Dear Beekeeper:


  A group of beekeepers interested in forming a Russian Queen Breeders
  Association met in Phoenix during the American Honey Producers
  Association meeting.


  Agenda items included:

  1.    A report on the status of the incorporation process.

Papers have been filed to incorporate the association as a non-profit
organization in the state of Iowa.  Final establishment awaits approval
of the non-profit status.  Until this approval the association cannot be
involved in funds in any way.  However, we can precede to create our
organization and begin to function as an organization.

  2.    A report on the constitution and by laws in the incorporation
documents.

If you are interested in seeing a copy of these documents I will send
you copies.

  3.    A discussion of categories of membership and other aspects of
the association.

Several suggestions were made.  Full members will be called
"cooperators" and will commit to a share of the breeding,
propagation and selection of the stock.  It was suggested that others
can work with the cooperators, helping them with especially stock
evaluation and selection. Cooperators would be identified as members of
the association and could advertise this as they market queens.
Cooperators have no obligation to sell queens. They can participate in
the program and make queens for themselves or not make queens beyond the
demands of the program.  There needs to be a lot of discussion here.
Will the organization sell breeder queens to people that are not
cooperators?  Under what conditions?



  4.    A discussion of the mechanics of the breeding and propagation
of
  the stock and its lines that will include what resources members will
need to have  and what they will need to get from other members to do
their share of the breeding and propagation.

Actual mechanics depends upon how many cooperators we have.  Eighteen
or more would be ideal.  However, the program can be done with fewer.
If we have eighteen, it was suggested that each cooperator produce 60
queens of each of two stocks each year, place them in yards for
selection, pick the best two or three from each line and propagate again
for the next year. In addition each cooperator would send every other
cooperator two queens from each line.  These queens will serve as drone
sources and grafting sources for the next year. Of course, each
cooperator will also receive queens for these purposes from all other
cooperators.  The exact details can be developed when we know how many
cooperators will form the association.

  5.    A discussion of the associations' budget.  The costs of
incorporation, the costs of membership, expected costs of the
association.

Generally, only a few expected costs were identified.  The cost of
incorporation, rooms for meetings, some office things like postage and
very little else was identified.  We might want to have only minimal
dues after we share in the costs of incorporation which will not be
excessive.

The next step is for potential cooperators to have a conference call.
The purpose of the call is to provide more information and to identify
cooperators.  With a list of cooperators, Dr. Rinderer and his staff can
make a plan about stock distribution to cooperators and provide
technical assistance concerning selection procedures and  colony
evaluations.

  It will take some time for the complete transfer of stock to our
association.  It will also take some time for all cooperators to be
comfortable with what they are doing.  The Baton Rouge bee lab has
assured me that they will advise us through the transition until we have
a fully working program. Thereafter, they are still willing to advise
but I suspect we will not require much help after we are fully up and
running.

As a starting point, I suggest that we meet by conference call on
February 7, 2007 at 1:00 PM CST.  Please let me know of your
availability for this proposed call. Evidently the USDA has some
conference service that we will be using.  You will be given a phone
number and a code.  When you dial the number you will be asked for a
code.  When you give it you will be joined to the correct conference
call. Please let me know of your availability for February 7 and also
the 6th and the 8th at 1:00 PM. When I have gotten commitments for the
call I will confirm with everyone and provide them with the numbers and
codes.

Sincerely yours,
-- 
Harper's Honey Farm
Charlie
[log in to unmask]
Ph# 337 298 6261

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