ISBA NEWS AND EVENTS
CURRENT
AND UPCOMING NEWS AND EVENTS
·
Governor Supports ISBA by
Signing Amendment (SB2959) to Illinois Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act ~ July 13
Ø Governor Quinn has signed the much
anticipated amendment to the Illinois Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (originally
enacted in 1961) to now define honey (comb and processed) as a raw agricultural
commodity as well as exempt Honey House processing from inspection (for
Beekeepers producing less that 500 gallons of honey annually).
Ø The genesis of this amendment was
to assist Beekeepers in the sale of their product at retailers and farmer’s
markets. Over the past five years, Beekeepers had increasingly been turned away
from farmer’s markets as many Illinois Honey producers do not have the
processing facilities as defined by the Illinois Department of Public Health. An
inspected processing facility would receive an inspection certificate showing a
successful inspection.
Ø Since Honey has very unique
anti-bacterial properties, does not require pasteurization, needs no additives
and requires very minimal processing (extraction and bottling) it did not fit
within the broad definition of a “processed food” but best fits within the
definition of a “raw agricultural commodity”.
Ø Illinois’ Beekeeping population consists
mainly as Hobbyist Beekeepers. The restrictive language of the previous Act was
having a negative impact upon the sales of locally produced, Illinois Honey.
The revised Act (signed by Illinois Governor Quinn on July 13, 2010) now allows
local Honey producing Beekeepers to better server the Illinois public through sales of locally
produced Honey.
Ø Please note that the amendment
does not take affect until January 1, 2011
Ø Link to Illinois
General Assembly Bill Status Page: Click Here
Ø Download the PDF of
the final Act Amendment by clicking here
·
2010 ISBA Annual Summer
Meeting
The Illinois State Beekeepers Summer Meeting will
be held Saturday, June 12, 2010 in northeastern Illinois / Wadsworh. Dr. May Berenbaum
is the keynote speaker. Registration begins at 8:00 a.m. The
meeting will start at 9:00 a.m. and conclude at 3:00 p.m. Afternoon
activities will include bee yard demonstrations. The registration
fee is $10.00 per person and an optional catered lunch is available at a cost
of $10.00 per person for attendees who register by June 5, 2010.
Click here to look at the MapQuest map of the meeting
location
Click here to download a PDF containing registration
information, the meeting address and the meeting agenda
Click here to download a PDF containing the detailed
meeting agenda
·
ISBA Announces Draft
Legislation to Redefine Honey ~ February 1, 2010
Throughout 2009, the ISBA has been working on draft
legislation that will be introduced to the Illinois House and Senate in 2010.
As you may already know, Honey is presently defined by the Illinois Department
of Public Health as a “processed” food and therefore its handling and
ultimately it sale falls under significant regulation.
Click here to download (PDF) the Press Release announcing Senator Luechtefeld’s
introduction of SB2959
Click here to download (PDF) the Draft Bill
Click here to see the Bill’s status in the Illinois
General Assembly
PAST
NEWS AND EVENTS ARCHIEVE
·
The ISBA Announces Date
for 2009 Annual Fall Meeting ~ November 7, 2009
The ISBA Board of Directors has approved the date of
Saturday, November 7 for its 2009 Annual Fall Meeting. Save the date on your
calendar and plan on joining us for this informative, all day meeting. The
meeting will once again be hosted at the Illinois Department of Agriculture
headquarters building, located on the State Fair Grounds in Springfield, IL.
The day will be full of presentations, raffles, fellowship and a catered lunch!
1. The address of the Department of Agriculture facility
is: 801 East Sangamon Avenue
- Springfield, IL 62706
2. For a map to the Department of Agriculture facility,
click here
3. Time: 8:30am until 4:00pm
4. No pre-registration is
needed – simply register upon your arrival!
5. There will be a small
registration fee.
6. Lunch will be available
for a small, additional fee or you may decide to visit a local restaurant
during the lunch
7. Once a meeting agenda is
available, it will be posted here
8. The keynote speaker for
our November meeting will be Lawrence DuBose from Carol Stream, Illinois.
Lawrence
started beekeeping in 1933 with a two pound package he ordered from the Sears
Roebuck store. Lawrence
has a PhD in Civil Engineering and served as a Captain in the Army earning a
Combat Infantry Badge as well as a Purple Heart. Currently Lawrence is following the recent research in
Colony Collapse Disorder and he will present his findings at our November
meeting.
9. ISBA Annual
Fall Meeting Agenda
8:00am Registration and Coffee / Sign
up for lunch
8:45 Opening Remarks
(President)
9:45 Steve Chard State Apiary
inspectors report and updates
10:00 Break
10:15 Dr Lawrence DuBose Comments
on CCD and other Bee Problems
11:00 North Area will host Spring
Meeting and more info to follow
Door prizes
12:00pm Lunch
1:00 Illinois Queen Rearing
Report David Burns Larry Krengel
1:30 Farmers market proposal
Bill Buckley
Question and answer period
2:00 Jim and Karen Belli
Honey grading and showing
2:45 Beekeeper of the year award
Ray Chapman
3:00 Door prizes
3:30 Nomination and election of
officers
3:45 Local club reports
4:00 Adjourn / ISBA BOD meeting
·
The Illinois State Beekeepers Association ~ Summer
Meeting ~ Saturday July 18, 2009
Registration
Begins @
8:30am
Location: Madison County Farm Bureau ~ 900 Hillsboro
Ave. (Hwy.
157N), Edwardsville, IL (20 minutes NE of St. Louis, MO)
Click here for a MapQuest Map of the location.
Agenda:
Keynote Presentation By David Burns of Long Lane Honey Bee Farms
David Burns and his
wife/beekeeping partner Sheri are from Champaign,
Illinois. Like many beekeepers
the hobby went wild and turned into a business. Currently they manufacture the
woodenware hive equipment
and also sell beekeeping
equipment as well as queens, nucs and packages. In 2009 they sold over 600
packages. Their passion is to help others become new beekeepers. They
accomplish this goal by conducting regular beekeeping classes on basic
beekeeping skills, advanced beekeeping, and courses on queen rearing. They also
have over 50 beekeeping lessons on the internet. David is working with the
Illinois Queen Initiative, and is the president of Central Illinois Beekeepers
Association
Morning Session:
The Art Of Queen Rearing: Better Queens Solves Most Problems
Afternoon Session: Sustainable Beekeeping: Changing The Dominant Model Of Beekeeping
Also speaking will be Ian
Brown of Femme Osage Apiary Foristell, MO. Ian is a Missouri State Bee
Inspector, operates the Femme Osage Apiaries, keeps approximately 200 hives of
Russian Bees, sells nucs, and some beekeeping supplies. Mr. Brown and his wife,
Pam, traveled to Uzbekistan
to assist local beekeepers dealing with a sacbrood outbreak and will be sharing
some of their travel experiences.
·
Letter
from the President and Highlights from the 2008 ISBA Annual Fall Meeting
(November 1, 2008)
Dear ISBA Members and Fellow Beekeepers,
I have been honored and humbled to serve you as President for the past 3 years.
My involvement with the ISBA began eight years ago as Northern Region Director
and I look back on these years as a true highlight in my life. First working
under the leadership of John Hansen (your 2008 Beekeeper of the Year), I have
been honored to work with fantastic teams of board members.
As I look back at the past eight years on the board and the past three years as
President, I am amazed at the dedication and passion for the ISBA by Udell Myer
and Rita Taylor. These two
individuals have been volunteering their time to the ISBA for many years! Both
provide an amazing level of service to the board and to the members of the
ISBA. I am truly amazed at their dedication and selfless service to all of us.
Sixty of you joined us November 1 for the ISBA annual fall meeting in Springfield. Your board of
directors put together another amazing program this year all within the
confines of the Illinois Department of Agriculture's Conference Center.
The center provided a suitable backdrop for a program full of information for
both beginner and veteran Beekeeper. Karen and Jim Belli spoke of their key
learning’s and observations at Honey competitions and Robin Mountain
spoke of Beekeeping for the Hobbyist and Raising Queens. All three speakers
were truly awe-inspiring! Additionally, we were proud to welcome our new
Central Region Director, David Burns.
For the third year, I delivered a State of the Association presentation and
have included some highlights below for your reference:
1.
2008 Continues to be a year of uncertainly with CCD. While there is
still no CCD in Illinois,
it has provided concern as well as a media frenzy
2.
The ISBA has benefitted greatly from this media attention. The ISBA has
had the following media impressions over the past year:
·
April ~ Chicagoland Gardening Magazine Article
·
July ~ 90 Minute WCPT Radio Interview
·
July ~ Daily Herald Article
·
August ~ Midwest Living Magazine
Article
·
October ~ 10 Minute WCPT CCD Update Interview
·
October ~ Department of Agriculture Video Interview for Children
·
October ~ Nationwide Broadcast of “Current TV” Report on the ISBA
·
October ~ Pumpkin Pollination Video News Release
·
October ~ Pumpkin Pollination Press Release and Radio Coverage
3.
We had an amazing presence at the IL State Fair, thanks to Rita Taylor for her leadership!
4.
The ISBA has seen 258 new members since 2006! We are now 678 strong!
5.
The ISBA will be hosting a booth at the 2009 Illinois Specialty Growers
Association Expo in Springfield
6.
Our ISBA Yahoo Group now has 68 members
7.
Our summer meeting was a resounding success, thanks to Janet Hart and
her team!
8.
The ISBA presented Steve Chard and the Illinois Department of
Agriculture Director, Tom Jennings with a framed picture of a Honey Bee to
display in the main hallway of the department headquarters
9.
The ISBA Newsletter and the Yahoo Group are the ISBA’s communication
pathways within its membership while the website is our entry point and window
to both members and the general public
10. Our internet home www.isba.us continues to gain momentum and is
arguably one of the best state association websites in the country
11. In 2008 we had the following
major additions to our website:
o
Illinois Honey processing rules and
regulations
o
State Fair Honey competition winners listing
o
A section focusing on Honey Bees and Pesticide danger, including
downloadable brochures for distribution to Beekeepers and Farmers
12. As of June of 2008, our
website is now registered and verified with Google, allowing for a dramatic
increase in traffic to the site:
o
In July 334 people visited our site viewing 1,180 pages
o
In August 603 people visited our site viewing 1,789 pages
o
In September 1,029 people visited our site viewing 3,270 pages
o
In October 1,043 people visited our site viewing 3,197 pages
13. When visitors viewed our
site they primarily focused on:
o
30% Static pages
o
30% PDF/Instructional Documents
o
40% Photos, Videos and Audio Files (interviews and media coverage)
14. The ISBA is underway with
the following initiatives for 2009:
o
Developing a model Beekeeping ordinance for reference by cities in Illinois
o
A new website section detailing Organic Beekeeping guidelines
o
A listing of Beekeeping classes within the state
o
An introduction to Honey Bees and Beekeeping brochure for download and
use by Illinois
Beekeepers at meetings and events
o
A web-based mapping initiative to highlight Apiary locations to
pesticide applicators
I am very proud of our association history and the
legacy we are creating daily for our members and the State of Illinois! If you would like to participate
and be a part of this legacy, please do not hesitate to contact me. We could
use your talents!
Have an amazing Holiday
season and see you in the Apiary!
Ken Haller
President, Illinois State
Beekeepers Association
vikinghoneyfarm@comcast.net
·
ISBA
Announces Date for 2008 Annual Fall Meeting ~ November 1, 2008
The ISBA Board of Directors has approved the
date of Saturday, November 1, 2008 for its 2008 Annual Fall Meeting. Please
save the date on your calendar and plan on joining us for this informative, all
day, meeting. The meeting will once again be located at the Department of
Agriculture headquarters building, located on the State Fair grounds in Springfield, IL.
This year, we will be featuring Keynote Speaker, Robin Mountain.
Robin Mountain
(originally from South Africa)
is Apiculture Extension Associate at Kentucky
State University.
§
The address of the Department of
Agriculture facility is: 801 East
Sangamon Avenue - Springfield, IL 62706
§
For a map to the Department of
Agriculture facility, click here
§
To download the latest PDF
agenda, click here
§
Registration will be $5 and will
run from 8-9am with the meeting in session from 9am-4pm
§
Lunch will be available for
approximately $8 or you may decide to visit a local restaurant
§
No pre-registration is needed –
simply register upon your arrival!
· Midwest Beekeeping Symposium and ISBA Annual
Spring Meeting ~ June 9, 2007
The Illinois State Beekeepers Association and McHenry County
College proudly present
the 2007 Midwest Beekeeping Symposium.
The Symposium is designed to
provide the latest, relevant information to all new and veteran Beekeepers as
well as those simply interested in Honey Bees and Beekeeping.
The full-day agenda will
contain a Keynote Presentation, General Sessions, a Panel Discussion, multiple
Breakout Sessions, a featured “Beginner’s Track” of sessions, Lunch, Raffle,
Beekeeping Magazines, Catalogs and a Beekeeping Supply Marketplace.
The Symposium will feature a
keynote presentation by University
of Montana, Research
Professor Dr. Jerry Bromenshenk, who will be presenting the latest research
findings surrounding the epidemic Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). His recent
research is focused on the causes and potential solutions to this devastating
condition facing Honey Bee colonies nation wide.
Content
leaders from Illinois and across the United States
will be presenting a variety of topics. The varied and diverse Breakout
sessions will include:
§
Status of and Living with Small Hive Beetle in Illinois
§
The State of Pollination
in The USA
§
Introduction to Mead ~ The Nectar of the Gods
§
The Nutriceutical Properties of Honey
§
Save the Pollinators, Save the Planet!
§
The Secrets to Winning Honey Competitions
§
A Day in the Life of an Apiary Inspector
§
Introduction to Graft-Free Queen Rearing
§
Long Distance Colony Management – Emerging
Beekeeping Technology
§
Bees in the War on Terror – Smelling Out Danger
§
The Sideliner and Hobbyist’s Guide to Marketing
Honey
§
“The Honey Bee Whisperer” Reading Your Bees
(Beginner Track)
§
Introduction to Beekeeping (Beginner Track)
Below is a list of resources to assist in your Symposium planning. We
look forward to seeing you there!
Click on the following items for more
information:
Pre-Registration by May 31:
Individual: $40 – Course Code: NCCS04001
Additional Family Members: $20 – Course Code: NCCS04002
On-Site Registration:
Individual: $45
Additional Family Members: $25
To Pre-Register by May 31:
Credit Card Payment: 815.455.8588
Monday –
Thursday 8am-7:30pm
Friday 8am-4pm
Saturday 8am-1pm
Payment by Check:
(Payable to McHenry
County College)
Send Name(s), Address, Phone and Check to:
McHenry County College ~ Attn. Molly Walsh
8900 Us Hwy 14 ~ Crystal Lake,
IL 60012
The 2007 Midwest Beekeeping Symposium is
sponsored by:
§ Illinois State Beekeepers Association
§ Lake County Beekeepers Association
§ Cook-DuPage Beekeepers Association
Questions can be directed to ISBA President,
Ken Haller via e-mail.
·
November
18, 2006 ~ ISBA Annual Fall Meeting a Success
The 2006 Annual Fall meeting of the ISBA was
a success with 80 attendees enjoying a wide variety of topics. Keynote speaker,
Dr. Roger Hoopingarner spoke of Wintering Honey Bees with Varroa Mites as well
as Beekeeping with Two Queen Colonies. Devon Howald spoke about the basics of
pollination and allowed us to virtually tour his commercial Beekeeping and
pollination operation. Finally, Stu Jacobsen spoke to the reality of Illinois
Beekeepers “living with Small Hive Beetle”. ISBA President, Ken Haller spoke to
the State of the Association and announced that the ISBA 2006 Beekeeper of the
Year was Ron Fischer. To download the meeting agenda and view full biographies
of our presenters, click here (PDF). To see photos of the meeting, go to
our photo and video gallery.
·
October
9, 2006 ~ Evanston’s Effort to Ban Beekeeping Fails – Minor Regulations Prevail
In early spring of 2006, 14 year
old Gabriel Jacobs decided he wanted to keep Honey Bees in the backyard of his
mother’s Evanston Illinois home. Since there was no Evanston ordinance or
regulation preventing Gabriel from becoming a Beekeeper, he made his immediate
neighbors aware of his intentions and purchased his equipment and ordered his
Honey Bees. Word of Gabriel’s plans traveled around the neighborhood ward and
soon a controversy developed, instigated by those who did not like the idea.
These concerned neighbors contacted city hall and soon the Beekeeping issue was
scheduled for discussion at the upcoming committee meeting of the Human
Services Sub-Committee.
Susan Dickman, Gabriel’s mother,
contacted the ISBA (John Hansen and Ken Haller) for help as the pending meeting
neared. Over the course of three Human Services meetings and three city council
meetings the issues was debated by both sides. No less than three times was a
total ban of Beekeeping within Evanston
put to vote and each time the ban failed. Meanwhile, the Health Department was
conducting its own research, benchmarking other Illinois communities that had instituted
regulation of Beekeeping within various city limits. For no less than three
meetings, a highly restrictive regulatory ordinance was debated. This
restrictive ordinance was finally approved in sub-committee and was scheduled
for a final vote by the City Council.
At the 10.9.06 City
Council meeting, an amazing debate among citizens as well as City Council
members took place. By the end of the night, the highly restrictive ordinance
had been watered down to a very agreeable colony registration and care
ordinance. Needless to say, this amazing, last minute turn of events was a huge
victory for friends of Honey Bees, Beekeeping and Nature and a strong defeat to
the opponents. The courage and leadership generated by most of the City Council
members was admirable.
The links below provide access to
a sampling of the considerable amount of media generated as well as the actual
minutes to the various sub-committee and city council meetings. In these
minutes you will see the remarks made by representatives on both sides of the
debate. Additionally, you will find the final Ordinance available for download
and review below.
Print
Media Coverage
Television
Media Coverage
Evanston Meeting Minutes
Final Ordinance
·
June
10, 2006 ~ ISBA Annual Spring Meeting, Hosted by the ISBA’s Southern Region
The ISBA celebrated Spring at its
annual Spring meeting in Edwardsville,
IL. Each year the Spring meeting
rotates between its North, Central and Southern regions. This year the Southern
region hosted a jam packed meeting! Click here to download and view the PDF program
agenda. A huge thanks to program organizers: Udell Myer, Ken Kloepper, Chuck
Fugate, Nathan Sasse and Raymond Chapman!
·
August
12-21, 2006 ~ Illinois State Fair, Springfield Fairgrounds
The ISBA will once again be
exhibiting Honey Bee and Beekeeping information at the annual Illinois State
Fair in Springfield.
Additionally the ISBA will be selling its famous Honey Ice Cream as well as
other Honey related items. If you would like to volunteer to assist with the booth,
please contact Rita
Taylor. Otherwise, please stop-by the booth and say hello to your
fellow Beekeepers.
If you are interested in
showcasing your honey for competition at the Illinois State Fair, you can review
the rules and competition classes by clicking here and downloading the “General Premium Book”.
You can then search this PDF for all the Honey and Wax categories.
Copyright Illinois
State
Beekeepers Association