Final report for ONC25-169
Project Information
Beekeeping is generally a two-sided operation - keeping bees on one side and sales to support the keeping of bees on the other. I propose an overnight retreat for a small group of beekeepers to learn about different business considerations as they prepare for sales. Bee clubs help their members become better beekeepers, but do very little to help beekeepers succeed in planning, branding, labeling, bottle selection, sales, inventory management, insurances, digital presences, and marketing.
I produced learning circles for beekeepers in Iowa during 2023 and 2024. Virtual learning circles had 50% attendance to registration ratios, but for the topics of insurance and logos, the rate was over 80%. Bringing business topics to a retreat will be explored before harvesting, bottling, and other decisions need to be made. Using a weekend format will be innovative through its compressed timeline as well as creating accessibility and community by having a small group with on-site experts who will be participants outside of their sessions. Participants will leave with training that can make a business economically viable in a way to sustain and balance the expenses of the beekeeping side of their operation.
With unspent funds at the end of 2025, I realized that I could act on the proposal’s review comments by offering topics online that I couldn’t present at the weekend retreat. Bee farmers participating in the in-person and online portions of this project reported that they formally filed for business with the State, opened business bank accounts, and applied for a home food processing license.
Participants will go home with their own digital headshot file and Google business account, information to assess their market and financial readiness, knowledge about insurance products and questions to ask their agent; new or updated social media accounts and other digital presences; knowledge to support sales including storage, bottling, labels, and graphics; a panel with a small, medium, and large producer to demonstrate different challenges and paths to profitability based on size of operation; and networking with each other.
By adding online programming in 2026, more beekeepers will learn about business topics for stronger community ties among beekeepers, increased economic viability, and more sustainable business practices.
Cooperators
- - Technical Advisor (Educator)
- - Technical Advisor (Educator)
- - Technical Advisor (Educator)
- - Technical Advisor (Educator)
- - Technical Advisor (Educator)
- - Technical Advisor (Educator)
- - Technical Advisor (Educator)
- - Technical Advisor (Educator)
- - Technical Advisor (Educator)
Research
This project did not involve research.
This project did not involve research.
Educational & Outreach Activities
Participation summary:
The Business Retreat for Beekeepers was held in April 2025 with 2 retreatants and 5 agricultural service providers. Retreatants left the event with digital images (headshots and product shots), knowledge of insurance products, financial and market readiness, as well as knowledge from producers with small, medium, and large operations. They also engaged in networking.
Because the budget was approved to accommodate 12 retreatants, there was funding left for other uses. The leftover funding was used to hold online learning circles in 2026, as suggested by the grant reviewers.
In the end, the leftover funding was used to hold one online learning circle per month in Q1 2026 according to this schedule:
|
Month |
Topic |
|
Jan 2026 |
Business structures and taxes |
|
Feb 2026 |
Cottage food and labeling |
|
Mar 2026 |
Processes and systems |
|
Apr 2026 |
Cutouts as a business |
Learning Outcomes
using existing resources and networks for sustainable business operation
increased confidence in business structure selection and record keeping for future tax filing
home food processing license and food labelling requirements
recognition of research and values when making storage, bottling, and label decisions
understanding of cutouts as an income stream especially when insurance, agreements, and a business structure are in place
Project Outcomes
Retreatants left with technical assistance that has not been offered elsewhere -- digital headshots and product shots as well as information about insurance products, financial and market readiness from producers with small, medium, and large operations. This assistance provided a way to measure income or profitability or establish a baseline to do so as the year progressed. Assistance also gave them ways to evaluate business/enterprise opportunities for an improved quality of life through networking and expanding their professional contacts. Like my previous project with Learning Circles (ONC23-127), I again observe that facilitating peer-to-peer conversations (in-person and online) brings deep satisfaction to a presentation for the presenter and attendees.
Retreatants were surveyed at the start and end of the retreat as a way for the PI gauge the presentations and establish a baseline for their success stories that would come at the project's end. Both retreatants report that they learned how to assess prices, product offerings, and different markets. While reporting that they learned how to increase their digital presences, they had mixed responses for evaluating their effectiveness. PI interprets this as skepticism because social media has an unclear impact on sales. Individual outcomes of the in-person retreat were set by the individuals as described in the success stories below.
The outcomes of the virtual learning circles were to inform and give a general confidence boost in the topics of business structure and record keeping; home food processing licenses, labelling, records, and code compliance; deep consideration before making storage, bottling, and labeling decisions; and insurance and agreements for beekeepers performing cutouts. This outcome was achieved as shown in the survey results from attendees and feedback received from YouTube viewers.
Summary of all education events for project
|
Event description |
Farmers attending |
YouTube views (as of 6 12 2026) |
Service Providers |
|
Business retreat |
2 |
N/A |
5 |
|
Online presentation Jan Taxes |
12 |
50 |
1 |
|
Online presentation Feb Cottage Food Law |
14 |
27 |
1 |
|
Online presentation Mar Extraction Plus |
10 |
11 |
1 |
|
Online presentation Apr Cutouts |
8 |
18 |
1 |
|
totals |
46 |
106 |
9 |
The topics and survey responses are below for the online learning circles.
Survey Responses — Online Learning Circle
|
Planned Action in Next Six Months |
Will Connect with Presenter or Other Professional? |
Additional Comments |
|
Talking with my accountant about all of the tax advantages and expenses I can claim in my bee business. |
Yes |
I have been to other bee business classes at conventions, but this was by far the most informative and to the point class I have attended. Thank you for allowing me to learn and improve my business and knowledge. |
|
A few of the tax tips were appreciated. Most of which I knew, however, there was a couple I didn’t. |
Unsure |
Good chat, the hour went fast! Thanks for the time to put this out! |
|
Better understanding of business expenses and confidence on running my beekeeping as a business. |
Yes |
Very helpful conversation. The focus on Q and A versus just talking was very helpful as well. |
|
I plan to complete a Schedule C for taxes this year and proceed to Schedule F as the business dictates. |
Yes |
This was very informative and a topic I hadn’t heard discussed previously, thank you! |
|
Get an EIN, form an LLC, and start running my beekeeping operations as a business. |
No |
I would connect with the Iowa Center if I lived in Iowa; I live in Illinois. |
|
Getting our home food processing license! |
Yes |
Thanks for putting this together. The process of trying to comply with requirements can be so overwhelming! |
|
Acquiring a home based kitchen license |
Yes |
I am interested in label enforcement. Especially in an industry that is being flooded. I feel we at Golden Hills Apiary really go the extra mile to have a professional and legal setup and it's so frustrating when we go to farmers markets or weekend shows and our competitors aren't having to invest the time and money that we have to comply with this rules and regulations so I am fairly interested in what the state plans to do to reign that in? |
|
Making a label |
Yes |
Very informative |
|
Planning on making flavored honey with freeze dried products. |
Yes |
All very good information. |
|
Unsure. |
Unsure |
Expected the presentation to be more tailored around honey and honey products. |
|
Designing a label. |
No |
No |
|
I currently store my honey warm, so now am reconsidering that practice. |
Yes |
Val did a wonderful job filling my head full of information! Thank you! |
|
Swarm removal |
yes |
|
|
A Honey Bee removal! |
Unsure |
Thank you, it was a great and very informative presentation!! |
An additional outcome of reaching beekeepers outside of Iowa also resulted from using social media. Samples of social media posts:
Success story 1. May-Fay Apiary | Long Grove, IA | https://may-fay-apiary.square.site/
Owner: Matt Harrison
Snapshot: May-Fay Apiary has bee yards in Scott and Clinton Counties. Matt also serves as treasurer of his local bee club, and their monthly meetings keep him informed of his peers’ buying and selling activities. Historically harvested 450-600 lbs that were easy to sell.
Business focus: prepare for expansion and retail sales
Quick overview (April 2025)
- Matt works bees on a hobby level
- Will be retiring from the workplace permanently
- Sells at his workplace and occasional markets
- Commingles business and personal finances
- Baseline socials established but not maintained
On his mind at the beginning of the retreat:
- Expansion of his beekeeping
- Conflicted about glass vs plastic bottling
- Concerned with retaining workplace sales and relations
The intake survey showed:
- No business plan
- Sales in 2024, but unsure if the business was profitable in 2024
- Offerings of liquid and creamed honey, no beeswax products
- Homeowners insurance, no business insurance
- Online presence in the following places
- Google Business Profile
- His own website
- Choose Iowa, a producer aggregate sites
Matt set goals by the end of the retreat to
- Separate business and personal finances
- Create an LLC or other business structure and file with the state
- Research options for business insurance
His measurables were yes/no on the above along with measuring gross sales. Success by the end of 2025 would be reaching his goals and finding additional sales outlets to sell his 2025 crop. Overall, he attained his goals and added additional positive activities through the results reported monthly from May - November 2025:
- Began tracking expenses to know if sales are profitable
- Formed an LLC
- Established bank accounts for the LLC
- Took a grafting class with the idea of selling queens for beekeepers on his side of the state
- Met with an Extension Food cottage food specialist
- Purchased a business insurance policy
- Tweaking labels and investigating label sources
- Competed in county and state fairs, placed in two classes
- Networked with the other retreatant and PI for farmers market booth setup, recordkeeping, labelling, making honey sticks
Success story 2. Preston Honey Company | Des Moines, IA | (no website)
Owner: Johnathan (John) Preston
Snapshot: Preston Honey Company has bee yards across central Iowa. John's beekeeping story began in a Beekeeping 101 course as a way to provide afterschool programming to youth. moving jobs and quickly expanding from a backyard beekeeper to sideline beekeeper with 70 hives and harvest under 2000 lbs. John was looking to replace his full-time contract employment income with full-time beekeeping income.
Business focus: prepare for quick expansion and enlarging retail and wholesale footprint due to contract cancellation
Quick overview (April 2025)
- John works bees at a sideline level for honey productions and migratory pollination
- Sells retail at markets, including re-selling of flavored honey sticks.
- Has a wholesale market
- Commingles business and personal finances
On his mind at the beginning of the retreat is a rapid expansion of his beekeeping to fill his time and support more sales
The intake survey showed:
- No business plan
- Profitable sales in 2024
- Offerings of liquid and creamed honey and candles
- Business insurance
- Facebook and Instagram accounts established but not maintained
John set goals by the end of the retreat to
- Engage more on Instagram
- Advertise through a website
- Offer hot honey this season
- Research lip balm products as future product
His measurables were yes/no on the above. Success by the end of 2025 would be reaching his goals. As time passed after the retreat, we held monthly check-ins and his contract was not cancelled. With the exception of advertising through a website, he attained his goals without scaling up through the results reported monthly from May - November 2025:
- Garnered more engagement on Instagram
- Developed a recipe for hot honey, which had been requested by customers
- Developed a label and bottle scheme for hot honey, with 45 lbs produced for his first retail offer