Grants For Beekeeping: USDA Grants, Agricultural Grants, Apiary Grants.

Grants For Organic Beekeeping, Colony Inspection Grants, Agricultural Grant, USDA Grants, State Government Grant, Honey Bee Laws, Funding Opportunities, Grants for Raising Honey Bees, Private Organization Grant, Federal Grants, State Grants, Corporate Grants, Apiary grants, Rural Enterprise Grant, USDA Innovation Grant, Farmers Market Grant, Rural Business Opportunity Grant, Aggie Bonds, Grant Application, eligibility, and Recipients Database, Grants for Beekeeping

 Grants for Beekeeping

Grants for beekeeping: Beekeeping can help to promote agriculture in the United States and even in almost every other country. Government Grants for Beekeeping should be provided to enhance or development of Beekeeping and the grant funding authority must approve it without too much hassle. Read and learn more about Grants for Beekeeping, Honey Bee Grants, USDA beekeeping grants, Agricultural Grants, And Honey Bee Laws.

For getting national benefits from beekeeping, the government offers several grant programs that can benefit beekeepers and other related groups. Some organizations are authorized to distribute grant money among the qualified beekeepers and the beekeepers subject to agree on terms & conditions applied by the government for that grants.

This grant money helps beekeepers to expand their business, and buy beekeeping tools and equipment to maintain their beehives efficiently which ultimately leads to more production and also more profits. On the last page, we have provided links for the following:

01. How to Apply for grants,

02. Application Form,

02. Check eligibility,

03. Grant program for USD 2,500, and

04. Database for Grant Recipients.

01. Grants for Organic beekeeping:

You know, the organic craze has boosted to improve organic beekeeping and its popularity. The most common type of organic beekeeping grant is a social business grant that is awarded to businesses or organizations which are contributing to environmental or social benefits.

Organic beekeepers are appreciated and encouraged for playing a vital role in helping to sustain modern-day agriculture. You may try to avail of this chance. Learn more about organic beekeeping. Also, learn about the Grant proposals for Beekeeping Project Grants to Raising Honey Bees.

02. Honey Bee Colony Inspection Grants:

Some state governments like Tennessee, offer grants to promote beekeeping, and also the inspection of honey bee colonies. They are assigned to examine for pests and stability and inspection are vital in promoting productive and healthy beehives. Keep in touch with them to obtain this opportunity.

Some states such as Nebraska, New York, and Pennsylvania offer grant money for beekeeping education programs and for basic start-up supplies. Beekeepers can avail themselves of all of the above benefits while specified training or education requirements are completed. Several universities in the United States are offering additional funds for start-up support to new beekeepers. That is a great opportunity for beginners.

Tips & warnings:

If you are from any of the above regions, I recommend you to contact the grant Officials or Authority and ensure with them if you qualify to obtain such grants. Be honest and provide true information to avoid future difficulties.

Agricultural Grant for Beekeepers

Everybody knows that Honey Bees are beneficial insects in the natural world and they have no competitors since they are the only insects capable of collecting nectar to produce honey. US Agriculture has greatly benefited from beekeeping. Many people think that bees collect honey from flowers.

But it’s not correct. Actually, they collect nectar (glucose) from flowers and it’s converted to honey when they returned to beehives. And it happens inside another stomach other than the digestive stomach. It’s estimated that 30% of the crop comes from the contribution of bees. The bee help to pollinate and can thrive where crops have failed to yield. Bees can produce many vital products, like honey and beeswax, and also contribute to making secondary products like beer, candles, wines, and so on.

01. USDA Grants

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has offered grants in 25 states to support beekeeping, apiculture, or the bee apiary. In the year 2006, it awarded 27 grants only to educate, train and promote sustainable Agriculture-like beekeeping.

02. State Government Agricultural Grant

Several state departments of agriculture offer similar grants to aid in the effort of building sustainable agriculture in the USA. Many state governments like Colorado, Illinois, North Carolina, South Carolina, Massachusetts, & West Virginia offer these types of grants to aid in the purchase of start-up equipment and colonies for beekeeping.

03. State Education Programs to assist Beginners

In the same way, other states, like New York, Nebraska, and Pennsylvania offer funds for equipment when certain education and training requirements have been met. State universities are also diving in to offer to fund starter beekeepers. Learn more about Online Beekeeping Course – Online Training On Beekeeping.

Honey Bee laws in the USA.

Implemented significant honeybee laws have shaped beekeeping in the USA today. Find here vital information about honey bee laws and grants in the USA. Honeybee keeping became a part of American society in the 17th century.

Honey bee Laws and regulations allow to keep some bees inside and others to keep outside of the county. Laws have been shaped Significantly during the last 100 years. The current laws are practiced intend to develop & fast expansion of beekeeping. The laws also determine how many bees or beekeepers can be kept or allowed.

01. Federal Beekeeping Requirements

The Federal beekeeping regulations in the USA state that all bees and honeybee germplasm have to be shipped from only approved locations. Adult bees are only allowed from America, Australia, Canada, or New Zealand.

And Germplasm can come from Bermuda, Canada, France, Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand, and Sweden. The honeybees have to be packaged that include queens with sufficient adult bees. It’s recommended to get your honeybees from any one of the following species:

Bumblebee – Bombus impatiens/Bombus accidental

Alfalfa leafcutter bee/Megachile rotundata

Blue orchard bee/Osmia lignaria or

Horn faced bee/Osmia corn from.

02. The Honeybee Act 1922

The 1922 Honeybee Act was designed to protect American bees or beekeepers from the tracheal mites (one kind of bee disease) that were damaging beehives in Europe. Implementing this Act closed the borders to enter the bees from other countries. This concept may come from America’s isolationist philosophy, which may have extended to the bees.

Prior to this law, beekeepers could bring bees from all over the world such as Egypt, Cyprus, Italy, France, Syria, etc. The act was partly removed in 2004, allowing beekeepers to bring bees from some other counties, but strict regulations & inspections are still in place. To learn more about The Honeybee Act 1922, Visit here.

03. State Regulations

Beekeeping Regulations may differ depending on your state and county. Search and check your state, there may be regulations on the size and location of hives–and on specific safety precautions. And Registration of hives is required in some counties.

Search for detailed regulations and registration forms on the agriculture section of your state and county government websites and follow as mentioned there. Know about Beekeeping laws and Regulations, and Apiary inspection services, here. (grants for beekeeping). Learn more: A unique way to Promote Bee Cultivation is through the tax code.

 

Funding Opportunities for Beekeepers

Grants for Raising Honey Bees

Beekeeping Project Grants: Beekeepers are struggling to save honeybees from a variety of threats. In 2006, a quarter of U.S. bee colonies vanished by a strange disease called Colony Collapse Disorder. Moreover, with the attack of Africanized bees and disease-spreading mites, the entire situation becomes a matter of shock.

To tackle this situation, different types of grant money are provided for beekeepers. Such as Federal Grants, State Grants, Corporate Grants, Beekeeping project grants, and so on.

A large portion of American agriculture depends on honeybees. According to PBS, honeybees pollinate one-third of agricultural produce in the U.S. So, it’s very important to save our bees, and for that reason, Federal & state governments, independent organizations, and some other corporations offer grant money to new beekeepers, intend to start beekeeping and experienced beekeepers to motivate them.

They try to raise honeybees and develop scientific research on honeybees to find ways to save them. The main purpose of such research is to keep our honeybees healthy, prevent colony collapse disorder, and treatment of diseases.

If you want to submit a grant proposal you have to check the eligibility first. A proposal without checking the eligibility, the possibility is that your proposal will be rejected. So, it’s wise to check it prior to submitting it.

Similarly, you can check the eligibility prior to submitting your proposal for Federal Grants, State Grants, Corporate Grants, Rural Enterprise Grant, Farmers Market Grant, Aggie Bonds, and so on. Apply the same procedure in the respective department or offices.

 

01. Nonprofit and Private Organization Grant

Some non-profit and private organizations like Churches, Foundations, Clubs, and Professional associations provide grant money for beekeepers. Some Organizations distribute grant funds to beekeepers from other organizations. I like to mention that in 2010, Marla Spivak was awarded a “Genius” grant of $500,000 from the John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

She was a Professor of Apiculture at the University of Minnesota. She was awarded this grant for her work on breeding pests and disease control of honeybees. The Georgia-based Foundation awards another small grant. This was for the protection of Honeybees, and distribute to encourage state beekeeping associations and young starters, beekeepers.

02. Federal Grants

Under SARE (Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education) Programs, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) offers grants to farmers, producers, & students. They also offer non-profit & research areas for pest & weed management in addition to crop and livestock variety and marketing.

The USDA offers several Agriculture Marketing Service Grants, like the Organic Certification Cost Share program. This program offers organic producers & handlers through the state to compensate for some costs of organic qualification.

This program also offers a Specialty Crop Grant Program to encourage the competitors of specialty crops. The USDA enlisted beekeeping as an eligible specialty crop under the category of Nursery, Floriculture & Horticulture.

03. State Grants

Many states provide grant money to beekeepers or distribute federal grants assigned to them. The Tennessee Department of Agriculture provides 50% of the cost-share grant to qualified beekeepers for expanding and improving pollination & honey production under the Tennessee Agriculture Enhancement Program.

Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, and Connecticut offer equipment and colony stipends, raffles, or door prizes to beginner beekeepers – according to USA Today.

04. Corporate Grants

Haagen-Dazs, Burts Bees, and many other similar companies donated thousands of dollars to scientific research on beekeeping and the safeguarding of honeybees. Since 2008 at Pennsylvania State University and the University of California at Davis, Haagen-Dazs has donated $620,000 for honey bee research purposes.

Similarly, Burts Bees also provided a grant to a non-profit organization devoted to the health of North American pollinators. It was an initiative of the pollinator partnership and the Honeybee Health Improvement Project.

If you are interested to get grant money for honey bees you have to know the rules and regulations for sanctioning grants in respect of state laws and Federal government laws. Find any beekeeper or beekeeping association near to you for information regarding this. These grants are paid with some terms and conditions in specific circumstances. There are some forms and procedures to apply for these grants.

Apiary Grants

An Apiary is defined as the place of keeping our bees and beehives for the production of honey. It could be a hobby, small business, side business, or full-time business on a large scale. A beekeeper is known as an apiarist. Bees are great pollinators in our agriculture, especially for the crop.

Due to colony collapse disorder between 2006 and 2010, a huge number of bees are lost. That is why USDA increased funding for research in rebuilding the bee population and keeping them healthy by preventing and protecting them in a scientific way.

US Government is encouraging our new generation to start the apiary to ensure a sufficient bee population in the near future. So they started sanctioning different types of grants for beekeeping like Agricultural grants, small business grants, start-up grants, and so on.

05. Rural Enterprise Grant

The USDA started granting rural projects to help small business entrepreneurs in rural areas. This grant range is from $10,000 to $500,000 for a small business where employees are fewer than 50 and yearly gross revenue is less than $1 million.

Beginners are eligible to avail of this fund for the Apiary. Of course, types of business, the nationality of the applicant, place of the apiary, etc are considerable factors for sanctioning this fund.

06. USDA Conservation Innovation Grant – Pollinator initiative

Some states started grant programs for the protection innovation of bees. This grant is to help small business owners adopt innovative approaches. Kansas CIG funds individuals and for-profit small businesses for demonstrations and pilot projects.

Starting an Apiary is eligible to obtain this grant from $50,000 to $200,000. New Jersey, Alabama, and Virginia including some other states are offering similar grants.

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07. Farmers Market Grant

This Farmer market promotion program started in 2011, providing grants from $5,000 to $100,000 to the eligible agricultural cooperatives, group-or member-owned producers who sell agricultural products. A cooperative Apiary business may qualify for this grant.

08. Rural Business Opportunity Grant

This grant in 2011 pays up to $150,000 to the rural cooperatives engaged in agricultural business projects. Beekeeping is considered under this grant. The cooperatives must have evidence of financial strength and expertise to carry out the activity. So, if you have expertise in apiculture or beekeeping you can form a cooperative and apply for this grant.

09. Aggie Bonds

This is known as the Beginning Farmer Loan Program or Aggie Bond. Under this program, state governments help First-time farmers by creating a bond to receive a low-interest loan from lenders. A rural apiary business starter is eligible to receive this loan as a first-time farmer.

Still, now you have any questions about grants? Find here.

Links for Grant Application form, eligibility, and Recipients Database

01. How to Apply for grants here,

02. Application Form,

03. You can check the eligibility prior to submitting your proposal for Federal Grants,

04. Find here Bee Grant Program for USD 2,500. and Also,

05. Grant Recipients Database here.

Related Topics:

1. Top 10 Honeybee Images: Different Types Of Honey Bee Hives Picture.

2. Raising Honey Bees: 6 Easy Steps To Start Beekeeping For Beginners,

3. 10 Broad Shorts of Honey Bees Worldwide,

4. Types Of Bees On The Basis Of Gender, Apiary & Habit Of Sting,

 

Sources of information

Help the Honey Bees: Haagen-Dazs, Photo Credit – Google Images – Unrestricted, Beekeeping news and journals, Experience of own project, Bee Journal.

References

Impact of CCD on US Agriculture – PBS: Silence of the Bees,

Types of Grants – Southern SARE,

US Losing Bees and Beekeepers – USA Today,

Grant Programs – USDA Agricultural Marketing Services,

US Losing Bees and Beekeepers – USA Today,

Grant Programs – USDA Agricultural Marketing Services.