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Bee Pollination and Productivity Growth: The Case of Alfalfa
Author(s) -
Olmstead Alan L.,
Wooten Donald B.
Publication year - 1987
Publication title -
american journal of agricultural economics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.949
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1467-8276
pISSN - 0002-9092
DOI - 10.2307/1241306
Subject(s) - pollination , restructuring , productivity , commodity , pollinator , biology , agriculture , agroforestry , business , agricultural economics , economics , pollen , botany , ecology , market economy , economic growth , finance
The spread of commercial pollination has received little attention in the literature analyzing the growth in U.S. agricultural productivity. Between World War I and 1960, growers of most fruits, nuts, and seeds came to realize that intensive bee pollination was essential to achieve high yields. Alfalfa seed growers were among the last groups to adopt commercial pollination. This article examines the dramatic impact that concentrating bees in alfalfa seed fields had on yields, which resulted in the restructuring of the alfalfa industry (the fourth most valuable commodity grown in the United States) in the 1950s.