Beekeepers announce 2011 Honey Princess

Congratulations to Allison Adams of Plano, Texas for being crowned the 2011 American Honey Princess. It is such an honor for the American Beekeeping Federation to appoint a Texan to this role. Allison is 19-years-old and has been beekeeping for six years.

While most of us would probably like to get as far away from bees as possible, people like Allison willingly get up-close and personal with them. She has demonstrated a commitment to the honey industry by staying active in beekeeping and getting involved with the ABF to increase the public’s awareness of the importance of the beekeeping industry.

In 2010, Allison was crowned the Texas Honey Queen. With her new national title, it is Allison’s job to promote the honey industry across the country. She will spend her time visiting schools and other groups to share her knowledge of the honey industry, including facts, recipes and the benefits of buying local honey.

It is easy to overlook a little insect when you don’t consider its importance to Texas’ billion-dollar agriculture industry. With help from Allison and Texas honey producers, we look forward to sharing the goodness of Lone Star honeybees.

Disaster Programs One Step Closer to Reality

Remember how we worked so hard to get permanent federal agriculture disaster programs created in the 2008 Farm Bill? Remember how we won that fight through coordinated efforts? Well, USDA is finally getting the programs moving. Today, they released eligibility rules for five new disaster programs. These programs will provide much-needed assistance to producers across America. The programs are the Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP), the Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP), the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-Raised Fish (ELAP), the Supplemental Revenue Assistance Program (SURE), and the Tree Assistance Program (TAP).

This news does not mean the programs are available for producers to access right now, however. I was told as recently as March not to expect these programs until Christmas. USDA is indicating that LIP applications should be available in July. In the meantime, eligible livestock owners should begin gathering the documentation needed to verify their losses. Veterinary reports, insurance records, and renderer receipts are just a few examples of qualifying documentation. Go to USDA’s Web site here for more information (I also encourage producers to contact their county FSA offices for further information).