Honey Bees and Agriculture
John was born and raised on a farm. He was around beekeeping and agriculture growing up. His dad was a beekeeper and John would help his dad take care of the bee colonies on the farm. John understands farming; baling hay, harvesting crops, feeding the livestock, maintaining the farm equipment….. Please scan through the information below.
BEEKEEPING
John has been an active beekeeper for over 15 years. He is a firm believer that an educated beekeeper is a successful beekeeper. John is a member of the local Spring Valley Beekeepers and a meeting presenter at monthly meetings at Tunnel Hill Christian Church. He is an active member of the state association “The Beekeepers of Indiana” TBOI), serving as Vice President-Governance where he successfully worked with Senator Grooms and Representative Clere and Representative Engleman to pass SB529, bee friendly legislation to allow beekeeping in Indiana towns, cities, municipalities.
Every February, The Beekeepers of Indiana hosts a Beekeeper School in Indianapolis where 1200 beekeepers gather to network, attend beekeeping seminars, purchase equipment from vendors, learn about new beekeeping technology and tell a few beekeeper tall tales.
In the early spring, bee colonies are more apt to swarm; the queen leaves the hive with half of the colony to find a new place. John is an advocate of catching swarms in the early spring to maintain a hardy sustaining local honey bee populations and prevent swarms from taking up residency in homes, garages, etc.
Last year John and his beekeeper partner Laura traveled to Montreal Canada to attend the 46th International Agricultural Congress Apimondia 2019. There were over 5,550 participants, 320 lectures and 134 international vendors. John and Laura met many new friends, exposed to new ideas and gained knowledge that they will use in their local beekeeping business.
AGRICULTURE
In addition to supporting agriculture in the schools, he has worked with Gina Anderson- Purdue AGN leading classes on Beekeeping A to Z; a two year program working with new beekeepers on the basics of beekeeping.
John helps maintain the several bee colonies at Purdue. He is excited to see more women getting involved in beekeeping. He actively supports beekeeping in Floyd County and Indiana. John maintains an apiary on his property as well as an apiary at Mt. St. Francis planting cover crops for his honeybees and other pollinators.
Honeybees are very important to Floyd County and Indiana’s agriculture. Over one third of the food we eat is a result of the pollination efforts of the honey bee!!!
John is a member of the Farm Bureau and has been active in addressing the Indiana Farm Bureau’s concern in returning agriculture back in the Floyd County/New Albany classrooms. John and his beekeeping partner, Laura Stevens conducts beekeeping presentations in the middle schools, discussing fundamentals of beekeeping and the huge importance of the honey bee for pollination to Indiana agriculture.
For several years, John and Laura also participated in the Konkle Farm Days in Greenville talking to 4th graders about the importance of beekeeping.
