Sixty years ago, most honey came from small mixed farms producing less than 4,500 kilograms from less than 50 hives.
Today, half the honey shipped to Manitoba Co-operative Honey Producers Ltd. comes from farmers who ship more than 45,000 kg.
“The same thing has happened with honey that’s happened with all the rest of agriculture,” said Norm Bartel, chair of the co-op.
Bartel thinks the industry could grow if prices stay steady. But there are many risks to honey prices, he said.
During the past two years, honey farmers have seen record high prices, encouraged in part by a U.S. cap on imports of cheap Chinese honey.
Read Also
Stock dogs show off herding skills at Ag in Motion
Stock dogs draw a crowd at Ag in Motion. Border collies and other herding breeds are well known for the work they do on the farm.
This year, prices have fallen to average levels as packers try to regain some of their margins.
Bartel said producers are conscious that if the U.S. import controls go, honey prices could plummet.
He also worries about a new product from India that uses sugar in a honey mixture to make a cheaper blend.
It would be illegal to sell this honey in Canada, said Bartel, but it would be difficult to detect its presence.
Mergers among honey packers in the past few years mean fewer buyers and larger contracts for the co-op’s honey. When the co-op is underbid for a contract, it means it loses a big chunk of business, said Bartel.
Production has changed over the years, says beekeeper Stephen Olnick of Stonewall, Man.
When his father ran the operation, many neighboring farmers grew sweet clover. Today, the crop is uncommon.
Alfalfa fields have been taken over by leafcutter bee hives.
So Olnick relies on canola for forage for his bees.
He worries researchers will breed a quick maturing variety that could put his honey harvest at risk.
Bartel noted Greenpeace has hurt some Bee Maid sales in Germany by pointing out Canadian bees pollinate transgenic canola.
Olnick has also had to move further afield to find spots for his hives.
He used to have his choice of abandoned farm sites, with trees for shelter and roads that made them easy to get to.
But more and more sites are being bought by people who work in nearby Winnipeg but want to live on an acreage in the country, he said.
Despite the risks, both Olnick and Bartel said keeping bees is a great way to make a living.
“It never ceases to fascinate you, with what those little creatures can do,” said Bartel.
“They do things their way, and if I don’t learn what that way is, they won’t produce for me.”
Olnick likes how bees benefit farmers with higher yields, plus earn him a living with their honey.
“I don’t have to beat anybody to make my living,” said Olnick. “We’re all kind of in it together, and there’s no cutthroat business in this.”
