Mark Wagoner of Touchet recently was given the Farmer-Rancher Pollinator Award by the North American Pollinator Protection Campaign and the National Association of Conservation Districts.

Wagoner's crops include alfalfa and the native solitary alkali bee. The fourth-generation farmer's care for the land brings in native pollinators to native crops, according to a news release. He also works with Doug Walsh, Washington State University professor of entomology, to conduct research about best management practices for the alkali bee and has provided the Environmental Protection Agency with his perspective on insecticide safety regulations and small-crop exemptions for safer chemistries for 24 years.

He will be recognized Wednesday at a VIP reception held at the Canadian Embassy in Washington, D.C., along with 2012 Canadian Farmer-Rancher award winners and with the 2012 Pollinator Advocate Award Winners from Canada, the United States and Mexico.