Farm Progress

Minnesota honey production up 7% in 2017

The yield per colony averaged 62 pounds.

March 21, 2018

1 Min Read
HONEY UP: Honey production and prices were up in 2017 for Minnesota beekeepers. Minnesota ranks seventh in the U.S. for honey production.DiyanaDimitrova/iStock/Thinkstock

Honey production from producers with five or more colonies in Minnesota totaled 7.81 million pounds in 2017 according to the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service Honey Report, released by the Minnesota Field Office.

This was a 7% increase from the 7.32 million pounds produced in 2016.

The number of honey-producing colonies in the state increased from 124,000 in 2016 to 126,000 in 2017. This number does not include producers with fewer than five colonies, or producers who did not harvest honey.

Yield per colony in Minnesota averaged 62 pounds, up from 59 pounds in 2016. Minnesota remains ranked seventh nationally in honey production, unchanged from 2016.

The state’s 2017 honey crop was valued at $14.5 million, up 18% from the previous year’s $12.4 million.

The average price per pound for honey for all marketing channels in Minnesota was $1.86, up 17 cents from 2016.

National production
United States honey production in 2017 from producers with five or more colonies totaled 148 million pounds, down 9% from 2016.

There were 2.67 million colonies producing honey in 2017, down 4% from 2016. Yield per colony averaged 55.3 pounds, down 5% from 58.3 pounds in 2016.

Source: USDA NASS Minnesota Field Office

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