Grants for Starting an Apiary

Grants for Starting an Apiary – An apiary is a place where beekeepers keep bees and beehives for the production of honey. Basically, it’s a bee farm, whether small or large, and the beekeeper is an apiarist. Domestic honeybees are of agriculture particularly and a crucial element of the global ecosystem because they pollinate up to one-third of all crops that contribute to food production.

Many beekeepers concern on honey production, while others tend to focus on raising pollinators. Well, pollinators are important to agricultural industry. When there are no bees to pollinate any crops, the yields will suffer from a lot of loss. Most of the common crop yield can be achieved because of the bees.

List of Grants for Starting an Apiary

Beekeepers have so many ways to chase crop seasons. They can go stationary or they like traveling to some countries for this goal. They build hives, and then transport the bees in the trucks. Next, they will set up on crops. They can spend their time to work in California for the almond harvest. Or, they will move to the Midwest for chasing the soy. This business runs year-round.

Bee Conservation

Heavy losses of honeybee colonies between 2006 and 2010 resulted in lower honeybee amounts, and also the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) increased funds for research as well as for rebuilding the bee population across the United States. Now considered a “specialty crop,” beekeeping is encouraged in rural areas and a number of agricultural grants support small businesses wishing to start up apiaries.

Rural Enterprise Grant

The USDA’s Rural Business Enterprise Grant program supports rural projects which help small and emerging rural businesses. Grants range from $10,000 to $500,000, and the grantees must be non-profit corporations, public entities, and Indian tribes or private, The grantees are allowed to use the money to support small businesses, which employ less than 50 individuals and have gross revenues of fewer than $1 million. The companies may use the grant money to buy and develop property, buildings, and equipment. Beginning an apiary is an eligible use of these grants.

Conservation Innovation Grant

The majority of states offer Conservation Innovation Grant programs aimed at helping small businesses espouse innovative approaches to the environment. As an example, Kansas CIG funds small and individual, for-profit businesses for single or multi-year projects including field demonstrations and pilot projects. A small business set up an apiary is eligible for the grant, which pays the range from $50,000 and $200,000. Alabama, New Jersey, and Virginia all offer similar grants, as do a number of other states.

Grants for Starting an Apiary

Farmers Market Grant

The objective of FMPP grants are to extend domestic consumption of, and access to, regionally and locally produced agricultural products, and to advance new market circumstances for ranch and farm operations serving local markets by improving, developing, expanding, and give outreach, training, and technical assistance to, or assisting in the development, improvement, and expansion of, domestic farmers markets, roadside stands, community-supported agriculture programs, agritourism activities, and other direct producer-to-consumer market opportunities. The biggest amount awarded for any one proposal cannot be over $100,000; the minimum award is $15,000.

All applicants under FMPP shall be domestic entities owned, operated, and located within the 50 United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the United States Virgin Islands, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. The eligible entities are:

• Agricultural Businesses
• Agricultural Cooperatives
• Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Networks
• CSA Associations
• Economic Development Corporations
• Local Governments
• Nonprofit Corporations
• Producer Networks
• Producer Associations
• Public Benefit Corporations
• Regional Famers Market Authorities
• Tribal Governments

For example, The Farmers Market Promotion Program is an additional grant that provides $5,000 to $10,000. You can apply the funds to an apiary. Besides, the grant is the ideal choice for honey producers who sell at the local farmer markets and the cooperative food programs.

Rural Business Opportunity Grant

The RBOG program promotes economic growth in rural communities by supporting training and technical assistance for business development and to assist with regional economic development planning. A specific emphasis within RBOG is support for collaborative economic planning and development through regional food systems.

The applicant must be local governments, economic development organizations, non-profit organizations, Indian tribes, and cooperatives are eligible to apply. For the purposes of this program, a “rural community” is an area where the population does not exceed 50,000 or is next to a city or town with more than 50,000 people. Max award is $100,000.

The types of projects that may be funded include:

• Regional economic planning focused on food system development;
• Market development and feasibility studies;
• Business training, including leadership development and technical assistance for entrepreneurs;
• Establishing business incubators, including commercial kitchens.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture

USDA also provides an innovative opportunity with the presence of Rural Business Enterprise Grant. It offers a large grant, from $10,000 to more than $500,000 with the requirement that your business must have less than 50 employees and less than $1 million for your annual revenue. This grant is available to support the small business that want to invest their apiary equipment.

Golden LEAF Foundation

Back in 2005, at that time, Dr. David Tarpy as a honey bee researcher from North Carolina State University got a grant provided from the Golden LEAF Foundation. They funded agricultural development project, especially in North Carolina through tobacco settlement in the state. From this grant, they provided pairs of hives along with package bees to the new beekepers who joined an introductory class and participated in a local beekeeping association.

However, the participants still needed to purchase their protective clothing and some accessories but it was minor expense.

Virginia Department of Agriculture

This department has tried to introduce beekeeping by offering more than three bee hives for free. The target is for the households, and they select the recipients randomly based on a pool of qualified applications they got for every year. The number of hives are also available on the annual funding from the approval of the state.

From this program, the recipient will get bee hives, but they need to buy honey bees and other tools. The recipients of the grant must establish bee colonies in the new hives within one year. But up to now, we have found no data to check the success of this program to increase the bee colonies in this state.

Conclusion

Even better, you can try to search for this type of grant by visiting Grants.gov website. For more program information click here http://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/rural-business-development-grants, and to apply for any USDA Rural Development program contact your state or local office at http://www.rd.usda.gov/contact-us/state-offices.

You can find your opportunities to get funding assistance to run this kind of project in the USA. However, when you want to apply for this grant, make sure that you can invest your time to write a grant application. It will help you secure funds for the apiary. Even you can use an editor as the proofread essays and hire a professional grant writer.

One thing you should remember when you’re applying for the grant is to follow the guidelines provided by each grant provider. This means that each and every grant application is unique. We recommend you to carefully read the requirements and the guidelines for the grants for starting an apiary and follow it.

FAQ

How many bees to start a hive?

If you use a medium frame of brood and a medium frame of honey and all adhering bees, then you will need around two or three cupfuls of bees. Some mini mating nucs people go with a cupful of bees, which is between 100 and 200 bees in a small space.

How much money do bees make for us?

Bees are also big business. In the United States, honeybees pollinate about $15 billion of crops per year, including over 130 types of nuts, fruits, and vegetables.

How much honey will you get from one hive?

It depends on the health of the bees, the location, the hive style, the weather and the available forage. You must not plan to harvest in the beginning of the year. In a successful year, you can get about 25-100 lbs of honey from the established colony.

Are bees worth keeping?

Bees can improve the ecosystem in the neighborhood. They pollinate plants in gardens and parks which support fruiting and more seed production. Community garden members will provide space for hives because they will reap benefits.

Reference:

• Grant for Starting an Apiary (http://smallbusiness.chron.com/grants-starting-apiary-20755.html)
• Farmers Market Promotion Program (FMPP) (https://www.ams.usda.gov/services/grants/fmpp)
• Image: burghbees.com
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