DES MOINES, Iowa — Honey production from producers with five or more colonies in Iowa totaled 2.03 million pounds in 2020 according to the USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service Honey report. This was a 3% decrease from the 2.09 million pounds produced in 2019. The number of honey producing colonies in the state at 35,000 is down 3,000 from 2019. This number does not include producers with fewer than five colonies or producers who did not harvest honey. Yield per colony in Iowa averaged 58 pounds, up from 55 pounds per colony in 2019.
Iowa ranked sixteenth nationally in honey production, up from seventeenth place in 2019. Colonies which produced honey in more than one state were counted in each state where the honey was produced. Therefore, at the United States level yield per colony may be understated, but total production would not be impacted. On December 15, 2020, producer honey stocks in Iowa, excluding stocks under government loan programs, were 1.26 million pounds, an 8% increase from 2019.
The state’s 2020 honey crop was valued at $5.26 million, up 7% from the previous year’s $4.91 million. The average price per pound for all marketing channels in Iowa was $2.59, up 24 cents from 2019.
To view the complete report please click here! IA-Honey-03-21
–USDA, NASS