Same pattern as we have seen in all other agriculture. Family farms vanish,
big outfits fill the gaps, the crops get raised (and more efficiently).
Don't sweat it. If they're needed, the bees will be there.
I grew up on a Louisiana family dairy farm that no longer exists. Hard
work, 24/7, always in debt. I asked my father why he did it. His reply?
"I'm independent". I didn't see it that way. I left. When Dad could no
longer handle the work or hire anyone who could and would, he sold the farm
and died broke. The young buyer had no better success. It's now part of a
larger beef-and-hay outfit, which is reaching the same limits. I expect the
land will soon be growing pulpwood, and after that, houses.
The big dairy outfits are still putting all the milk we need on the
supermarket shelves. And big and bigger bee outfits will keep hives in the
orchards if they're needed there. A few decades back, there was the same
sort of angst expressed about the "vanishing family farm". They have
vanished, true enough, but all of our doubled population is still over-fed,
cheaper, from less land, by a tiny fraction of the number of people (like
me) who used to do it.
Walter Weller
----- Original Message -----
From: "Jerry Wallace" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Wednesday, October 14, 2009 8:33 AM
Subject: Re: [BEE-L] commercial beekeepers continue to decline
> Death, retirement or physical disability of the original owner and lack of
> sceond or third generation interest in the established business would
> appear to be a big part of the decline based on the dates given. Add in
> diseases/pests (mites, beetles,ccd, N. Ceranae), HARD work, big investment
> at risk, etc. and I'm guessing you would have the majority of the
> remaining answers why commercial beekeeping #'s are declining. Is this a
> big problem? The big outfits will get bigger and fill the gap in my
> opinion. What type of profile does the new entrant into commercial
> beekeeping possess? (age,background, education level,region of
> country,etc)
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