I am also an organic vegetable farmer who keeps bees.  I agree that it is
impossible to control where bees forage.  On our farm we plant a variety of
cover crops (e.g., alfalfa, alsike clover, white dutch clover, sweet clover,
buckwheat) for the benefit of our soil and also to provide chemical-free
forage areas for the bees.  However, our farm is surrounded by a sea of
conventionally-grown corn and soybeans.  All of these acres will receive at
least one herbicide treatment during the season.  Furthermore, I estimate
that approximately 50-75% of these corn/soybean acres around our farm will
be planted with transgenic crops (both Bt and herbicide-resistant), so there
is a chance that genetically-engineered pollen and nectar will come to my
hives (assuming that bees might collect some corn pollen and soybean nectar).
 
   I don't grow other livestock besides bees, but my understanding of
organic livestock standards is that all livestock must be fed
organically-grown feed.  So, therefore, to follow this logic, bees (and
their products) can never be organic if the bees feed on crops that are not
organically-grown.
 
   I know of at least one set of standards that give a description for
organic honey - OCIA (Organic Crop Improvement Association).  You can look
at their standards on the web at http://www.ocia.org/docs.html (see section
4.2 in the Certification Standards).
 
   I will be attending the March meeting of the Upper Midwest Organic
Farming Conference (conference web site is: http://agile.net/UMOFC/).  There
is one session on organic beekeeping - I'll report back on what I find out.
 
David Hougen-Eitzman
Big Woods Farm
Nerstrand, MN
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At 09:34 AM 2/15/99 -0500, you wrote:
>I would like  my $.02 to this thread....I consider myself an organic farmer
>growing vegetables without the use of synthesized fertilizers and
>pesticides.
>
>I have not found a description of "organic honey" in the NOFA (Northeast
>Organic Farmers Association) certification manual.  I think this is because
>there is no way to control the areas where the bees forage consequently
>there is no way to determine if they were in area where pesticides have
>been sprayed.. I Agree with David, we would be hard pressed to find any
>part of the world untouched by pesticides and pollution that "may" effect
>our honey.
>
>In the meantime I do whatever I can to keep my honey as pure as possible.
>If anyone can find certification standards for organic honey or has better
>ideas to ensure the "organic quality" of honey I am eager to learn about
>it.
>
>                                                        Steve
>
>Steve Otrembiak
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>
>DON'T CONFUSE ACTIVITY WITH RESULTS
>