There seems to be some misconception here. People may be getting an idea from Christine's question and James' answer which could use some clarification.

NY Farm Bureau wields no influence over ESHPA. Some members of ESHPA are Farm Bureau members also. Some of them are members of Farm Bureau and also sit on ESHPA's current Board of Directors. I no longer maintain a Farm Bureau membership. I can buy Farm Family Insurance w/out that membership. NY Farm Bureau promotes the use of a different Insurance Agency. I don't know what's behind that.

The NYS Apiary Inspection program did not receive support from ESHPA and beekeepers across the State and lost a great deal of its Line Item Funding. That line was cut, not approved. Who caused that to happen and why it happened is something anyone other than the persons directly involved would be hard to pin down w/ any accuracy. What I have heard from an Ag&Mkts employee is that it was lack of support.

The way I look at it, beekeepers of the State did their part to help the State Budget by sacrificing the $250,000.00 program. A drop in the State Budget  bucket. Not a big drop, but a drop.

How can anyone say what the rate of AFB infection in NYS is? I have always disputed whether we had a very accurate idea back when there were 18 Apiary Inspectors. So when we have virtually none, who's to say. At this time in History Varroa/Virus kills more colonies than AFB has perhaps in all of history. That may be keeping AFB from being the problem it once was. AFB was the Varroa/Virus problem of its day.

As to ESHPA. ESHPA is what it is and is always in flux one way or another over time. Peter Borst has the time, talent, and knowledge of how to illustrate that through past ESHPA Newsletters. Anyone who wishes to be a member of ESHPA is welcome to do so. ESHPA no membership restrictions. ESHPA reaches out to local beekeeping organizations regularly, seeking information exchange and membership. ESHPA is not a Congress of NYS Beekeepers Clubs, even though it has tried to maintain lines of communication which often seems to be one way.

ESHPA's outreach has over the last 5 years or so been to have its Summer Picnic cosponsored by/with a local association. This year ESHPA will be hosted by the Ontario/Finger Lakes Beekeepers Association featuring Wyatt Mangum as the main speaker.

If anyone is a NYS Beekeeper you are welcome to join ESHPA. If you do, it would be nice if you would get involved. Plenty of people sit quietly in their seats, or hundreds of miles away, and later on somewhere and sometime complain about the way things are and the way things are done. Get involved. How do you think Board Membership changed this past November? People stood up and got involved.

If you like it and want to keep things the way they are get involved or things will change. If you don't care for the way things are get involved or what you don't like won't change. But don't disillusion yourself by thinking that just because one person joins an organization that organization will change the way you want it to.

If you are disappointed w/ how things are maybe that disappointment lies in yourself for not doing something about the way things are.

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