Subject: Sioux City News

From: [email-masked] (Andy Nachbaur)
Date: Tue, 31 Jan 1995 19:51:00 GMT

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Sue City News or the Hot Wax Market plus Honey (the by-product)

Sioux Honey Association board directors authorized the additional
winter advance that most have nothing to spend it on in the east
but sure could help some poor western migratory beekeeper catch up
with his fuel and truck towing bills.

1984 Crop  to Date   March Advance  total as of March 1, 1995

BEESWAX     $0.95        $0.25           $1.29

(ding how)
Sue Bee    $0.33        $0.07           $0.40

(a la natural)
Aunt Sue   $0.33        $0.06           $0.39

Pool No.3  $0.28        $0.07           $0.35
Special    $0.28        $0.07           $0.35

Pool No.4  $0.13        $0.04           $0.17

*1985 Crop* Initial Advance on 1995 NEW Crop

Sue Bee Bottle Grade and Aunt Sue Bottle Grade          $0.24
Pool No.3 and Special Pool                              $0.19
Pool No.4                                               $0.10
Beeswax                                                 $0.85

More News from Sue

  The 2 cents bonus on Orange honey is reduced to 1 cent. Members
are reminded that certain residues, (politically correct for "Chemical
Residues"), FOUND in honey could result in rejection of the honey.
The board, (all food scientists I presume), set a tolerance level of
200ppb or 0.02ppm, (which ever is less), for "amitraz" found in honey.
It is assumed that beekeepers will know better then move their bees
into a farm area that uses this chemical and would not use it themselves
to make home made vampire mite control strips in violation of Federal
and State Laws. The board board also set the level for EDB at 10.0ppb
being the action level for rejection, stating that the in house testing
continues on a routine basis.

   With the more then good rains received on the left coast during
December and January giving the prospects for the largest crop of
honey this century, it behoves the producer to sell, sell, sell, just
in case my predictions come true. The cash price for honey, as low
as it is in relation to the producers cost of production is good
considering the pressures on the market from SA currency flux's,
packers increased transportation and money costs, and early prospects
for greater then normal production.

                                        ttul Andy-

(c) Permission to reproduce, granted.
Written opinions are not necessarily facts.
Check your facts before expressing opinions.

                <30>--<30>

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From: [email-masked] (Andy Nachbaur)
Date: Wed, 1 Feb 1995 23:43:00 GMT

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Date: Tue, 31 Jan 1995 21:08:18 -0500
From: Adam Finkelstein <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Sioux City News

Is the amitraz due to the use of liquid taktic?
 �������������������������������;

Hello ADam,

    Yes, but I don't think the practice of using "TAKTIC", a easy to
get farm chemical, is as wide spread with Sioux Bee honey producers as
it may be with others. Because several years ago Sioux Bee on their own
volition set the tolerances lower then the legal tolerances as company
policy. Several large lots of members honey were rejected and the word
got out to all members.

    I don't necessarily agree with this policy, and in fact believe it
may be based on poor science and could have very disastrous public
relation effects if any one producer were to challenge it with in court
judeacation. Tolerances for agricultural chemicals or anything else
as set by government regulation are bad enough for the producer of any
crop, and the government to enforce, additional restrictions leave the
producer at the mercy of the buyer who sets them. At the same time it is
not unusual from buyers of agricultural products to have such policies
such as the corn growers who grow dried corn for snack food products in
this area. "They" the growers are restricted from using most any
agricultural chemicals by company policy.

    I admit to some personal bias as I once had a drum (660#) of honey
rejected because it contained EDB. I had not used EDB for several
years myself as I spent the bucks to air condition my storage buildings
so that it would be unnecessary, to save more bucks because of the high
costs and risks of using EDB and other chemicals prior to any regulation
of EDB. I also had a beautiful crop of Wild Buckwheat honey rejected
because it failed a test for sugar adulteration. Again, in this case
I used sugar syrup in the spring, (as 100% of Sioux members do in this
area), but my honey which was produced from a different source then
the others and was rejected. I took the hit, I learned later from
reliable chemists in the field of honey and sugar that I may have been
shafted because of the natural chemical nature of the honey I produced
>from  the Wild Buckwheat flowers, as has been acknowledged by scientific
study on honey from other flower sources, such as Orange, and Mesquite
>from  the south west. Lucky for me Wild Buckwheat honey is always in
demand, but I ate the costs of double transportation bills and the
drums the honey was packed in. As I had to use the old Honey Loan
Program I also got into deep trouble when I sold the honey and paid
the loan off, but neglected to inform the local ASCS office I had done
so until they received the money. I was forgiven by the local ASCS
and the STATE ASCS committees but not by the Washington bureaucrats.
After years of hassle, and a real kangaroo administrative hearing by
phone with a person thats only knowledge about beekeeping was that bees
made honey and beekeepers robbed them of it. I was proclaimed to owe our
government thousands of dollars that they are going to take it out of
any future income tax refunds. The interest is now more then the
principal and the ASCS is yet to collect the first dollar from my tax
refunds, as I never have got one and never will if they have their way.

    Regardless of how I feel or what I think, Sioux Honey Cooperative
has policy that is more restrictive then government regulation or the
real policies of any other honey packer. If nothing else this is good
public relations in that it shows the company is concerned with food
safety and goes the extra mile to insure consumers of Sioux Honey it
is pure honey. In reality government regulations that are intended to
do just that are subject to change at any time, and anyone could find
that what they produce in not in compliance. In watching state law
in places like Arizona, that passed a law to restrict the planting of
olive trees to protect people who have allergies, one wonders what would
happen if pollen in honey was to be regulated for similar reasons as
much olive pollen is collected by bees in the west.

    All this adds to the proof that commercial beekeepers today live
on the edge and it is not as much fun to be a beekeeper as it was a
generation ago unless you are some kind of pervert that likes a hassle
>from  some bureaucrat to make your day. I know a local dairyman, my age, a
Dutchman, who just got back from deep in Mexico after buying land to
move his diary just because of some of the same reasons. He came to this
country as a child, a displaced person who's family fled Holland after
WW II because they sided with the allies against the German appointed
local government. Now he is fleeing another country for similar reasons,
maybe its not his blood this time, only his milk that will be spilled,
but a man's livelihood has some value too. Many will say he was a poor
citizen, he arrived in this country with only the treads on his back,
and worked a lifetime to become a successful dairyman. Never gave up his
Dutch citizenship, so now he is free to go anyplace in the world that
better suites his personal needs. You and I should be so lucky. But I
don't think I would choose to go to Mexico to keep bees as there are
still a few locations and tricks here I have not tried.
                                                          ttul Andy-

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