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Iowa Honey Producers Association |
The Buzz Newsletter May 2005 |
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A Sweet Treat From the Iowa Honey Queen Hello Iowa Beekeepers!!! I have spent the last month is awe of this beautiful world we live in, and as I walk around campus I have become truly grateful for the warmer weather. School is winding down, and I have officially earned the nickname “Queen Bee” in many of my classes, due to the many speeches and presentations I have given. As the summer season approaches, I am quickly becoming excited about all of the awesome opportunities that are presenting themselves to promote honey. Over this last month I was given the chance to attend my first IHPA board meeting. It was really interesting to see how this group of individuals works very hard to represent the interests of the producers. I also spent a very enjoyable and entertaining evening in Marshalltown, attending the meeting of the Central Iowa Beekeepers. They accomplished a lot of really great things, and I was thankful for the chance to sit in. Congratulations to all of the new officers, and best wishes for your year of service. One thing that I have learned during my time as a honey queen is that when you are promoting something as delicious as honey, it never hurts to have samples. Therefore, I try to be sure to bring a delicious honey snack of some sort along every time I go out to promote honey. One of my favorite snacks for this has been Honey Popcorn Crunch, and I wanted to share that recipe with you.
Blend butter and honey; heat until well blended. Pour over popcorn-nut mixture and mix well. Spread mixture over cookie sheet in a thin layer. Bake at 350º for 2-3 minutes. As always, I would love to help out with any event that you might have. Please feel free to contact me about anything at (712) 779-0321 or tjurchen@iastate.edu. Thank you all for your help and encouragement, I look forward to meeting and working with more of you. Until then,
The board and officers of the IHPA met on March 19, 2005 in Des Moines. Reports were given on the past events attended by IHPA directors and officers. Many new beekeepers have taken the beginning beekeeping classes offered around the state. It was decided to ask for interested people to help with the folding, labeling and mailing of the BUZZ. The website is getting lots of referrals of people interested in beekeeping. The contracts were signed for the independent contractors, Gordon as Treasurer and Donna as booth manager for the Iowa State Fair. The bee emergency information was discussed and options to work on were decided. Regina gave a report on the activities of the Queen committee. Iowa Honey Queen, Teresa Jurchen, gave a report on her activities. It was reported that at the Clay Co. Fair the IHPA will sponsor a foods made with honey contest similar to the Iowa State Fair categories. Submitted by Donna Brahms
Ellsworth E. Gustafson is our featured beekeeper of the month. He and his wife Nancy live up around Des Moines. Ellsworth tells me he graduated from East High School and Drake University. After school he became an agent for the FBI for about 20 years. When he retired he settled on a 165-acre farm. In the 1950s he started keeping bees as a hobby. It eventually expanded to 2500 colonies. He was a migratory beekeeper and took his bees to Texas and Arkansas. In the 70s he sold his equipment and bees for $25,000. Ellsworth told me he was very satisfied with beekeeping, things went well and he made money. Because of his age, Ellsworth says he has no future plans for beekeeping. Thanks for your story. Submitted by Ron Wehr
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