DES MOINES, Iowa – Iowa honey production hit a five-year low in 2014, according to a new report from USDA?s National Agricultural Statistics Service.
Honey production from producers with 5 or more colonies in Iowa totaled 1.51 million pounds in 2014, according to the report. That figure is a 20 percent decrease from the 1.87 million pounds produced in 2013, and the lowest honey production for Iowa since 2010.
The number of honey producing colonies in the state fell from 39,000 colonies last year to 35,000 colonies in 2014, a measurement that does not include producers with fewer than 5 colonies or producers who did not harvest honey. Colonies that produced honey in more than one state were counted in each state where they produced honey.
Yield per colony in Iowa averaged 43 pounds, down from 48 pounds per colony in 2013.
Iowa also ranked 19th nationally in honey production, unchanged from last year.
On December 15, 2014, producer honey stocks in Iowa, excluding stocks under government loan programs, were 933 million pounds, a 23 percent decrease from 2013.
The state?s 2014 honey crop was valued at $3.78 million, down 18 percent from the previous year?s $4.59 million. The average price per pound for all marketing channels in Iowa was $2.51, up 6 cents from 2013.
Click here to read or download the latest USDA NASS Iowa honey report (pdf).
