The Wisconsin honey industry may not be substantial in size but it is certainly substantial in terms of impact. As May clicks along and farmers continue to plant at near-record pace, bees are more important than ever before in their role as the earth’s chief pollinators.
According to Kent Pegorsch, President of the Wisconsin Honey Producers Association, the honey industry is just like every other form of agriculture and depends heavily on having good weather conditions. “It was a very good winter for bees,” he says. “The bees got a lot of flying time throughout the winter…we were hoping for an early spring but spring has been kind of dragging out here.” Pegorsch, who also owns Dancing Bear Honey in Waupaca, says the recent cold weather has been a challenge but unless it remains cold for a long period of time the bees will be okay. “Bees can survive in temperatures below zero,” he explains.
The Honey industry is hoping for a bounce-back year in 2020 after a rough 2018 and 2019. Honey production “hasn’t been great in Wisconsin the last couple of years,” Pegorsch admits, saying that 2017 was the last really good year producers had. But, he and his fellow producers are optimistic and hopeful for good weather conditions so bees can make it out of the hive, collect nectar, and store more honey than they’ve been able to recently. “Typically the honey crop in Wisconsin is stored in the hives in June and July and by the end of July we are pretty much wrapping up,” he explains.
To hear Pegorsch join Josh Scramlin on the Mid-West Farm Report you can click the play button below. They cover everything from expectations for 2020 to any potential threat the “murder hornet” might pose to Wisconsin.
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