California Beekeepers Asked To Fund Research

The president of the California State Beekeepers Association has sent a proposal to tax beekeepers to pay for research on bee health.

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The proposal by Frank Pendell to set up a California Apiary Research Commission with the power to tax comes as bees nationwide are perishing in great numbers from Colony Collapse Disorder and other health problems. California is the nation’s main producer of fruits and vegetables, and bees are essential pollinators of about a third of the U.S. food supply. Almonds are particularly affected, as they are heavily dependent on massive numbers of bees to pollinate the crop, which is produced entirely in California.

But some beekeepers say this is not the time to tax themselves further. The proposal would allow the commission to tax beekeepers doing business in California with more than 50 colonies at a rate of up to $1 per hive. “It’s a tough economy and there are a lot of beekeepers who are in trouble because they’re losing their bees,” David Mendes, president of the American Beekeeping Federation, told the Associated Press. “This isn’t the best time in the world to ask people to give more money.”

Here is the text of Pendell’s letter to the state’s beekeepers.

Fellow Beekeepers,

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Go West young man, go West. When things got tough in our history as a nation, many looked to the west for a fresh start. Many found that fresh start. Today the almond industry brings many beekeepers from all over our great nation to the state of California to pick up that extra income that almond pollination provides. With that tremendous opportunity comes some problems. The main problem is the rapid distribution of diseases and pests. Any disease or pest that has entered the United States in the past year is probably going to be brought to California for almond pollination. Diseases or pests are then shared with all the neighboring beekeepers in adjoining almond fields here in California. Then they are taken back and distributed across the United States. In some ways you could say we are responsible for this. But we are also looking for some solutions to these problems. The government has been good on promises of money to research CCD, Varroa, Viruses, Nosema, Tracheal mites, and others. However most of the money promised just never seems to arrive.

The California State Beekeepers Association (CSBA) has consistently raised over $50,000 dollars annually and donated this money to research around the country. Our requests for donations, which involves encouraging people to attend benefit auctions, has been stretched to the limit. We are simply unable to raise enough money from the generous people who donate and go home with over priced items they really do not need. Not to mention the generous people who hunted up or hand made those items to donate to the auctions. Research does not come for free; people have to be hired to do it. The first step in solving a problem is to understand it, and that takes information, which is acquired through research.

The CSBA has taken the first steps necessary to create a “California Apiary Research Commission.” The purpose of this commission is to raise funds to use in the beekeeping industry for education and research. If established, the Commission would assess all bee colonies in California on March 1st of the year being assessed. Beekeepers with 50 colonies or less would be exempt. While none of us like to pay additional fees, this assessment would allow us to be less dependant on the government for our research dollars. It would be an investment in our future. This assessment will provide a stable, dependable source of research dollars for our whole industry. The commission will be in control of the rate of assessment, and where those funds are spent. The proposed commission would be run by beekeepers (including at least one from outside of California) who are elected by the bee industry.

Finally, our Board of Directors would like you to know some important facts about our industry-sponsored legislation AB 1912 which sets up the Commission:
1) The law AB 1912 now exists, but the Commission will not exist until approved in a referendum conducted among the eligible producers (those of us with 50+ colonies in CA on March 1st).
2) The Commission’s members will be beekeepers, chosen by the industry. Its purpose will be to fund research and educational programs to benefit beekeepers.
3) The Commission will be allowed to annually assess beekeepers with 50+ colonies at a per colony rate as low as one cent but never to exceed one dollar.
4) This Commission, if established, would be in control of collection and expenditures of the assessments as spelled out in the law.
5) The State of California is prohibited by law from ever taking any of the funds collected by these assessments.
6) The commission will have six beekeepers and one public member. Three of the beekeepers will be residents of California, one will reside out-of-state, and the other two will be elected regardless of residence.
7) The CDFA (CA Dept. of Food & Ag.) will compile the list of producers who will vote on the referendum and be assessed if the referendum passes. While CDFA is looking for names electronically, they will gladly accept sign-ups. There is a sign-up form on the CDFA website. The referendum is open to out-of-state and California-based beekeepers, subject to the restriction on colony numbers. To vote, out-of-state beekeepers must have brought 50+ colonies to California and been in California on March 1, 2011.

If this commission does not fulfill our needs, we only have to go to our fellow beekeepers who serve on the commission. If they do not listen, we can elect other beekeepers or vote to end the commission. This commission is the best solution that has been proposed to help solve our own problems and spread that cost out over the entire industry in the fairest manner possible.

Thank you for your time,

Frank Pendell
President, California State Beekeepers Association

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