Subject: ABF FAXline

From: [email-masked] (Andy Nachbaur)
Date: Mon, 8 May 1995 00:45:00 GMT

AFB FAXline

The American Beekeeping Federation NEWSLETTER for March/April announces
a new service to Beekeepers. A fax based network for member's to report
bulk sales of honey and receive information on the same from other
members. A good idea, something the USDA has been doing for as long as I
can remember with it's Monthly Honey Market Reports, but of course the
information is a month old when you read it. I am sure the reason it was
as good as it could be on market reports, when it used to be good, was
that the reporter's knew that the information they were giving was not
going to lose them a market or sale as the information would be at least
a month old before the cat was out of the bag so to speak.

All that is no reason not to support and join the ABF in their efforts,
but it is something to keep in mind. How many beekeeper's are really
going to participate at the time of sale and how honest are they going
to be about it. After all are we not all independent small business
men? And those who are not, are just as human as the rest of us. A good
market is like a good bee location only the truly naive are going to
give their good luck or fortune away at the beginning of the flow by
telling everyone the bee's are making a super a day over by the Sand
Pit and local honey packer is paying me 69 cents a pound for the load
I am delivering tomorrow.

Maybe I am wrong and beekeeper's have changed, God know's beekeeping
has, and everyone is anxious to share market's, pasture, and the good
life with each other, I think not, and if this was a free service to
all from the ABF I would be more incline to think change has come, but
>from  my perspective it look's like another play for your dollar's in
membership, as you must pay $150. or more in due's to get the service
plus another $25. for a April-June trial period, now that it's way past
April and almost June, that seem's a little high since my copy of the
Newsletter just arrived.

  In an case, if any group of reader's is really interested in a
"Honey Market Hot Sheet", I would be happy to set up a return
Honey Market List that would return to each participant the same
market information as fast as you or other's on the list posted it.
This is no big deal and would cost nothing but your own time spent
reading and posting any sales you made. Could just as easy include
information on wax, bee hive sales, bee conditions, or what ever
was of interest to the list participants. Would be of little value
unless a lot of people participated, and for me little more then
interesting as I am still a member of the socialists honey marketing
group call Sue Bee and they make all the big decisions for me on my
honey when I have any, like how much of what's left over after they
sell it do I get. On a rising market like we now may be experiencing
it's not much fun in a co-op until the following year as they normally
follow a market up, but are slower in following it down. Good co-op
member's have outside income or a wife who works at least at the
start.<G>
                        ttul Andy-

BTW; The address for the American Beekeeping Federation is PO Box 1038
     Jesup, GA 31545, phone and fax number 912-427-8447, no internet
     address given? (A little too technically sophisticated I guess.)<G>

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Opinions are not necessarily facts.