Course Description
Taking the Sting out of Business: Make money with pollination and honey!
Presented by the Atlantic Tech Transfer Team for Apiculture (ATTTA), and Extended Learning, this one-day in-depth training workshop is for new or aspiring beekeeping entrepreneurs. Comprised of three sessions, each led by experts in their respective areas of beekeeping business and the industry. This course is for anyone wanting to develop their beekeeping business backed by a solid financial strategy.
Currently there is an unprecedented demand for honey bee colonies in the Maritime region. This demand is, in large part, driven by the pollination needs of wild blueberries. The planned expansion of the blueberry industry, both in terms of productive acreage and increased yields, is offering great opportunities for beekeeping businesses. In addition to providing pollination services, commercial beekeepers typically have other enterprises within their operations which include honey production, queen and nucleus colony sales or other value-added hive products. These modern beekeeping operations need to have an understanding of the industry in which they are operating as well as specialized business and financial planning. These professional beekeeping businesses, as part of their development and expansion, will be working with funders and financial institutions, which expect a demonstration of correct financial planning.
Based at the centrally located Agricultural Campus of Dalhousie University, this course will provide an opportunity for in person learning, networking with beekeepers and meeting key participants in the beekeeping industry.
Instructors
As the lead of the Atlantic Tech Transfer Team for Apiculture, Andrew has an in depth understanding of the beekeeping sector across the region. Having worked variously as a beekeeper, educator, apiary inspector and researcher for the past ten years across Atlantic Canada has provided him a unique insight into this industry which he is happy to share. Of particular interest to Andrew is providing supporting to new entrants into the commercial beekeeping sector to help meet the growing demand for honeybees in Atlantic Canada.
John Murray
John’s experience in the world of beekeeping and apiary management spans almost 40 years in the areas of business, research and marketing. During this time, he managed up to 350 of his own hives, suppling pollination services and marketing honey under the name of “Murray’s Apiary” to Atlantic Superstores and other retailers in Nova Scotia. He also sells nucs and hives to fellow beekeepers in Nova Scotia. He has been involved in various wild blueberry pollination research projects over the years. John is a regular guest speaker at beekeeping courses with the primary focus on financial business management. John holds a B.Sc. degree in Business and Economics, an Export Marketing Diploma and a Real Estate Appraisal Designation. John and his wife Iryna enjoy camping, gardening and all outdoor activities.
Bryce Cross
Bryce is a local CPA and lecturer at Saint Mary’s University. Bryce started his career as a risk management consultant with Deloitte before transitioning into higher education. He worked on the team that created the Beekeeping Cost of Production tool, and is excited to return to this NSBA course. Bryce is currently pursuing a PhD at Saint Mary’s University. He holds a Master of Finance degree from Queen’s University. In his free time Bryce enjoys cooking, hiking, and camping. He can often be found on the Bluff trail just outside Halifax.
What You Will Learn
- Economic significance of the beekeeping and pollination sectors in the Maritime region
- ABC’s & 123’s of Financial Management for Beekeepers
- Cost of Production for beekeeping