> I just picked up the amazing news that Allen Dick is retiring.

It's true.  It had to happen sometime, I guess, and the time seemed right.  A
lot of factors came together.  We woke up one day a few weeks ago and realized
the time had come.

I imagine I'll keep a few bees, for fun though, and we'll see what I do about my
other involvements in the industry.  I suspect that I'll be around for a while
yet, but I won't bore everyone here with the details.  I have a website for that
purpose :)

For anyone interested there are more details at
http://www.internode.net/HoneyBee/Sale/ and
http://www.internode.net/HoneyBee/Diary/.   I have almost finished catching up
on my diary after two weeks of being busy with sale preparations and travel.

> A number of beekeepers have quit lately, because they just can't see any
> future in it.

I can understand worries for the industry, particularly in the USA -- after all,
it seems the past decade has just brought one insurmountable problem after
another -- but I also see reasons for optimism.  These things have a way of
going in cycles and  can see a lot of good things coming, including better honey
prices, but I have to sympathize with US beekeepers who have it very tough right
now due to the one simple fact that the US government has pursued a 'strong
dollar' policy. Elsewhere in the world, prices are not exactly great, but they
are bearable.

The strong US dollar means that US consumers can by cheaper outside the US and
the only solutions I know of are 1.) a weaker dollar, 2.) subsidies or 3.)
tariffs (in order of desirability).  Apparently the Bush administration is
committed to continue the strong dollar policy, so that means a continued low
honey price in the US relative to the rest of the world even though the current
trend seems to be up. (Strange, but I have not heard a thing about the Argentine
crop, and it usually sets prices at this time of year.  Wonder what the news
is?).  In view of the boost consumers get from the dollar, producer subsidies
should be the most reasonable solution but attempts to level the playing field
have gotten a bad name in recent years due to perceived abuse by some counties.

> So far, there are enough folks a little younger, and a little
> more optimistic, that can take up the slack, but I don't see that lasting
> very long. There are very few beekeepers in their twenties and thirties. Who
> will pollinate the next generation's crops?

Even though success or failure is a rather personal matter, I feel I owe it to
beekeeping to say that this business has been very good to Ellen and me.  I
don't want people who are considering beekeeping as a career to think you cannot
make good money in beekeeping.  If we get decent prices selling off our bees and
equipment, which I expect we will --  and if we watch our pennies and maybe do
some other work, we should be okay for quite a while.

Although -- as in any business -- people are regularly unable to make a living
in bees due to luck, local conditions, or timing factors -- many beekeepers do
live *very* well, and some families have -- for generations -- and will continue
to do so as long as they are astute managers.  Successful beekeepers usually
don't brag much, and they often even complain a bit, simply because they don't
want to encourage competition.  After all, beekeeping is about the easiest form
of agriculture to get into and the entire capital investment is turned over in
cash flow within an amazingly short period compared to many other businesses and
farming in general.

> I hope you are able to continue contributing for many more years.

Thanks Dave, and I hope you do too.  At this point I really don't know what the
future holds.  I like this industry and I like the people.  Why else would I be
sitting here at 4AM typing away at an article about what most outside this group
(beekeepers) would see as a job-related topic?  For most beekeepers, beekeeping
is not a job, it is a lifestyle.  It appeals to some and not to others.  I
personally like it and doubt I can ever get completely away from it.

We'll see.  The future is wide open.

allen

http://www.internode.net/HoneyBee/
---
Last year I went fishing with Salvador Dali. He was using a dotted line. He
caught every other fish. -- Steven Wright