The Buzz Newsletter

October 2005

 

 

Page 4

2005 Iowa State Fair Report

The 2005 Iowa State Fair is now a part of history. We had 39 contestants who entered 149 entries. Competition was very close in some classes as Dr. Ellis had to look at several parts of several entries to make his decision as to ribbon placement.

I would like to thank everyone who brought entries to the fair this year; Larry Spina for letting us use his take-a-part hive and bobble-head mannequin; and Tim Laughlin for bringing the log hive. I am sure your entries, Larry and Tim’s exhibits, the Iowa Honey Producers booth, and our Iowa Honey Queen, Teresa Jurchen, helped the Agricultural Building to be rated as the most popular building at the 2005 Fair.

I would like to encourage entrants who did not place this year to talk to those who did place for tips o preparing entries for the fair. A minor change could mean a ribbon next year. One tip would be to be very careful on preparing your containers. Wash and rinse thoroughly and let air dry upside down or use a dish washer. Drying with a towel or paper towel could leave lint in the container which will cause points to be deducted from your score.

A note to those who enter observation hives. I am working with the Department of Agriculture to set up an inspection of the observation hives prior to being judged. Because of this inspection, the observation hives will need to be in place earlier than the other entries. Details are still being worked on so a definite time has not been decided yet. More information will be sent to the Buzz next spring.

I have had several questions about the bee suit I had at the fair. Mid-Continent Agrimarketing, 1150 W. 151st St., Suite D, Olathe, KS 66061, 1-800-547-1392, is where I purchased it. It’s called the Bugbaffler and, according to what I found on the internet, www.mid-conagri.com , they still have them.

I hope everyone has a good harvest this year and will see you at the 2006 Iowa State Fair.

Melanie Bower
Superintendent, Apiary Dept.
Iowa State Fair

Greetings Iowa Beekeepers!

I hope that this finds not only you, but also your bees, well. With National Honey Month over I hope you took the opportunity to get out there and promote your product. Since I last wrote I finished up at the Iowa State Fair. Again, a big thanks to all who helped make it a success. I was also fortunate enough to have the opportunity to spend two days at the Clay County Fair with the Northwest Iowa Honey Producers. While I was there, the “Baking with Honey” competition took place, and I got to sample some really great recipes, as well as talk to many people about bees and honey.

As always, please don’t hesitate to contact me about anything. I would love to help out in any way that I can. I can be reached at (712) 779-0321 or tjurchen@iastate.edu.

Have a Sweet and Spooky Halloween!

Teresa Jurchen
2005 Iowa Honey Queen

IHPA Board Meeting
September 24th, 2005

The IHP board met Sept 24th in Des Moines. The gross return from the state Fair Booth was up slightly. The net, however, was down slightly. Donna was authorized to prepare a gift basket which will be part of a larger group of Iowa products that will be auctioned off at the FFA convention in Louisville, Ky. It was also approved to send Teresa Jurchen to the Honey Queen competition at the AFB Convention. Teresa has had a very busy time attending various functions and promoting honey. She has raised the bar in this area.

The issue of mileage reimbursement for the bee inspectors was discussed and tabled pending discussions with the state. More inspectors are needed around the state to keep mileage costs down. It was voted to increase the premium for observation hives at the State Fair. We need more of them on display.

It was discussed with some dismay that there was no program of the annual meeting to print in “The Buzz”. It was decided to secure a program listing and send it to the members via a special mailing. The mileage rate paid to IHP members for travel was raised from 20 cents to 35 cents.

It was also voted to reimburse Pat Ennis for advertising expenses for the beekeeping class in Mason City last spring. The status of the education program was also discussed.

Submitted by Phil Ebert