E-mail: nass-ny@nass.usda.gov
(518) 457-5570

HONEY


Released:  March 2002

NEW YORK HONEY PRODUCTION DECREASES

Honey production from beekeepers with five or more hives in New York totaled 3.71 million pounds during 2001, according to the New York Agricultural Statistics Service. This total is down 20 percent from the 2000 production of 4.64 million pounds.

The 2001 production was extracted from 53,000 colonies, down 9 percent from the 58,000 colonies in 2000. Honey yield per colony averaged 70 pounds, 12 percent below the 2000 yield. Honey stocks on hand across the State as of December 15, 2001 totaled 1.78 million pounds, a decrease of 22 percent from the 2.27 million pounds a year earlier.

Prices received by beekeepers in New York averaged 68.0 cents per pound for all methods of sale during 2001, 24 percent more than the 2000 average price of 55.0 cents. Value of honey production for the State in 2001 totaled $2.52 million, compared with $2.55 million in 2000.

United States honey production for 2001 for producers with five or more hives totaled 186 million pounds, down 16 percent from 2000. The number of producing colonies is estimated at 2.51 million, a total which contains a limited amount of duplication due to interstate movement of bees by multi-state operators. The yield per colony averaged 74.0 pounds, down 10.1 pounds from the 84.1 pounds in 2000.

Prices received by beekeepers across the Nation averaged 66.9 cents per pound, up 12 percent from 59.7 cents in 2000. The value of the 2001 U.S. honey crop is estimated at $127 million. Mid-December stocks of honey for sale amounted to 64.8 million pounds, 24 percent less than the 85.3 million pounds on hand December 15, 2000. The 64.8 million pounds represents 35 percent of the 2001 production. Stocks on hand a year earlier amounted to 39 percent of production.

HONEY:  Number of Colonies, Yield, Production, Stocks, Price,
and Value, by State and United States, 2001 1/

State Honey
Producing
Colonies		 Yield
per
Colony		 Production Stocks
Dec. 15 2/		 Average
Price per
Pound 3/		 Value
of
Production
  1,000 Pounds 1,000 Pounds Cents 1,000 Dollars
AL 14    73 1,022 235    71 726
AZ 43    59 2,537 1,142    78 1,979
AR 58    98 5,655 1,872    66 3,732
CA 425    65 27,625 7,735    67 18,509
CO 26    55 1,430 529    70 1,001
FL 220  100 22,000 3,432    62 13,640
GA 55    57 3,135 188    70 2,195
HI 8    87 696 84    85 592
ID 100    46 4,600 1,610    66 3,036
IL 6    76 456 251  172 784
IN 8    76 608 213    86 523
IA 33    51 1,683 875    73 1,229
KS 13    51 663 530    85 564
KY 3    78 234 94  131 307
LA 45  106 4,770 572    60 2,862
ME 11    20 220 106    70 154
MD 4    46 184 55  172 316
MI 76    60 4,560 2,827    78 3,557
MN 135    81 10,935 1,859    63 6,889
MS 17    66 1,122 224    60 673
MO 25    61 1,525 381    68 1,037
MT 136  102 13,872 4,578    65 9,017
NE 43    48 2,064 1,115    66 1,362
NV 11    50 550 44  201 1,106
NJ 11    34 374 71    82 307
NM 15    70 1,050 525    65 683
NY 53    70 3,710 1,781    68 2,523
NC 11    44 484 145  158 765
ND 280    96 26,880 9,408    65 17,472
OH 16    81 1,296 505    85 1,102
OK 4    47 188 105  141 265
OR 44    44 1,936 1,200    69 1,336
PA 17    57 969 514    87 843
SD 235    65 15,275 12,220    64 9,776
TN 9    59 531 147  137 727
TX 97    79 7,663 1,533    64 4,904
UT 23    38 874 315    65 568
VT 7    81 567 249    91 516
VA 9    52 468 94  117 548
WA 42    52 2,184 917    67 1,463
WV 7    65 455 410  155 705
WI 67    81 5,427 3,419    76 4,125
WY 38    77 2,926 468    63 1,843
Other States 4/ 5/ 13    40 523 173  153 799
U.S. 5/ 2,513 74.0 185,926 64,750 66.9 127,060
1/  For producers with 5 or more colonies.
    Colonies which produced honey in more than one State were counted in each State.
2/  Stocks held by producers.
3/  Prices weighted by sales.
4/  CT, DE, MA, NH, RI, and SC not published separately to avoid disclosing
     data for individual operations.
5/  Total colonies multiplied by total yield may not exactly equal production.