Source: MICHIGAN FOOD AND FARMING SYSTEMS submitted to NRP
SUPPORTING THE NEXT MISSION: TRAINING VETERANS TO BE THE NEXT GENERATION OF AMERICAN BEEKEEPER
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
COMPLETE
Funding Source
OTHER GRANTS
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
1026814
Grant No.
2021-77028-35274
Cumulative Award Amt.
$749,999.00
Proposal No.
2021-05268
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Project Start Date
Sep 1, 2021
Project End Date
Aug 31, 2024
Grant Year
2021
Program Code
[AGVET]- Enhancing Agricultural Opportunities for Military Veterans (Ag-Vets) Competitive Grants Program
Recipient Organization
MICHIGAN FOOD AND FARMING SYSTEMS
172 NATURAL RESOURCES BLDG.
EAST LANSING,MI 48824
Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
Beekeepers serve US agriculture by providing ~$20 billion in pollination services annually for 35%of crops grown. In recent decades, honey bees have been experiencing high rates of annual loss,making education key to profitable beekeeping. In 2015, Michigan Food and Farming Systems,Michigan State University and Bee Wise Farms LLC developed and launched the Heroes to Hives(H2H) program. Currently, H2H is a nation's largest beekeeping education program with nearly1,000 alumni operating over 4,000 bee hives across the US. H2H uses a 9-month hybrid educationprogram that takes students through a year of beekeeping training using a self-paced onlinecertificate program that is coupled with hands-on educational experiences at seven locations inMichigan. In 2021, program enrollment has increased to over 7,000 participants coming from all 50States, US territories (except Samoa) and active duty personnel participating from Asia and Europe.This extreme growth has necessitated program expansion to meet the needs of our growing studentenrollment. This proposal seeks to expand the current program to include: 1) Hands-on educationalsites in Minnesota, Nebraska, and Missouri, 2) New online educational module covering smallbusiness development/marketing, 3) New online educational module on financial/personal riskmanagement, 4) New online educational module on working in the commercial industry, and 5)Resources and outreach materials connecting students to USDA programs and services. We expectthat through expansion of the H2H program we will support veterans owning their own smallbeekeeping business, diversifying existing farm businesses, and finding employment in thecommercial industry.
Animal Health Component
50%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
10%
Applied
50%
Developmental
40%
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
90130103020100%
Knowledge Area
901 - Program and Project Design, and Statistics;

Subject Of Investigation
3010 - Honey bees;

Field Of Science
3020 - Education;
Goals / Objectives
The Heroes to Hives(H2H) programis thenation's largest beekeeping education program with nearly 1,000 alumni operating over 4,000 bee hives across the US. H2H uses a 9-month hybrid education program that takes students through a year of beekeeping training using a self-paced online certificate program that is coupled with hands-on educational experiences at seven locations in Michigan.This proposal seeks to expand the current program to include: 1) Hands-on educational sites in Minnesota, Nebraska, and Missouri, 2) New online educational module covering small business development/marketing, 3) New online educational module on financial/personal risk management, 4) New online educational module on working in the commercial industry, and 5) Resources and outreach materials connecting students to USDA programs and services. We expect that through expansion of the H2H program we will support veterans owning their own smallbeekeeping business, diversifying existing farm businesses, and finding employment in thecommercial industry.Currently, H2H students receive a robust education in beekeeping, support services for veterans, and resources to continue their beekeeping education. However, the course lacks educational content in key areas necessary to further support veterans transitioning to careers in beekeeping and only offers hands-on educational training in Michigan. This proposal seeks to build upon the current H2H program to expand online course content to support farmer veterans entering the beekeeping industry as small business owners or staff in commercial operations and to expand the hands-on training opportunities to new locations in the Midwest to give students outside of Michigan live training opportunities. To accomplish this, we will:ObjectivesTrain veterans in the art and science of beekeeping: A)Expand hands-on H2H training to new areas of the Midwest (Lead: Ingrao/Heck/Brown/Brummel/T. Harper/Byers/Fuller/TBN-H2H coordinator Minnesota)Assist veterans in starting and marketing their small beekeeping business: A)Train veterans in small business development/management (Lead: J. Harper/Funkenbusch/Silveri/McCarthy - provided by St. Louis, Missouri Veteran Business Outreach Center (VBOC)); B)Train veterans on business and product marketing (Lead: Ingrao/Silveri/McCarthy - provided by Taste the Local Difference (TLD)); C)Create "Heroes in the Field" podcast and website (Lead: Ingrao/Silveri/McCarthy)Train veterans on risk management support and services for them and their businesses: A)Train veterans on USDA and Farm Credit risk management products (Lead: Silveri/McCarthy/Ingrao/Heck - provided byGreenStoneFarm Credit); B)Train veterans on accessible technologies for beekeepers with disabilities (Lead: Ingrao/Heck - provided by MichiganAgrAbility)Support veteran training and job placement in the commercial industry: A)Evaluate the workforce needs of the commercial industry (Lead: Lee/Wyns/Patillo/Pezold); B)Train veterans to meet commercial industry workforce needs (Lead: Ingrao/Wyns/Lee/TBN-H2H coordinator Minnesota); C)Pilot a job posting system for the commercial industry (Lead: Silveri/McCarthy/Ingrao/Wyns)Connect veterans to USDA programs and services: A)Create guides for beekeepers to navigate USDA support programs (Lead: Silveri/McCarthy/Ingrao/Heck)
Project Methods
Expand hands-on instruction to new states and partnersin Minnesota (Rochester and Minneapolis - partnership with University of Minnesota Bee Lab's Bee Vets program), Missouri (Warrensburg with plans for three additional locations over the grant cycle - partnership with University of Missouri Extension), and Nebraska (Lincoln - University of Nebraska-Lincoln Bee Lab, GPMB)Pilot our first partnership with the VFW Post 2406 in Charlotte, MI to offer hands-on training opportunities at a VFW Posts facilitated by H2H alumni to allow for rural veterans without internet access to come to participate in watch parties of H2H online course material monthly from March - November. Potential to add 2 additional VFW sites.Work with Small Business Administration's (SBA) VBOC in St. Louis, MO to develop a customized version of the Boots to Business program that will be included in the H2H certificate program under our new Small Business educational module.Work with Taste the Local Difference (TLD) to develop an educational lecture called "Marketing Strategies for Your Farm" to the Small Business educational module of the course.Provide digital copies of educational materials to compliment the VBOC and TLD trainings such as, USDA SARE's "Building a Sustainable Business" and "Farmers' Guide to Business Structures" books.Create a podcast and associated website called "Heroes in the Field" that will feature interviews with H2H alumni and a database of farms owned by H2H alumni. The podcast will be hosted via theBuzzsproutplatform and the website will be hosted through MIFFS-VIA webpage.Work withGreenStoneFarm Credit services to provide a lecture and support materials to educate H2H students on risk management products and services available through the USDA and Farm Credit. The lecture will be integrated into the new Risk Management educational module added to the H2H certificate program so students better understand the risk management products and programs available to protect their business. Additionally, we will work with Michigan AgrAbility and Missouri AgrAbility to develop a lecture and instructional video on accessible technologies for beekeepers with disabilities that will be added to the Risk Management educational module within the H2H online certificate program (Note: 73% of 2021 H2H students have VA service-connected disability rating). Accessible technologies are critical for individuals with disabilities to keep bees and minimize personal injury and the approaches developed with AgrAbility will be published as a series of articles in Bee Culture magazine. Furthermore, we will host annual hands-on workshops on accessible technology at MSU's main campus with AgrAbility where individuals will be able to try out accessible technology in our training apiary.Develop a new educational module, Opportunities in the Commercial Industry, that H2H students will be able to take as an optional educational module (this module will not be required for students to receive their MSU certificate of competition) in the H2H online course. The module will consist of three lectures: 1) Introduction to the Commercial Industry, 2) Working on a Migratory Crew, and 3) Breaking into the Industry (advice from the pros). Lecture 1 will cover the basics of the commercial industry; its seasonality, migratory routes, crops they pollinate and what commercial operations look like at scale. Lecture 2 will cover theday to daylife of a migratory crew member; expectations of labor, pay and benefits, seasonality, and retention. Lecture 3 will explore the ways to find employment in the industry with advice from commercial beekeepers. We will further support this effort by piloting a job placement website on the MIFFS-VIA webpage maintained by MIFFS and MSUE staff that will post jobs within the commercial industry and promote job positions directly to H2H students through email notifications managed through our Mailchimp customer relationship management (CRM) software.Connecting veterans to USDA programs and services will be accomplished through creation of digital guides for beekeepers to navigate USDA support programs through Farm Service Agency (FSA), Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Rural Development (RD), and the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program. "Navigating USDA Programs to Support Your Beekeeping Business" will cover programs within FSA, NRCS and RD while "A Beekeepers' Guide to SARE Programs and Resources" will cover SARE grants and resources available to support beekeepers through the SARE Resources and Learning Center. Additionally, MIFFS-VIA staff will continue to provide navigation services to H2H students working with USDA through one-on-one assistance and support.EvaluationUniversity of Minnesota Evaluation Plan Components: (1) entry and exit survey evaluation of the program, (2) a workforce needs assessment for the commercial industry, and (3) alumni follow-up evaluations. For the first component, program recruitment, motivations, the online certificate program, the hands-on program, learning outcomes, support services, and workforce preparation will be evaluated by survey questionnaires administered within the H2H D2L program and required for program completion. Programmatic success and quality improvement will be assessed within these areas with performance measures outlined in the "Outcomes" section of this proposal. For the second evaluation component, an industry wide assessment will be completed understand the domestic workforce needs of the industry, job opportunities relevant to veterans, willingness to hire veterans, and educational/training priorities for individuals entering the commercial industry. These results will be analyzed, reported to industry partners, and used to develop a new educational module in the H2H online course, Opportunities in the Commercial Industry. The third evaluation component is an emailed evaluation survey questionnaire that will be delivered bi-annually to H2H alumni to determine long-term impacts of programming on veterans and honey bees. Alumni evaluations will be timed for the beginning and end of the beekeeping season to allow evaluation of seasonal loss rates of alumni for comparison against national beekeeping averages, and will assess the veteran's current involvement in beekeeping, gross revenue of beekeeping business, and participation within the commercial industry All of these evaluation components will involve a self-reported survey questionnaire (filled out by the participant) and administered through Qualtrics with statistical analysis performed with R version 4.0.4. We are employing both formative (monitoring participant progress via training evaluations) and summative (evaluating total progress) assessments. Formative assessments for quality improvement (e.g., training evaluation) help adjust the program while it is occurring; summative assessments quantify overall progress and provide valuable feedback to partners. The summative assessments will include the number of participants that started a new business or found work in the commercial industry as a result of the H2H program, assessed by post-training questionnaires. It will also include information about how many participants sought and completed applications to additional USDA programs and how many were successful in earning additional support from these programs.

Progress 09/01/21 to 08/31/24

Outputs
Target Audience:The Heroes to Hives (H2H) program's target audience is military service members and their immediate dependents. Our community of military service members includes veterans, retired, active-duty, National Guard, and reservists. Dependents include spouses, partners, and children. Participants are engaged with two categories of educational opportunities; online education which all students participate in, and on-ground workshops available in select states. Over the course of this grant cycle (FY22-24) H2H has reached 10,375 individuals with our free 9-month online intensive beekeeping education program. Our annual intake evaluation of all students yielded the following demographic information for students participating in the program over the grant cycle. FY22-24 H2H Program Student Demographics: Current military status: Active duty: 6.4% National Guard: 3.3% Reserves: 2.4% Retired: 23.7% Discharged: 38.5% Military Dependents enrolled: 25.6% 7,704 Service Members + 2,671 dependents = 10,375 participants FY22-24 Branch of Service (N = 7,704):? Air Force: 22.2% Army: 45.4% Coast Guard: 1.8% Marines: 12.9% Navy: 17.2% Space Force: 0.3% Multiple branches: 0.2% Combat (N = 4,110): 53% of our students reported they are combat veterans having served in the following: Korean War: 0.9% Vietnam War: 11.2% Cold War: 3.4% Persian Gulf War: 23.0% Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation New Dawn: 59.7% Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Freedom Sentinel: 57.6% Other conflicts: 12.1% Disability (N = 5,110): 66% of our FY22-24 students were Service-Connected Disabled Veterans with a VA disability rating Gender (N = 7,704): Men: 73.0 % Women: 25.3% Non-binary: 0.6% Transgender: 0.1% Prefer not to say: 0.9% Other: 0.1% Race/ethnicity (N = 7,704): Asian: 1.7% African American/Black: 5.3% Middle Eastern: <0.1% Native American/Alaskan Native: 3.5% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander: 0.7% Spanish, Hispanic, or Latino: 7.2% White or Caucasian: 75.0% Other: 3.1% Prefer not to say: 3.5% Location (N = 5,059) (Note that location data was not collected in 2022) Rural: 60.2% Suburban: 31.5% Urban: 8.3 In FY23, we started collaborating with the Soldier Recovery Unit (SRU) at Fort Cavazos (formally Fort Hood) an active Army base in Texas. SRU's are units for injured soldiers who are recovering before returning to their active-duty units. As part of our collaboration, we have been providing an on-demand version of the H2H course to these soldiers that can be completed while in recovery at their pace. We had 18 SRU active-duty Army soldiers in FY23-24 complete the H2H course and began working with Fort Campbell's (KY) SRU in 2024. In FY22, our audience also included employers (commercial beekeeping operation owners) who are currently operating businesses that have the potential to hire military service members as labor and entry-level management. We surveyed these employers at the 2022 American Beekeeping Federation conference to determine their workforce needs and what qualities they desired in new hires. Our survey was taken by 15 commercial beekeeping operation owners whose businesses ranged from 1,000 - to over 10,000 hives in operation. Results from the survey have informed the development of a commercial beekeeping educational module and workforce development tools for program participants added to the program in 2023. Changes/Problems: Over the grant cycle we worked to develop a job listing service with commercial beekeepers. However, we have struggled to make this connection with employers despite Michigan Food and Farming Systems developing an Employment Opportunities page on our website that we promote to H2H students (https://miffs.org/jobs-internships/). Although this did not lead to a major change in our deliverables it was an area we did not perform as well as expected. Using our workforce development assessment conducted with the commercial beekeeping industry in FY22, it is clear that traditional marketing of beekeeping jobs is not through online avenues as the top three ways employers reported recruiting new employees was through; 1. Word of mouth, 2. Newspapers, and 3. Third parties. This result may indicate why we had such little interest in online job postings. Although we had no listings from employers, we were able to place one student with TM Klein and Sons, a commercial beekeeping operation located in St. Charles, MI through one-on-one recruitment. Alternative avenues of recruitment need to be explored as one-on-one recruitment seems to still be the most relevant avenue for the industry but limits publicity of jobs that veterans may have interest in. We had intended to conduct tours to commercial beekeeping facilities three times over the grant period. However, this has been a difficult goal to accomplish mainly because our field season for on-ground training and tours overlaps with the migratory pollination season of commercial operations. We were able to complete two of these tours (2023 and 2024) and supplemented the third tour with a tour of the University of Minnesota's Bee Lab in 2022. As a result, we used a portion of money allocated for the tours ($4,000) to bring on writers from AgrAbility to co-author our publications on accessibility in the beekeeping industry that were published in Bee Culture magazine in 2023 and 2024.? What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? March 20-22, 2023: AgrAbility National Training Workshop (Spokane, WA) Dr. Ingrao and Ned Stoller of MI AgrAbility presented Adaptive Beekeeping for People with Disabilities as part of professional development training for 55 accessibility professionals. March 14-17, 2022: AgrAbility National Training Workshop (Madison, WI) Dr. Ingrao and Ned Stoller of MI AgrAbility presented How to Do a Beekeeping Worksite Assessment as part of professional development training for 50 accessibility professionals. August 3-4, 2022: Transpersonal Practices in Beekeeping Professional Development Training Bee Wise Farms and Michigan Food and Farming Systems hosted a 2-day professional development training for Heroes to Hives partners at Bee Wise Farms in Newberry, MI. Training was attended by 12 Heroes to Hives partners and two Heroes to Hives alumni who are currently training in the Great Plains Master Beekeeping course. Training was led by Lacey and Adam Ingrao (Michigan Food and Farming Systems). How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Heroes to Hives summarizes all data from our evaluations into an Annual Summary report distributed to partners, supporters, and potential collaborators. Additionally, our repot is available publicly online at www.heroestohives.org.? What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? 1. Train veterans in the art and science of beekeeping Over the course of the Ag Vets grant cycle we offered a 9-month online education program coupled with hands-on training. The online program is required for all H2H students, and is comprised of lectures (30-120 mins), instructional videos (5-20 mins), handouts, and monthly virtual office hours (full list of the 2024 curriculum offered can be viewed here https://drive.google.com/file/d/1XDSEx3JUj3Akr8X_CYbE_DYt8JaVPNry/view?usp=sharing). Over the course of the grant cycle we added new material and educational support to the course which resulted in a 33% increase in the number of lectures (32 in 2022 to 48 in 2024), a 6% increase in instructional videos (31 in 2022 to 33 in 2024), a 100% increase in therapeutic beekeeping instructional videos (0 in 2022 to 7 in 2024), and a 100% increase in virtual office hours (0 in 2022 to 6 in 2024). Individuals complete the H2H course by passing a 100-question comprehensive examination offered at the end of the course with 70% or better to receive a Certificate of Completion. Over the course of the grant cycle, we had 10,375 participants in the online course (7,704 service members and 2,671 dependents) and of those 2,832 graduated with a Certificate of Completion (27% completion rate). Those individuals can then have their H2H credits transferred to the Great Plains Master Beekeeping program so that they can continue their education through a Master Beekeeper Certificate (the highest non-degree designation in the industry). Of our graduates, 1,569 are currently enrolled in the GPMB program and two have completed the program with their Master Beekeeping Certificate (the GPMB program takes 2-4 years to complete following H2H). Those two Master Beekeepers are now instructors for the H2H program and run our on-ground programming at the VFW National Home (MI), VFW Post 2406 (MI), and at TruBee Removal (OK). Hands-on training through H2H is offered in select states by H2H partners. Over the course of the grant cycle, we greatly expanded our hands-on training opportunities by expanding our partner network. In 2022, we provided 25 workshops at 10 locations in four states (MI, MN, MO, and NE) and in 2024 we offered 89 workshops at 16 locations in nine states (IN, MD, MI, MN, MO, NC, NE, OK, and PA) representing a 72% increase in educational workshops offered. Overall, we reached 1,858 individuals (1,628 veterans and 230 dependents) with 157 workshops over the entire grant cycle. We also hosted our first national Conference in June of 27-28, 2024 at the University of Minnesota's Tashjian Bee and Pollinator Discovery Center at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. We held 15 breakout sessions within five educational tracks that reach 109 veterans and their partners at this event. Additional educational events we hosted included two tours of professional beekeeping operations in MN in 2023 and 2024, a tour of the University of MN Bee Lab in 2022, and two workshops on assistive technology for beekeepers co-hosted with AgrAbility in Michigan and Missouri in 2022. 2. Assist veterans in starting and marketing their small beekeeping business Over the grant cycle we implemented new initiatives to support our students and alumni in starting and marketing their small businesses. In 2023, we developed and implemented a new educational Module in the course entitled Business Development and Marketing and included the following educational materials developed for our program by the Small Business Administration's VetBiz program: Lecture: Business Development Course Introduction Lecture: Business Development 1: Business Ownership Level Set Lecture: Business Development 2: Finding Your Target Market Lecture: Business Development 3: Monetization Strategies Lecture: Business Development 4: Access to Capital Lecture: Business Development 5: Assembling a Team Lecture: Business Development 6: Resources to Jumpstart Your Business Additionally, in 2023 we also added lectures on marketing your small business with lectures from Taste the Local Difference. TLD provided three new lectures to this Module on the following topics: Lecture: Marketing Strategies Lecture: Creating Social Media Marketing Content Calendar Lecture: Email Marketing 101 Lastly, we developed an online H2H Alumni Business map available for view at www.heroestohives.org that is regularly shared through our social media. The map seeks to support increased customer traffic through the H2H network and currently has 102 listings of H2H alumni owned businesses selling beekeeping products, honey bees, and value added bee products. 3. Train veterans on risk management support and services for them and their businesses In 2022, we added a new lecture to the course called Protecting Your Profits as a Beekeeper which was delivered by GreenStone Farm Credit Services to provide an overview of USDA programs that support risk management. This lecture covered the following USDA risk management programs: Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-Raised Fish Program, Federal Crop Insurance, Apiculture Pilot Insurance Program, Noninsured Crop Disaster Insurance (NAP), and Whole Farm Revenue Protection Program. The lecture continues to be offered as part of the H2H program and we have included weblinks to all relevant USDA programs covered in this lecture to our online program so that students have direct access to program support materials. 4. Support veteran training and job placement in the commercial industry In 2023, we incorporated a new educational Module in the course focused on familiarizing veterans with the commercial beekeeping industry and career and business opportunities within it. Our partners at Bee Informed Partnership, Project Apis m. and Michigan State University Extension developed a 6-part lecture and instructional video series on the commercial industry which included: Lecture: Commercial Industry Beekeeping Overview Lecture: Commercial Beekeeping Management Practices Lecture: Commercial Beekeeping Employment Instructional video: Introduction to Project Apis m. Instructional video: Transporting Honey Bees to California for Almond Pollination Instructional video: Indoor Storage of Honey Bees Through our alumni survey conducted in 2024, we determined we have one student currently working for a commercial beekeeper and two that are working in beekeeping support industries full-time. In 2024, we also began working with David Anthony of AWS Bees in Swartz Creek, MI who is an Army veteran that has been running a successful commercial beekeeping business for nearly 50 years. David provides ride along opportunities for H2H students to see what typical work is like in the commercial industry. 5. Connect veterans to USDA programs and services As part of our efforts to connect service members with USDA programs we created two USDA technical guides for beekeepers to familiarize them with USDA programs and provided one-on-one technical assistance to students navigating USDA services. A Beekeeper's Guide to USDA-SARE was created in 2023 and seeks to familiarize beekeepers with SARE, the grant programs available to them through SARE, and the support structure of SARE. To date we have distributed the guide to 6,937 students through the online H2H program and have handed out over 2,000 hard copies at beekeeping events throughout the US (available at www.heroestohives.org ). In 2024, we developed the USDA Programs for Beekeepers guide, which is a digital guide covering USDA conservation, diagnostic, disaster, grant, insurance, and loan programs. The guide was distributed to the 2024 H2H course cohort of 4,130 students and is available to the public at www.heroestohives.org. Lastly, we provided one-on-one technical assistance to those seeking support from USDA and provided direct technical assistance to 90 veterans from the H2H program over the grant cycle.

Publications

  • Type: Other Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Berens, B. Ingrao, A., and Stoller, N. (Jan. 2024). Hive Style Varieties Broaden Beekeeping Opportunities. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jmVkeP1vV4YRa9rgKrm69Jyyp6gYXOJF/view?usp=sharing
  • Type: Other Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Berens, B., Ingrao, A., and Stoller, N. (Oct. 2023). Lets Talk Hive Lifters. Bee Culture Magazine. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1VXCCw05Ljg-g8pI1xfRSRLLU7Lb9eZ7t/view?usp=drive_link
  • Type: Other Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Ingrao, A. and Stoller, N. (June 2023). Developing accessible apiaries. Bee Culture Magazine. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gxLRKkbXPG1fBFQVHpgug_vct112oEPH/view?usp=sharing
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Ingrao, A. (2024). Heroes to Hives' USDA Programs for Beekeepers https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zBYvo0Dwh2jqBAqQjWAP2BbpAEwIJCve/view?usp=sharing
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Ingrao, A. and Lee, K. (2023). Heroes to Hives' Beekeepers Guide to USDA-SARE
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Ingrao, A (2024, August 8). Assistive Technologies for Beekeepers [Conference presentation]. 2024 Eastern Apiculture Society Conference, Turf Valley, MD.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Ingrao, A (2024, August 8). Accessibility in the Bee Yard [Conference presentation]. 2024 Eastern Apiculture Society Conference, Turf Valley, MD.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Ingrao, A (2024, April 24). Heroes to Hives Activities Testimony. MI House of Representatives Agriculture Committee Lansing, MI.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Ingrao, A (2024, March 30). Hive Handling and Inspections [Conference presentation]. 2024 UP Beekeeping Conference, Marquette, MI.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Ingrao, A (2024, March 30). Producing Quality Nucs for Profit on a Small Scale [Conference presentation]. 2024 UP Beekeeping Conference, Marquette, MI.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Ingrao, A (2024, March 16). Producing Quality Nucs for Profit on a Small Scale [Conference presentation]. Beek Meet 2024, Wausau, WI.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Ingrao, A (2024, March 16). H2H and AgrAbility's Recommendations for Beekeepers with Disabilities [Conference presentation]. Beek Meet 2024, Wausau, WI.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Ingrao, A (2024, March 1-2). Making Quality Nucs for Profit [Conference presentation]. Michigan Beekeepers Association Spring Conference 2024, East Lansing, MI.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Ingrao, A (2024, February 8). H2H: Training America's Heroes in Beekeeping [Presentation]. Luce County Kiwanis Winter Event, Newberry, MI
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: Ingrao, A (2024, February 6). H2H: Training America's Heroes in Beekeeping [Presentation]. Schoolcraft Co. Veterans Services Outreach Event, Manistique, MI
  • Type: Websites Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Ingrao, A (2023, June 17). Accessible Technologies for the Beekeepers[Presentation]. Purdue University Beekeeping Field Day, West Lafayette, IN
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Brown, G (2023, June 6). H2H: Training America's Heroes in Beekeeping [Conference presentation]. Kalamazoo Bee Conference, Kalamazoo, MI.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Ingrao, A (2023, April 5). H2H: Mental Health Practices in the Apiary [Online presentation]. Agrisafe Network.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Stoller, N (2023, March 20-22). Adaptive Beekeeping for People with Disabilities and Veterans. [Conference p-resentation]. AgrAbility National Training Workshop Spokane, WI
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Ingrao, A. (2023, March 20-22). Accessibility in the Apiary [Conference presentation]. Michigan Beekeepers Association Spring Conference, East Lansing, MI
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Ingrao, A. (2023, January 26-28). VFW-MI and H2H partnership that expanded in 2023 to include H2H training being offered at the VFW National Home in Eaton Rapids, MI. [Conference presentation]. Veterans of Foreign Wars Michigan Winter Conference, Kalamazoo, MI)
  • Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2023 Citation: Ingrao, A. (2023, January 23). H2H: Mental Health Practices in the Apiary [presentation]. VA Mental Health Team presentation, Saginaw, MI
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Ingrao, A. (2022, November 13-15). Accessibility in the Apiary [Conference presentation]. H2H program and things a beginning beekeeper needs to know before getting into beekeeping, Farmer Veteran Coalition National Stakeholders Conference, Oklahoma City, OK.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Ingrao, A. (2022, June 22-26). Accessibility in the Apiary [Conference presentation]. H2H: Training America's Heroes in Beekeeping American Legion, Michigan State Convention
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Ingrao, A. (2022, March 14-17). Accessibility in the Apiary [Conference presentation].H2H: Empowering the Next Generation of American Beekeepers. AgrAbility National Training Workshop, Madison, MI
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Ingrao, A.; Stoller, N. (2022, March 14-17). Accessibility in the Apiary [Conference presentation]. How to Do a Beekeeping Worksite Assessment. AgrAbility National Training Workshop, Madison, MI
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Ingrao, A.; Ingrao, L. (2022, March 10). Accessibility in the Apiary [Conference presentation]. Honeybee and Me: Wellness Practices for a Deeper Connection in the Apiary. Michigan Beekeepers'Association Conference, East Lansing, MI
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Lee,K. (2022, January 4-8). Accessibility in the Apiary [Conference presentation]. Commercial Beekeepers Breakfast session H2H Workforce Development Survey. American Beekeeping Federation, Las Vegas, NV


Progress 09/01/22 to 08/31/23

Outputs
Target Audience: Target audience - The Heroes to Hives program's target audience is military service members and their immediate dependents. Our community of military service members includes veterans, retired, active-duty, National Guard, and reservists. Dependents include spouses, partners, and children. Participants are engaged with two categories of educational opportunities; online education which all students participate in, and on-ground workshops are available at 11 locations in 6 States: Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Pennsylvania. Students this year comprised a broad audience of service members and dependents. Our intake survey provided the following information on the 2023 cohort: Current military status: Active duty: 8% National Guard: 5% Reserves: 3% Retired: 30% Discharged: 54% Military Dependents enrolled = 912 1895 Service Members + 912 dependents = 2807 participants in 2023 Branch of Service:? Air Force: 21% Army: 45% Coast Guard: 2% Marines: 12% Navy: 18% Space Force: <1% Multiple branches: <1% 52% of our students reported they are combat veterans having served in the following war zones. (Note some students have served in multiple combat zones which is why the sum of all totals are higher than 100%): Korean War: <1% Vietnam War: 6% Cold War: 6% Persian Gulf War: 19% Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation New Dawn: 59% Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Freedom Sentinel: 55% Multiple conflicts: 41% Other conflicts: 8% 64% of our 2023 students are Service-Connected Disabled Veterans with a VA disability rating? Changes/Problems: One major issue we have run into on this grant is the development of a workforce placement tool and website for the commercial beekeeping industry and Heroes to Hives students with our partners Project Apis m. We have collectively agreed that the effort to properly maintain this virtual site and connect seekers with jobs in the industry needs at least a part time staff member dedicated to this effort to make the user experience relevant and responsive. Our plan was for this tool to be driven primarily by auto filling forms and websites, however, the realization that staff time is needed to ensure a positive user experience will limit our ability to complete this goal since no money was allocated for staff time to support this effort in our budget. We had listed that we would conduct tours to commercial beekeeping facilties 3 times per year over the grant period. However, this has been a difficult goal to accomplish mainly because our field season for on-ground training and tours overlaps with the migratory pollination season of commercial operations. We were able to complete one of these tours last year and this year but have been unable to conduct all the tours in each year. As a result, we have used a portion of money allocated for the tours ($4,000) to bring on writers from AgrAbility to co-author our publications on accessibility in the beekeeping industry.? What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? AgrAbility National Training Workshop March 20-22, 2023 Dr. Ingrao presented at the AgrAbility National Training workshop on Adaptive Beekeeping for People with Disabilities as part of professional development training for 55 accessibility professionals. Transpersonal Practices in Beekeeping Professional Development Training Heroes to Hives (Michigan Food and Farming Systems), the VA, and Bee Wise Farms LLC were recently awarded a North Central Region SARE Professional Development grant to develop a full Transpersonal Beekeeping Professional Development program for VA staff and beekeeping educators based on the transpersonal beekeeping practices developed within yr 1 of this grant. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Heroes to Hives summarizes all data from our surveys into an Annual Summary report distributed to partners, supporters, and potential collaborators.? What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Train veterans in the art and science of beekeeping Continue to offer the Heroes to Hives online course in its current form with 43 lectures and 37 instructional videos over 9 months through. Therapeutic practices will continue to be a push through our online and on-ground course to support the mental health and wellbeing of our students. Assist veterans in starting and marketing their small beekeeping business In yr 3 of the grant we will focus on promoting our alumni businesses through a new website and through continuing our Heroes in the Field podcast. Train veterans on risk management support and services for them and their businesses In 2022, we piloted a new lecture on risk management support and service through USDA in partnership with Greenstone Farm Credit Services. This is a required portion of the course to receive a certificate of completion. This objective has been completed. Support veteran training and job placement in the commercial industry We have successfully implemented an all new Commercial Beekeeping educational Module in the course in 2023. However, we are currently still working with Project Apis m. to develop out a job placement and seekers tool for the commercial beekeeping industry and our students. Connect veterans to USDA programs and services Michigan Food and Farming Systems will continue to provide one-on-one support services for technical assistance for accessing USDA programs for Heroes to Hives participants through the MIFFS Veterans in Ag Network. Additionally, we completed our technical service guide for the USDA and SARE program in 2023 and will be completing our Guide to USDA in 2024.?

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Train veterans in the art and science of beekeeping The Heroes to Hives program seeks to address the personal and financial wellness of military service members through intensive professional training in the art and science of beekeeping. Students are provided with the training and resources to become professional beekeepers owning a beekeeping business, enjoy beekeeping as a hobby or therapeutic activity, or work in the commercial beekeeping industry. In 2023, the online program was delivered to 1895 military service members and 921 military dependents by Michigan Food and Farming Systems. Additionally, hands-on instruction was offered in four additional states this year bringing on-ground training to eight states; Indiana (new in 2023), Maryland (new in 2023), Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma (new in 2023), and Pennsylvania (new in 2023) over the beekeeping season. In 2023, we delivered a 43 lectures and 37 instructional videos on beginning beekeeping and veteran resources to 1,895 service members and 912 military dependents for a total of 2,807 participants. Additionally, we hosted on-ground workshops at 10 locations in Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Pennsylvania through our partner network. Collectively we hosted 43 workshops that were attended by 555 veterans and 72 dependent participants and served as an opportunity for participants to get hands-on training in beekeeping. Assist veterans in starting and marketing their small beekeeping business (Objective Completed FY23) Implemented new educational Module in the course entitled Business Development and Marketing TLD provided 3 new lectures to the Heroes to Hives online course on the following topics: Lecture: Marketing Strategies (102 views) Lecture: Creating Social Media Marketing Content Calendar (102 views) Lecture: Email Marketing 101 (86 views) In 2024, we will be launching our promotional page on the Heroes to Hives website for a directory to Heroes to Hives alumni businesses. Added lectures on marketing your small business with lectures from Taste the Local Difference. Train veterans on risk management support and services for them and their businesses (Objective Completed FY22) Support veteran training and job placement in the commercial industry New educational Module in the course focused on familiarizing veterans with the industry and career and business opportunities within it. Our partners at Bee Informed Partnership, Project Apis m. and Michigan State University developed a 6 part lecture and instructional video series with a supporting handout covering the commercial beekeeping industry In order to provide our students with a deeper understanding of the commercial beekeeping industry we hosted a field day at Holn's Bees Inc. in Winthrop, MN. This 6.5 hr field day was hosted on August 4, 2023 and attended by 10 veterans and 4 dependents. Attendees were able to visit and see in operation a commercial bee yard and extracting facility as well as see the material handling side of commercial beekeeping which includes utilization of forklifts, cranes, and tractor trailers. Connect veterans to USDA programs and services As part of our effort to connect service members with USDA programs we created a technical guide and lecture for the Heroes to Hives course seeking to help our students understand the value and depth of opportunities available through the USDA Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program. The technical guide entitled, A Beekeeper's Guide to SARE Resources, covers the organizational aspects of SARE, grants relevant to beekeepers, and SARE learning resources and was made available to all 2,807 Heroes to Hives students in the 2023 cohort. This guide is also currently being distributed throughout the commercial beekeeping industry through our partner, Project Apis m. In addition, we provided technical assistance and navigation services to 26 military service members working directly with USDA and USDA programs through Michigan Food and Farming Systems Veterans in Agriculture Network. In 2022, we added a new educational lecture on Risk Management as part of the overall Heroes to Hives online course. Each student was provided with six USDA handouts covering each of the USDA risk management programs covered in the lecture. Media Links The following media stories were produced about the Heroes to Hives program in 2023. 11/16/22 UP MATTERS TV - HEROES TO HIVES PROGRAM CONNECTS VETERANS THROUGH BEEKEEPING https://www.upmatters.com/veterans-voices/heroes-to-hives-program-connects-veterans-through-beekeeping/ 2/1/23 WEST NEWS MAGAZINE - VETERANS CAN SIGN UP NOW FOR HEROES TO HIVES PROGRAM https://www.westnewsmagazine.com/news/veterans-can-sign-up-now-for-heroes-to-hives-program/article_b85d2036-a257-11ed-881c-679956c78aad.html 2/17/23 SUCCESSFUL FARMER MAGAZINE - VETERANS PROTECT NATIONAL FOOD SECURITY BY BECOMING BEEKEEPERS https://www.agriculture.com/family/education/veterans-protect-national-food-security-by-becoming-beekeepers 2/24/23 BEE CULTURE MAGAZINE - MISSOURI HEROES TO HIVES PROGRAM https://www.beeculture.com/missouri-heroes-to-hives-program/ 4/9/23 MIDWEST FARM REPORT - Veterans Continue Serving Through Beekeeping https://www.midwestfarmreport.com/2023/04/09/veterans-continue-serving-through-beekeeping/ 6/20/23 News Channel 3 Kalamazoo - Heroes to Hives: Veterans & families learn beekeeping at Paw Paw workshop https://wwmt.com/news/local/heroes-hives-veterans-families-learn-beekeeping-therapy-garden-workshop-paw-paw 8/26/23 TV6 Marquette - Heroes to Hives teaches veterans beekeeping skills https://www.uppermichiganssource.com/2023/08/27/heroes-hives-teaches-veterans-beekeeping-skills/?

Publications

  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Ingrao, Adam, and Ned Stoller. Developing Accessible Apiaries. Bee Culture, 19 June 2023. Ingrao, Adam, and Ned Stoller. Heroes to Hives: Developing Accessible Apiaries. Bee Culture, 19 June 2023, https://www.beeculture.com/heroes-to-hives/.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Ingrao, Adam, and Ned Stoller. Developing Accessible Apiaries  Bee Culture, October 2023.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Ingrao, Adam, and Steve Easom. 2023 Farmer Veteran Coalition National Stakeholders Conference.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Ingrao, Adam. Heroes to Hives: Mental Health Practices in the Apiary. VA Mental Health Team at the Saginaw VA Hospital. 24 June 2023,
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Ingrao, Adam, and Clint Ward. MI VFW and Heroes to Hives Partnership." Michigan VFW Winter Conference. January 2024.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Ingrao, Adam, and Clint Ward. Accessibility in the Apiary." Michigan Beekeepers Association Spring Conference. March 2024.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Ingrao, Adam, and Clint Ward. Heroes to Hives: Mental Health Practices in the Apiary." AgriSafe Network. April 2024.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Ingrao, Adam. A Beekeepers Guide to SARE Resources." 2023.


Progress 09/01/21 to 08/31/22

Outputs
Target Audience: The Heroes to Hives program's target audience are military service members and their immediate dependents. Our community of military service members includes veterans, retired, active-duty, National Guard, and reservists. Dependents include spouses, partners, and children. Participants are engaged with two categories of educational opportunity; online education that all students participate in, and on-ground workshops that are only available to participants in Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, and Nebraska. Students this year comprised a broad audience of service members and dependents. Our intake survey provided the following information on the 2022 cohort: Sex: Female: 36% Male: 64% Non-binary: < 1% Race: Alaskan Native or American Indian: 3% Asian: 2% Black or African American: 4% Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander: 1% White or Caucasian: 78% Choose not to provide: 12% Current military status: Active duty: 8% National Guard: 3% Reserves: 3% Retired: 29% Discharged: 40% Dependent: 17% Branch of Service: Air Force: 19% Army: 37% Coast Guard: 2% Marines: 12% Navy: 15% Dependent: 16% 46% of our students are combat veterans having served in the: Korean War: 1% Vietnam War: 3% Gulf War: 9% Operation Iraqi Freedom: 21% Operation Enduring Freedom: 17% Other conflicts: 5% Did not deploy: 46% 56% of our students are Service-Connected Disabled Veterans with a VA disability rating In 2022, our audience also included employers (commercial beekeeping operation owners) who are currently operating businesses that have the potential to hire military service members as labor and entry-level management. We surveyed these employers at the 2022 American Beekeeping Federation conference to determine their workforce needs and what qualities they desired in new hires. Our survey was taken by 15 commercial beekeeping operation owners whose businesses ranged from 1,000 - to over 10,000 hives in operation. Results from the survey have informed the development of a commercial beekeeping educational module and workforce development tools for program participants that will be included in the 2023 Heroes to Hives program.? Changes/Problems: The lead writer of our technical assistance guides for USDA and SARE was involved in a serious car accident in August 2022 that required 8 months of rehabilitation including speech therapy, physical therapy, and several medical procedures. This delayed our development of our guides and their printing. This will be completed in FY 2023 of the grant. In our proposal we budgeted for the cost of delivering a podcast of our Heroes to Hives alumni. We have named this podcast "Heroes in the Field" and have started recording content in FY 2022 of the grant. We will be requesting a slight change in this budget item to reflect the actual costs versus projected costs for this effort. We budgeted $1,140 for this effort during the grant cycle to cover costs for posting content on Buzzsprout. However, we have realized that for the amount of content we are delivering monthly that we can use this service for free and therefore are asking for a budget adjustment to cover recording equipment costs ($340) and travel costs to visit alumni at their apiaries ($800) for recording interviews. In the original grant proposal, we proposed hosting field days at 3 commercial beekeeper's facilities annually to provide students with a first-person experience in a commercial beekeeping setting. Following our workforce development survey results from our commercial beekeeping survey at the American Beekeeping Federation conference and conversations with commercial beekeeping operation owners it became clear that this deliverable would be difficult to attain for two major reasons: 1. Commerical beekeeping operations are migratory during the educational season (spring -summer) and coordination of an on-ground event at a commercial facility during this time is difficult because operation staff are spread out throughout the country at that time., 2. Post-pandemic participation in on-ground educational events has been drastically reduced as compared to pre-pandemic levels. As a result, we have decided to dedicate more effort to developing online tools to support exposure to the commercial beekeeping industry through partnerships with Project Apis m. and the Bee Informed Partnership. As a result of this change, we will be requesting the funds allocated for this budget item ($9,000) be reallocated for covering expenses for our professional development training on the Transpersonal Practices in Beekeeping, and recording and producing of 10 instructional videos on these wellness practices to be added to the online course to support service member health and personal connection to honeybees and the natural world. This content has and will be produced by Bee Wise Farms' Lacey Ingrao, co-founder of Heroes to Hives and a transpersonal psychologist specializing in nature-based therapy for veterans.? What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? AgrAbility National Training Workshop March 14-17, 2022 Heroes to Hives: Empowering Veterans to Be the Next Generation of American Beekeepers- Adam Ingrao (Michigan Food and Farming Systems) How To Do a Beekeeping Worksite Assessment- Ned Stoller (MI AgrAbility) and Adam Ingrao (Michigan Food and Farming Systems) Transpersonal Practices in Beekeeping Professional Development Training August 3-4, 2022 Bee Wise Farms and Michigan Food and Farming Systems hosted a 2-day professional development training for Heroes to Hives partners at Bee Wise Farms in Newberry, MI. Training was attended by 12 Heroes to Hives partners and two Heroes to Hives alumni who are currently training in the Great Plains Master Beekeeping course. Training led by Lacey and Adam Ingrao (Michigan Food and Farming Systems)? How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Heroes to Hives summarizes all data from our surveys into an Annual Summary report distributed to partners, supporters, and potential collaborators. Additionally, the report is shared annually on our Facebook page with followers of the program.? What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Train veterans in the art and science of beekeeping Continue to offer online course with new platform through Michigan Food and Farming Systems. New course will include rerecording of all core lectures (15 lectures) including new therapeutic practices and content modules intended to support all scales of beekeeping interest, from hobby to commercial. Additionally, we will continue to add new on-ground training sites for more student access to hands-on training. New sites will be added in Michigan and Missouri (where most of our students reside) to provide more training opportunities. Assist veterans in starting and marketing their small beekeeping business A new educational module developed throughout FY 2022 will be added to the 2023 online program to meet this deliverable. All content has been developed by VetBiz Missouri and Taste the Local Difference over 2022 and is currently being added to the 2023 course. Train veterans on risk management support and services for them and their businesses In 2022, we piloted a new lecture on risk management support and service through USDA in partnership with Greenstone Farm Credit Services. After successful implementation of this pilot course this will now be a required portion of the course to receive a certificate of completion. Support veteran training and job placement in the commercial industry In partnership with MSUE, BIP and PAm we have created several lectures and job seeking and placement tools for our students to find work in the commercial beekeeping industry. These educational materials are currently being added to the Heroes to Hives online course for 2023 and will be optional material for course participants. Connect veterans to USDA programs and services Michigan Food and Farming Systems will continue to provide one-on-one support services for technical assistance for accessing USDA programs for Heroes to Hives participants through the MIFFS Veterans in Ag Network. Additionally, we will be completing our technical service guides for USDA and SARE program in FY 2023 which will be added to the 2023 online course and made available to the general public through our partners.?

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? The Heroes to Hives program seeks to address the personal and financial wellness of military service members through intensive professional training in the art and science of beekeeping. Students are provided with the training and resources to become professional beekeepers owning a beekeeping business, enjoy beekeeping as a hobby or therapeutic activity, or work in the commercial beekeeping industry. The program was delivered through a partnership with Michigan State University Extension who administered the program through their Desire to Learn Platform (D2L). Additionally, hands-on instruction was offered in four states (MI, MO, MN, and NE) over the beekeeping season. The audience benefiting from this training are military service members (veterans, retired, National Guard, and reservists) and up to three of their dependents (spouse, children, and partner) participating in the Heroes to Hives program. 1)Delivered a 90 hour online beekeeping education course to 2,844 participants with 1,113 (39%) completing the course and receiving Certificate of Completion. Students that received a Certificate of Completion were eligible to transfer their course credits to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Great Plains Master Beekeeping program- 280 students transferred credits and areworking towards master beekeeping certificates. We offered 25 hands-on workshops in four states where we engaged 205 participants in-hive trainings. Intake and exit surveys results Reasons for wanting to start beekeeping Want to support bee health: 30% Want to honey and bee products for personal use: 28% Want to sell honey and bee products for profit: 13% Want to diversify farm business: 11% New to agriculture and want to start with bees: 14% Other reason: 6% Goals as a beekeeper Beekeeping as a hobby: 66% Own a beekeeping business: 32% Working for a commercial beekeeper: 2% Experience keeping honeybees? Yes: 26% No: 74% Number of years those with beekeeping experience have kept bees. 1-2 hives: 67% 3-9 hives: 28% 10-20 hives: 2% More than 20 hives: 3% Exit surveyeducational outcomes: 95% report increased confidence in keeping bees 95% report increased understanding of disease and pest management 90% report increased ability to monitor varroa mites using a sugar roll/ alcohol wash 94% report increases understanding of varroa mite treatment use 95% report improved understanding of overwintering management of bees 95% of students are happy with their Heroes to Hives education 95% would recommend Heroes to Hives to another person Katie Lee (University of Minnesota) presented at theCommercial Beekeepers Breakfast session at the American Beekeeping Federation conference to draw awareness about the Heroes to Hives program, the opportunities to hire military service members in their operations, and to administer a workforce development survey to inform the development of a module for theonline course, an online workforce placement and seeking tool in partnership with Project Apis m., the Bee Informed Partnership, and Michigan State University Extension. The survey was completed by 15 commercial beekeepers. Number of colonies in operation: 1,500 - 2,999 = 33.3% 3,000 - 5,999 = 33.3% 6,000 - 9,999 = 13.3% 10,000 or more = 13.3% Less than 500 colonies = 6.7% Percentage hiring H2A workers 40% of operations Annual turnover rate 0 - 24% annual turnover = 87% of operations 25% - 49% annual turnover = 13.3% of operations Starting pay rates $12 - 14.99/hr = 46.7% of operations $15 - 19.99/hr = 40% of operations Less than $12/hr = 13.3% of operations Ways commercial operations advertise job positions currently (ranked by most to least used method) Word of mouth Newspaper Third party Online job boards Social media Barriers to finding good employees - skillsets that are lacking in potential employees (ranked by most to least common) Communication/language barrier Lack of beekeeping experience Licensing to operate heavy trucks, forklifts, etc. Willingness to work or learn Knowledge of colony inspection and evaluation for bee health Barriers to finding good employees - Work ethic/dependability (ranked by most to least common) Work ethic/dependability Physical lifting/bending/kneeling/heat tolerance requirements Substance misuse Allergic or unwilling to tolerate bee stings Barriers to finding good employees - Travel, wages, seasonality (ranked by most to least common) Unpredictable hours/variable schedule Travel requirements/migratory lifestyle Ability to offer competitive wages/compensation Seasonal employment needs Staff retention/high turnover Skillsets that operations see as beneficial (ranked by most to least common) Vehicle maintenance/mechanical Carpentry Welding Sales Bookkeeping Interest in hiring US military veterans Extremely interested = 46.7% Somewhat interested = 26.7% Neither likely nor unlikely = 26.7% Most important components to an education module focused on training veterans for the commercial industry (ranked by most to least important) Overview of the commercial beekeeping industry Beekeeping management Honey processing/food safety Queen rearing 2)Develop a business module for the Heroes to Hives course focused on starting and marketing a small business. VetBiz spent this reporting period developing out a version of their Boots to Business program specifically catered to the beekeeping industry. Taste the Local Difference similarly developed a set of lectures for this module covering online marketing, email marketing and search engine optimization of websites and products. These materials have been completed and will be incorporated into the 2023 course. Data will be collected in 2023. 3)We added a new lecture to the course called Protecting Your Profits as a Beekeeper delivered by GreenStone Farm Credit Services to provide an overview of USDA risk management programs: Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-Raised Fish Program (ELAP), Federal Crop Insurance, Apiculture Pilot Insurance Program, Noninsured Crop Disaster Insurance (NAP), and Whole Farm Revenue Protection Program.1,500 students viewed the lecture in it's entirety and were provided with six USDA handouts covering each of the USDA programs covered. Data will be collected in 2023 4)We have been working with Michigan State University Extension (MSUE), the Bee Informed Partnership (BIP) and Project Apis m. (PAm) to develop a commercial beekeeping module to train individuals on the commercial beekeeping industry and provide them with an online job seeking and placement tool to assist service members and commercial beekeeping operation owners in finding one another to support meaningful employment. MSUE, BIP and Project Apis m. have developed a series of five lectures on working in the commercial beekeeping industry that will be incorporated into the 2023 course. Additionally, PAm has developed a new website that provide Heroes to Hives students a place to list their interest in working in commercial operations while also offering an online job posting site for opportunities in the commercial industry. This new site will be launched in 2023. 5)We sought to develop technical service guides for USDA and SARE programming. Unfortunately, our lead writer, Dr. Ingrao, of these deliverables was involved in a serious car accident in late 2022 which required 8 months of rehabilitation. Dr. Ingrao has recovered and is currently working on completing these guides for FY 2023. Despite this set back we were able to provide one-on-one technical service for 56 Heroes to Hives students seeking to access USDA programs. Challenge mitigation: We had few issues this reporting period that required adjustment of our proposed project. The only issue was related to Dr. Ingrao's car accident and resulting limited ability to write our proposed USDA technical service guides in FY 2022. This has been rectified after extensive rehabilitation and Dr. Ingrao is currently working on these deliverables for FY 2023.? ?

Publications

  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Heroes to Hives Program Helps Veterans and Bees (Steve Easom) https://www.news9.com/story/631935bf928de3072b9aa43c/heroes-to-hives-program-helps-veterans--bees-
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: 2023 Heroes to Hives Students Remove Bees from Oklahoma Governors Manson