BY ROGER SMITH
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN

INEZ — As the Martin County Beekeepers Association works to rebuild after several inactive years, members received practical tools and regulatory guidance Monday aimed at strengthening local beekeeping, improving marketing readiness and preparing for the county’s first farmers market.

Association president Chris West opened the meeting Monday afternoon at the Martin County Extension Office, welcoming members back.

“We have had a long layoff—since 2021—so we are trying to get it built back up,” West said. “I am glad for everyone to be out tonight.”

West introduced Dan Howard, agriculture agent, who provided members with newly developed monthly calendars outlining recommended beekeeping tasks throughout the year.

“If I did not make enough and you want one, tell me, and I will get you one printed and bound this week,” Howard said.

Howard also shared a general extension office calendar designed to improve awareness of classes and programs.

“This is just to let everybody know what is going on,” he said. “You would not believe the number of times that I have heard, ‘I saw the pictures of the class that you had, but I did not know you were having it.’”

The calendars include beekeeping timelines and a planting schedule.

“These are really nice,” Howard said. “They turned out much better than I thought they would.”

Howard also distributed a beekeeper handbook he compiled for members, providing reference material and local resources.

“Feel free to grab one and take it,” he said. “You will see that it is pretty thick and there is a lot of reference information for you. It has a breakdown of the Beekeepers Association mentorship program. There is a contact list for beekeeping supply stores locally, from here to Virginia and Morehead … If you want to know it, it is probably in here.”

In preparation for honey sales at the upcoming farmers market, Howard reviewed Kentucky laws governing honey labeling and sales. He distributed a handout with a checklist and a sample label.

“For the upcoming farmers market that we are finally going to have this year, if you want to sell, these are the labeling requirements,” he said. “The good thing about honey, if you are selling at a market and you want to have samples of your product, you do not have to have a sampling permit as long as you are selling less than 150 gallons a year.”

Honey labeling regulation is by the Kentucky Food Safety Branch under the Cabinet for Health and Family Services. State law requires every container of honey sold in Kentucky to include the word “HONEY” on the label.

“If you are going to market your honey as clover honey, it needs to be labeled as clover honey,” Howard said. “Otherwise, ‘honey’ is fine.”

He noted that labeling products as “100% Pure Honey” is a popular and effective marketing practice.

Containers must also include net weight in both Imperial (ounces) and metric (grams) units, along with the producer’s name and physical address.

“The street address may be omitted only if it is listed in the local phone directory,” Howard said. “I have never owned a phone book in my adult life.”

Howard cautioned members about marketing honey as monofloral, which requires that at least 46% of the pollen come from a single floral source.

“My recommendation is that you just market your product as ‘honey,’” he said. “Just stay away from clover honey, apple bloom honey. Just market it as ‘honey,’ and you are going to be good to go.”

Marketing honey as monofloral subjects producers to testing by the Department of Health.

“If it does not have 46% of that pollen source, you can get fined,” Howard said. “They are going to patrol farmers markets and check those things.”

When asked about enforcement locally, Howard said the issue remains uncertain.

“We have never had a farmers market, so it is hard for me to tell you, ‘yes, they do,’ or ‘no they do not,’ because I have never seen it here,” he said.

Howard advised members not to make medicinal health claims on labels. He added that the state strongly recommends including the statement, “Do not feed to infants under the age of 1 year,” though it is not a requirement.

The state also asks producers to submit labels to the Food Safety Branch in Frankfort for review.

“They want you to just email a copy of your label to them,” Howard said. “That is just a safety measure for you as a producer to make sure you are in compliance.”

West encouraged members to follow labeling regulations closely.

“I want us to be able to sell our honey,” he said. “Something else that we might want to look into is Kentucky Proud and Appalachian Proud.”

Howard said he can assist members interested in becoming Kentucky Proud certified.

“It literally takes 10 minutes to fill out that application, and they usually respond within 24 hours,” he said. “I have never seen them turn anyone down.”

West said the certification helps consumers understand where honey originates.

“Everywhere you go, it has a little bit different taste,” he said. “A lot of people buy it for allergies, but it is not going to do you any good if you live here in Martin County and you buy it from Fayette County. You have different stuff blooming at different times.”

Annual dues for the Martin County Beekeepers Association are $20 for an individual membership and $30 for a couple. Membership is free for anyone age 16 and under.

The association meets on the first Monday of each month at 5:30 p.m. at the extension office, 9 Holy Street, in Inez.