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Issue 118 - August 6, 2008

Minor League Baseball Fans Enjoy NHB-Sponsored “Honey Nights”
Fans of three minor-league baseball teams enjoyed NHB-sponsored “Honey Nights” as part of NHB’s summer baseball honey promotion, which included sponsorship of the three teams. Fans participated in honey bear stacking contests and viewed a funny honey video featuring promotion spokesperson Turk Wendell, a former Major League baseball player. Free baseballs were given to fans answering questions about honey, and amid colorful “Sweeeeet!” honey signs, the first 1,000 fans leaving the ballparks received pure honey samples.

The official “Honey Nights” at participating ballparks were: July 9, the Iowa Cubs, Des Moines, Iowa; July 17, Stockton Ports, Stockton, Calif.; and July 29, the Durham Bulls, Raleigh/Durham Area, N.C.

NHB’s team sponsorship also includes honey serving as the official natural energy booster for the three teams at their training tables. For more information, visit http://www.honey.com/milb

Bakers Sample Tasty Honey Treats
Bakers were recently treated to samples of tasty honey sweets via an NHB promotion encouraging bakers to utilize honey in their products. Some 100 bakers received samples of Honey Pound Cake and Apricot Honey Glaze, along with information highlighting the benefits of using honey in baked goods. Bakers received several similar NHB mailings in 2007, featuring a variety of bakery products utilizing honey.

“Honey - Sweet and Simple Recipes" Brochure Available for Fairs and Farmer’s Markets
NHB’s “Honey - Sweet and Simple Recipes" brochure is available for distribution at fairs and farmer’s markets. The colorful brochure features five easy-to-prepare recipes, including Sparkling Honey Fruit Spritzer and Chicken Fajita Grill with Avocados and Honey Corn Cakes. To order, call (800) 553-7162.

Island Abbey Foods Named 2008 Top 10 Innovator by Food In Canada Magazine for the Honey Drop™
Earlier this summer, Island Abbey Foods Ltd.’s Honey Drop™ was credited for the company being named a 2008 Top 10 Innovator by Food In Canada magazine.

In January, Island Abbey Foods Ltd. introduced the Honey Drop™, the first 100% pure, solid honey product. An inventor and entrepreneur, Island Abbey’s John Rowe independently conceived the concept of solid honey in the 1990s. Separately, prompted by growing interest from food manufacturers in dried honey, NHB initiated development of a solid honey concept on behalf of the U.S. honey industry to optimize the utility of the various forms and styles of honey. The board then prospected for food manufacturers willing to move the concept from ideation to the store shelves and connected with Rowe. http://www.honibe.com/honibe_buzz.html

Honey Featured in New “Food Network” Shows
Honey is prominently featured in the first episodes of two new “Food Network” shows. In “How’d That Get On My Plate,” honey is the featured item, with the show host visiting a beekeeper in Hawaii and various companies throughout the U.S. that utilize honey in their products.

In “Road Tested with the Neelys,” the show hosts visit a Minnesota beekeeper.

The Food Network is a cable network that airs specials and recurring programs about food and cooking. The network is seen in more than ninety million households.

USDA Awards $4.1 Million to Study Colony Collapse Disorder
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced on July 17 an award of $4 million to the University of Georgia to study the causes of Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) and other diseases affecting bee populations, whose pollination is valued at $15 billion annually to U.S. agriculture.

"Bees are an extremely valuable contributor to the overall productivity of American agriculture, but invasive pests, diseases and environmental stresses are putting U.S. bees at serious risk," Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer said. "This research will help beekeepers meet the pollination demand for the nation's food supply."

The Protection of Managed Bees Coordinated Agricultural Project (CAP), funded through a four-year grant from USDA's Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSREES), aims to improve the health of managed bee populations in agricultural systems. The research will address genomics, breeding, pathology, immunology and applied ecology to explain the causes behind dwindling bee populations. Researchers will work closely with the extension community and other stakeholders to develop and implement mitigation strategies for CCD and other significant problems.

CSREES committed $1.7 million to honeybee and pollinator research in Fiscal Year 2007. National program leaders at USDA's Agricultural Research Service and CSREES developed an action plan for CCD, which is a long-term plan for research, extension and educational activities that are recommended to address this important problem. Background information about CCD and the action plan is available at www.ars.usda.gov/is/br/ccd . Click here for full USDA award story

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