Honey production up in Wisconsin

MADISON

Honey production from producers with 5 or more colonies in Wisconsin totaled 3.48 million pounds in 2015 according to the USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service Honey Report. This was a 22 percent increase from the 2.86 million pounds produced in 2014.

The number of honey producing colonies in the state declined from 53,000 colonies in 2014 to 52,000 colonies in 2015. This number does not include producers with fewer than 5 colonies or producers who did not harvest honey. Colonies that produced honey in more than one state were counted in each state where they produced honey.

Yield per colony in Wisconsin averaged 67 pounds, up from 54 pounds per colony in 2014. Wisconsin moved to eleventh place nationally in honey production, up from fifteenth place last year.

On December 15, 2015, producer honey stocks in Wisconsin, excluding stocks under government loan programs, were

1.60 million pounds, a 56 percent increase from 2014. The state's 2015 honey crop was valued at $8.40 million, up

23 percent from the previous year's $6.81 million.

The average price per pound for all marketing channels in Wisconsin was $2.41, up 3 cents from 2014.

United States honey production in 2015 from producers with five or more colonies totaled 157 million pounds,

down 12 percent from 2014. There were 2.66 million colonies from which honey was harvested in 2015, down 3

percent from 2014.

Yield of honey harvested per colony averaged 58.9 pounds, down 10 percent from the 65.1 pounds in 2014. Colonies which produced honey in more than one State were counted in each State where the honey was produced.

Therefore, at the United States level yield per colony may be understated, but total production would not be impacted. Colonies were not included if honey was not harvested.

Producer honey stocks were 42.2 million pounds on December 15, 2015, up 2 percent from a year earlier. Stocks held by producers exclude those held under the commodity loan program.

United States honey production in 2015 from producers with less than five colonies totaled 720 thousand pounds.

There were 23 thousand colonies from which honey was harvested in 2015, with an average yield of 31.3 pounds

harvested per colony.

This yield is 27.6 pounds less than what was pulled per colony on operations with five or more colonies. Comparisons to 2014 are unavailable because no data prior to 2015 was collected for operations with less than five colonies.

United States honey prices decreased during 2015 to 209.0 cents per pound, down 4 percent from a record high of 217.3 cents per pound in 2014. United States and State level prices reflect the portions of honey sold through cooperatives, private, and retail channels.

Prices for each color class are derived by weighting the quantities sold for each marketing channel. Prices for the 2014 crop reflect honey sold in 2014 and 2015. Some 2014 honey was sold in 2015, which caused some revisions to the 2014 honey prices. Price data was not collected for operations with less than five colonies.