New research out of the California Central Valley shows that by contributing to pest control and pollination services, native plant pollinator hedgerows end up paying back the cost of their installation and maintenance over time.
The cost of hedgerows used by the authors of the study are higher than those projected by groups such as the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation. Importantly, the authors found that when farmers are able to take advantage of cost share programs funded by the National Research Conservation Service (NRCS), that the amount of time it takes to pay back the initial investment is cut in half. This indicates that the Farm Bill program that supports hedgerows (the Environmental Quality Incentive Program or EQIP) is helping offset installation costs and is a tool farmers should take advantage of if they qualify for assistance.
Learn more about the study details:
http://jee.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2016/05/11/jee.tow086.abstract
Morandin, L.A., R.F. Long, and C. Kremen. 2016. Pest Control and Pollination Cost-Benefit Analysis of Hedgerow Restoration in a Simplified Agricultural Landscape. Journal of Economic Entomology: 1-8.
