Georgia Magazine - September 2013 - (Page 58)
The beauty of beekeeping
These hardworking insects keep Georgia’s agriculture buzzing
BY JENNA SAXON
58
bees so they can help
farmers produce the
food you and I will eat.”
Crosby hopes that
through his involvement
with the Georgia Grown program,
others will begin to realize the important role that bees play in our
food industry and better understand
the nutritional benefits of honey.
Grant Giddens, of Dahlonega,
originally started beekeeping as
a hobby, but it became a full-time
business venture when he founded
Atlanta Honey Co. in 2011. The company is based in Atlanta, but operations extend far across the mountains
of North Georgia. Giddens agrees
that many consumers are unaware of
the health benefits of honey. “Eating and cooking with natural raw
honey is an essential ingredient in
leading a healthy lifestyle,” he
says. “Honey can replace sugar in
most recipes, providing beneficial
and nourishing energy enhancers not
found in conventional sweeteners.”
More online at www.georgiamagazine.org
ANDREW EVERETT
ANDREW EVERETT
I
t is widely known that agriculture
is Georgia’s largest industry, contributing more than $70 billion to
the state’s economy each year. What
is not so well-known is that millions
of these dollars are generated by
one of Georgia’s emerging industries:
beekeeping.
Beekeeping, or apiculture, is
composed of honey production, hive
products and pollination. Georgia is
home to more than 2,000 hobby and
commercial beekeepers, ranking 14th
in honey production and second in
queen and package production in the
United States. Nearly one-third of the
food consumed in the United States is
the direct result of pollination by insects and honeybees. In fact, more
than 100 agricultural crops in the U.S.
are pollinated by bees. To put this
into perspective, consumers would
lose one out of every three mouthfuls
of food without the help of bees.
Beekeepers can be found all over
the state, with retail shops located in
North, Central and South Georgia.
These commercial beekeepers produce bees, honey and honey byproducts year-round.
Weeks Honey Farm in Omega is
a fourth-generation operation that
has grown over the past 52 years
from a two-hive beekeeping hobby
to a 5,000-hive business. The company has developed into a thriving agribusiness with products in more than
200 retail locations including a retail
store onsite.
“We hope people can appreciate,
just as they do in other agricultural
products, that there are still people
out there who are passionate about
making quality honey,” says Ray
Crosby, vice president of Weeks Honey Farm. “For us, it is about making
sure we are good stewards of the
At top and above: Ray Crosby of Weeks
Honey Farm in Omega checks hives for
honey production.
GEORGIA MAGAZINE
http://www.georgiamagazine.org
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Georgia Magazine - September 2013
Georgia Magazine - September 2013
Contents
Viewpoint
Mailbox
Liberty Notes
Picture This?
Georgia News
Calendar of Events
Currents
Georgia’s Energy Outlook
From Rural Georgia to the Governor’s Mansion
Buried Treasure
Celebrating 75 Years in the Community
Lessons for Learning
Around Georgia
My Georgia
Georgia Gardens
Georgia Cooks
Snapshot
Georgia Magazine - September 2013
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