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Iowa Honey Producers Association |
The Buzz Newsletter May 2004 |
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Greetings from the President of the IHPA Hello and Happy Spring fellow beekeepers! The big question on all honey producer's minds in the state this spring is "Will we have inspections this year?" The answer is yes, the beehive inspections will go forward with funds from the Iowa Honey Producers making the program possible. The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship will oversee the program and distribute the funds to the inspectors. Only $5,000.00 from the state is available with the remaining money coming from the IHPA. Remember if you sell equipment that has old comb in it, you need to have it inspected. If you have questions concerning the activity taking place in your hives, please request an inspection. The inspectors will be Bill Eicholdt, Boyd Palmer, Phil Meyer and Mike O'Hearn. Call the IDALS number and an inspector will come visit your bees. (515) 281-5321 As predicted, the weather didn't cooperate and gave us a last big snowfall in the Southwest part of the state anyway. The weather is warming up nicely and the trees are starting to bloom. It is this time of year that I wish I lived in the city because things seem to bloom earlier in amongst all the concrete for warmth. We always have to wait for things to green up and bloom around here. I just received a letter from the Iowa State Fair asking for us to sign the contract for the sales booth and to order the tickets for our workers this year. I guess that means it is not too early to be thinking about the Iowa State Fair and the part the Iowa Honey Producers play in it. I also have talked to one of the young beekeepers in our area and he is thinking about entering items in the competition. If you have any questions concerning the exhibits at the Iowa State Fair, please direct them to Phil Meyer, the Apiary superintendent. His number is: (515) 262-4392. The Iowa State Fair will be held August 12-22, 2004 and will mark the fair's 150th anniversary. It is being billed as "Still the One". Please consider working in the Iowa Honey Producer's sales booth and please enter that great Iowa honey and beeswax so we have a great showing. Remember that this is the only contact with our association and even honey bees that most people get and we need to promote our industry to the public. The bid sheet for producers to use to have your products sold at the fair is enclosed with this issue. Please feel free to contact John Johnson or myself with questions. Let's prove to the state that " We are still the one!" If you have an event in your area and would like the Iowa Honey Queen to help you with it, please contact the Honey Queen Chairman, Regina Jager, to set up an appearance for Maria Zuber. Regina can be reached at: (641) 660-0772 Iowa Honey Producer's Assn. t-shirts make an attractive addition to your wardrobe and also call attention to identify you as a member of the honey producers as you attend the many functions this summer such as farmer's markets, week-end celebrations and educational presentations. Purchase your t-shirt by calling (712) 774-5878. I will get them to you as soon as I can. Please check out our new web-site: abuzzaboutbees.com. Lots of work has been done on the site and more is added all the time. Thanks to Alex Ebert for the work in progress. Watch for swarming in your hives and have a great month. Happy Spring! Donna Brahms, IHPA president The Buzz Newsletter Submissions Please send submissions, classified ads, and photos
to Alex W. Ebert by email to TheBuzz@ABuzzAboutBees.com The Buzz is a monthly newsletter published by the Iowa Honey Producers Association which is an affiliate of the Iowa State Horticultural Society. IHPA Membership is only $10 annually. To join IHPA and receive your complimentary member subscription to The Buzz Newsletter, please contact:
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