Beekeeping/Pollination Services - Looking for land

[Oddmott]

I truly wish you the best Oddmott. If you are competent , your hives will thrive. If you are not you can blame the farmers.

Can't blame the farmers for anything at this, my first, yard. :-)

On a farm that hasn't been worked in 60 years and has just been used to pasture goats, cattle and horses. Neighboring farms are also either fallow or being worked by organic gardeners.

If anything goes wrong with these bees... It's all on me and my newbness.

[Plog]

Good luck with your adventure into bees….4 nucs are a great start. I get my 2 on This Thurs, still working on the yard and fence, way to much Canadian shield when digging for the posts and getting the grounding plate in. I'm now going to run 3 hot wires + 1 extra ground wire and the ground plate…If that isn't good enough(???) I will put down some chicken wire fence as a "mat" around the outside and ground that too, saw this set up on a youtube vid and seems to work well.

[Angus]

Can't blame the farmers for anything at this, my first, yard. :-)

On a farm that hasn't been worked in 60 years and has just been used to pasture goats, cattle and horses. Neighboring farms are also either fallow or being worked by organic gardeners.

Sounds like non-producing entitled Social Assistance area of gardening for sure.

[Oddmott]

Sounds like non-producing entitled Social Assistance area of gardening for sure.

Absolutely. They vend at 7 farmers' markets, but they don't produce anything. They just set up empty stalls and sell smiles and hugs.

Because, you know, the only way to "farm" is with every chemical know to man.

Humans didn't grow and eat anything for 30,000 years before the first manufacured chems were used in the 1800s.

[trkyhntr21]

Sounds like non-producing entitled Social Assistance area of gardening for sure.

Absolutely. They vend at 7 farmers' markets, but they don't produce anything. They just set up empty stalls and sell smiles and hugs.

Because, you know, the only way to "farm" is with every chemical know to man.

Humans didn't grow and eat anything for 30,000 years before the first manufacured chems were used in the 1800s.

No offense but seven farmers markets and the whole "organic"market isn't even a drop in the bucket... Ask your organic farmers how they do for yields and time, fuel etc and then go ask the ones who use the current methods the same question.
Organic just isn't sustainable for feeding the masses.

I wish you luck with your bee's I have some great memories working with bees on our farm as a kid,
Just wait for your first handfull of aggressive bees in the suit you'll be doing dance moves never seen before. Lol

[yellow dog]

Absolutely. They vend at 7 farmers' markets, but they don't produce anything. They just set up empty stalls and sell smiles and hugs.

Because, you know, the only way to "farm" is with every chemical know to man.

Humans didn't grow and eat anything for 30,000 years before the first manufacured chems were used in the 1800s.

Ya but yields were much less. My dad's family were growers since the 1800s and the introduction of fungicides dips for roots, tubers and rhizomes in the flower industry increased yields and profits. But many growers applying chemicals used them in a very irresponsable way when mixing or applying and later caused them illness and death. But these same growers had growing techniques passed along from generation to generation that were mainly organic base before the introduction of chemicals. I have my great grandfathers notes will all kinds growing techniques and solutions to solve or prevent disease. But this topic is a whole other thread.

[Oddmott]

No offense but seven farmers markets and the whole "organic"market isn't even a drop in the bucket...
Organic just isn't sustainable for feeding the masses.

Ya but yields were much less.

Wouldn't disagree with any of that, folks. I understand the needs of the public and the demands on our agriculture sector. I also understand that we are one of the least populous countries yet have the most arable land per person on the entire planet.

Yet somehow our farmers claim to have it more difficult that european farmers facing higher demands, with stricter regulations and more bans in regards to pesticides.

There is a happy balance to be reached. It's just going to take a little more time to get there.

The organic farmers near my bee yard estimate that they provide enough food to feed 400 Ontario families as sold goods. They give away enough food (to avoid spoilage) to friends, family and charities to feed a further 200 Ontario families. In no way do i think that the efforts of these 4 people are inconsequential.

If more folks took the same measures they did, and if more people were aware of the benefits of buying fresher, more carefully manicured goods then everyone would be better off. Better diets, less pressure on the larger farmers, etc.

My godparents are also market gardeners and while not certified organic, they only use pesticides every other year when circumstances get completely out of control. Their crop damage usually comes more from out of season frosts and micro-bursts anyways... and there's no defense against those. Yet they make due and earn a very tidy 1.5 incomes from it (my uncle is a full-time master electrician).

There are always alternatives.

[werner.reiche]

....
Yet somehow our farmers claim to have it more difficult that european farmers facing higher demands, with stricter regulations and more bans in regards to pesticides.

..

Likely the 57 BILLION EUROS the EU spends on farm subsidies has something to do with that.

[Oddmott]

Likely the 57 BILLION EUROS the EU spends on farm subsidies has something to do with that.

And again, I'm a huge fan of such subsidies. The EU nations do not subsidize the importation and sale of luxury goods to the extent Canada does, they don't subsidize foreign business like Canada does. They don't provide tax breaks to industries and businesses who don't need them like Canada does. They don't subsidize energy creation and delivery like Canada does, so we can afford to heat our 2000+ sq/ft houses in the world's coldest climates.

I'd rather we stop subsidizing non-essential goods and corps, and focus on better subsidizing those who provide us with the absolute necessities of our lives here (food from farmers, shelter from natural resource industries). Let the rest of our economy sort itself out in the free-market, and shelter that which keeps us alive.

If the only options (which i doubt) to provide enough food for our demands is A) blast the everlovinghell out of our foods with dangerous chemicals or B) paying more for food directly or for programs to better subsidize our growers... i'm taking option B every time.

[werner.reiche]

A huge fan of subsidies? You do realize they are all paid for by the tax payer. That's real dollars coming out of peoples pockets.