : Blueberry ...........: 14,400 105.0 35,000 45.1 1,579 Cranberry ...........: 5,800 133.0 10,500 75.3 791 Raspberry ...........: 6,500 42.9 10,000 33.4 334 : Other crops : Clover ..............: 9,000 44.8 15,500 39.6 614 : All other 1/ ....... : 30,100 98.9 66,000 46.7 3,082 : Total .............. : 245,150 65.2 333,800 50.1 16,726 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1/ Includes crops not categorized above. 2/ Regional total price per colony is total value of pollination divided by colonies used. Paid Pollinated Acres, Price per Acre, Colonies Used, Price per Colony, and Total Value of Pollination - Region 6 & 7: 2016 [See regional listing on page 11] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : Region 6 & 7 :------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Crop : Paid : Price per : Colonies : Price per : Total value :pollinated acres: acre : used : colony 4/ : of pollination ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : acres dollars colonies dollars 1,000 dollars : Tree nuts : Almond ..............: 921,400 287.0 1,590,000 167.0 265,530 : Tree fruit : Apple ...............: 10,400 89.2 20,000 47.7 954 Avocado .............: 12,800 103.0 69,000 40.8 2,815 Cherry ..............: 29,800 127.0 55,000 68.6 3,773 Plum ................: 29,700 89.9 46,000 64.4 2,962 Other tree fruit 1/ .: 6,200 59.0 12,800 48.2 617 : Citrus : Orange ..............: 2,700 130.0 11,000 103.0 1,133 : Other fruit : Kiwi ................: 2,800 217.0 4,800 205.0 984 : Melons : Cantaloupe ..........: 36,900 53.3 40,000 49.3 1,972 Honeydew ............: 9,300 55.8 10,000 51.3 513 Watermelon ..........: 13,000 63.4 21,000 38.7 813 : Berries : Blueberry ...........: 3,050 240.0 7,500 101.0 758 Cranberry ...........: 3,300 285.0 13,000 71.5 930 Raspberry ...........: 5,100 220.0 14,000 92.3 1,292 : Vegetables : Cucumber ............: 3,750 82.4 11,000 28.9 318 Squash ..............: 2,800 64.4 6,500 27.3 177 : Other crops : Alfalfa .............: 42,700 137.0 92,000 63.6 5,851 Sunflower ...........: 22,800 36.8 30,000 28.8 864 Misc. crops 2/ ......: 11,700 14.6 5,500 32.1 177 : All other 3/ ....... : 7,900 71.2 28,000 42.4 1,187 : Total .............. : 1,178,100 246.8 2,087,100 140.7 293,620 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1/ Includes other tree fruit. 2/ Includes miscellaneous crops. 3/ Includes crops not categorized above. 4/ Regional total price per colony is total value of pollination divided by colonies used. Paid Pollinated Acres, Price per Acre, Colonies Used, Price per Colony, and Total Value of Pollination - Region 6 & 7: 2017 [See regional listing on page 11] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : Region 6 & 7 :------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Crop : Paid : Price per : Colonies : Price per : Total value :pollinated acres: acre : used : colony 2/ : of pollination ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : acres dollars colonies dollars 1,000 dollars : Tree nuts : Almond ..............: 928,600 272.0 1,480,000 171.0 253,080 : Tree fruit : Apple ...............: 7,100 46.6 7,500 45.3 340 Cherry ..............: 25,900 147.0 54,000 71.3 3,850 : Melons : Cantaloupe ..........: 34,400 55.6 43,000 44.6 1,918 Watermelon ..........: 12,700 57.9 20,000 38.6 772 : Berries : Blueberry ...........: 2,800 188.0 5,000 106.0 530 Raspberry ...........: 5,300 72.0 8,500 44.0 374 : Vegetables : Cucumber ............: 2,250 47.5 3,300 40.1 132 : Other crops : Alfalfa .............: 24,200 107.0 37,000 49.3 1,824 Sunflower ...........: 30,600 42.5 35,000 37.7 1,320 : All other 1/ ....... : 48,400 88.7 172,000 50.0 8,600 : Total .............. : 1,122,250 239.0 1,865,300 146.2 272,740 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1/ Includes crops not categorized above. 2/ Regional total price per colony is total value of pollination divided by colonies used. Statistical Methodology Survey Procedures: The Cost of Pollination survey, conducted annually in all 50 states, collects information on acreage pollinated, colonies used, and dollars spent for a variety of different crops. The target population for Cost of Pollination estimate program is all farms and ranches with at least one acre of a crop determined to be potentially pollinated by honey bees. There were 34 specific crops targeted in the Cost of Pollination sampling scheme, 19 of these crops were listed individually on the questionnaire. Additional crops were allowed to be reported under the "All Other Crops" category (see "Sampled Crops"). Any other reported commodity not included in these lists were grouped as miscellaneous and summarized together. The Cost of Pollination samples were selected using a Multivariate Probability Proportional to Size (MPPS) sampling scheme. Each record was assigned a measure of size based on the record's data for multiple specified commodities. The 2017 sample size was 14,532 and the 2016 sample size was 19,931. All sampled operations were mailed a questionnaire and given adequate time to respond by mail or electronic data reporting (EDR). Those that did not respond by mail or EDR were telephoned or enumerated in person. Sampled Crops: The 19 sampled crops listed on the questionnaire were: alfalfa, almonds, apples, blueberries, cantaloupes, cherries, clover, cranberries, cucumber, nectarines, oranges, peaches, pears, pumpkins, raspberries, squash, strawberries, sunflowers, and watermelons. The 15 remaining crops that were sampled, but not listed individually on the questionnaire were: apricots, avocados, boysenberries, buckwheat, caneberries, canola, grapes, honeydew melons, kiwifruit, plums, prunes, macadamia nuts, mangos, tomatoes, and turnips Estimation Procedures: Estimates were prepared by the Agricultural Statistics Board after reviewing recommendations and analysis submitted by each Regional Field Office. All data were analyzed for unusual values. Data from each operation were compared to their own past operating profile and to trends from similar operations. Data for missing operations were covered by weighting positive data of similar operations based on location and strata. National and State survey data were reviewed for reasonableness with each other, estimates from the previous year, and other USDA, NASS reports. In order to be published individually, a crop must have an appropriate threshold of paid pollinated acres in a region and meet USDA, NASS's confidentiality policy. If a crop did not meet either of these requirements, it was combined with all other unpublished crops under the "All Other" heading. Due to the differences in regions and years, the aggregate and other published estimates may include different crops. Revision Policy: The previous year's estimates are subject to revision when current year's estimates are made. Revisions are the result of late reports or corrected data. Reliability: Estimates were created by reviewing rounded indications from the survey and the associated measures of error. Due to the sampled population differing from other USDA, NASS surveys, estimates on this report may differ from other published numbers. Since all operations with crops were not included in the sample, survey estimates are subject to sampling variability. The measurement of error due to sampling in the current period is evaluated by the coefficient of variation for each estimated item. For individually published crops, coefficients of variation can be found using USDA, NASS's Quick Stats searchable database. Survey results were also subject to non-sampling errors such as omissions, duplication, and mistakes in reporting, recording, and processing the data. While these errors cannot be measured directly, they were minimized through strict quality controls in the data collection process and a careful review of all reported data for consistency and reasonableness. Estimation Regions To improve the reliability and increase the number of estimates which can be published, estimates are published at regional level, based on the regions used for the 2012 Census of Agriculture. Regions 6 and 7 were combined. The states in each region are as follows: Region 1: Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Massachusetts, Maine, Michigan, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Wisconsin. Region 2: Alabama, Delaware, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia. Region 3: Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas. Region 4: Colorado, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, Wyoming. Region 5: Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Washington. Region 6 & 7: Arizona, California, Hawaii. Terms and Definitions of Cost of Pollination Estimates Paid Pollinated Acres: Acreage that an operation paid money to be pollinated by honey bees. Dollars per Acre: The average price paid by operations to pollinate an acre of crop. Acres pollinated for free or on a non-monetary basis were not included in this calculation. Colonies Used: The total colonies used to pollinate a crop; regardless of ownership or if on a paid basis. Dollars per Colony: The average price paid by operations to use a colony for pollination. Colonies owned by the operation or used on a non-monetary basis were not included. Total Value of Pollination: The total valuation of all pollination, calculated by multiplying the price per colony by colonies used. Information Contacts Listed below are the commodity specialists in the Livestock Branch of the National Agricultural Statistics Service to contact for additional information. E-mail inquiries may be sent to nass@nass.usda.gov Travis Averill, Chief, Livestock Branch .................................................... (202) 720-3570 Bruce Boess, Head, Poultry and Specialty Commodities Section ............................... (202) 720-4447 Aaron Cosgrove - Catfish Production, Egg Products, Poultry Slaughter, Trout Production Turkey Hatchery, Turkeys Raised .................................................... (202) 690-3237 Alissa Cowell-Mytar - Cold Storage ...................................................... (202) 720-4751 Tom Kruchten - Census of Aquaculture .................................................... (202) 690-4870 Kim Linonis - Layers, Eggs .............................................................. (202) 690-8632 Miste Salmon - Broiler Hatchery, Chicken Hatchery, Mink ................................. (202) 720-3244 Vacant - Cost of Pollination, Honey, Honey Bee Colonies ................................. (202) 690-3676 Access to NASS Reports For your convenience, you may access NASS reports and products the following ways: All reports are available electronically, at no cost, on the NASS web site: www.nass.usda.gov Both national and state specific reports are available via a free e- mail subscription. To set-up this free subscription, visit www.nass.usda.gov and click on "National" or "State" in upper right corner above "search" box to create an account and select the reports you would like to receive. For more information on NASS surveys and reports, call the NASS Agricultural Statistics Hotline at (800) 727-9540, 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET, or e-mail: nass@nass.usda.gov. 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