Schedule and Program

60th ANNIVERSARY CONVENTION

AMERICAN BEEKEEPING FEDERATION

Westin Crown Center Hotel - Kansas City, Missouri

SUNDAY, JANUARY 12, 2003

1 p.m.-6 p.m.     Trade Show Set-up......................................... Century BC

3 p.m.-6 p.m.     ABF Directors .............................................. Penn Valley

7 p.m.-9 p.m.     Early Bird Slide Show: Sharon Gibbons reports on her Beekeeping Tour of New Zealand..... Pershing Place North

7 p.m.-10 p.m.   Resolutions Committee.................................. Signboard 1

7 p.m.-10 p.m.   Research and Technical Committee................... Signboard 2

7 p.m.-10 p.m.   Honey Queen Committee......................... Union Hill, 1st fl.

MONDAY, JANUARY 13, 2003

6:30 a.m.-9:00 a.m. ABF Delegates Assembly............................... Pershing

8:00 a.m.-noon   Trade Show Set-Up Continues.......................... Century BC
Admittance to Exhibitors Only
Trade Show Opens to Public at 12 noon

9:30 a.m.           ABF Opening Ceremonies............................... Century A

                        Call to Order - Pat Heitkam

President, American Beekeeping Federation,
Heitkam's Honey Bees, Orland, Calif.

                        Presentation of Colors -

                        'America, the Beautiful'

- Led by 2002 American Honey Queen Colleen Henson

                        Invocation - Brent Barkman, president, Golden Heritage Foods, Hillsboro, Kans.

                        Welcome to Kansas City -
- Tim Tucker, president, Kansas Honey Producers Assn.,
Niotaze, Kans.
- Chris Gibbons, president Missouri State Beekeepers Assn., Columbia, Mo.

                        Response - David Ellingson

Vice President, American Beekeeping Federation
Ellingson's Inc., Ortonville, Minn.

10:00 a.m.         President's Address - Pat Heitkam

10:30 a.m.         Legislative Report -
- David Ellingson
- Fran Boyd, Meyers & Associates, Washington, D.C.

11:15 a.m.         Introduction of 2002 American Honey Queen Colleen Henson and the 2003 Honey Queen Contestants
- Presented by Patty Sundberg, Chairman, American Honey Queen Program, Sunshine Apiary, Columbus, Mont.

11:30 a.m.         Research Report - Danny Weaver, chairman, ABF
Research & Technical Committee, Bee Weaver Apiaries, Navasota, Texas

11:45 a.m.                'Crop Insurance for Beekeepers' - Jason Schickedanz,
Policy Analyst, AgriLogic, College Station, Texas

12:00 noon         LUNCH BREAK

12:00 noon         Trade Show Opens....................................... Century BC

1:30-5:30 p.m. ABF SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS
(See Detailed SIG Schedules)

Choose from Among the ABF Special Interest Groups:
- Commercial Beekeepers - Package Bee & Queen Breeders -
- Honey Packing - Hobbyist/Sideliner Beekeepers -

5:30-6:00 p.m. Orientation for New ABF Members
and First Time Convention Attendees................ Penn Valley

7:00 p.m.           Welcome to Kansas City Reception
and Honey Queen Quiz Bowl............................ Century A
Refreshments Provided by Kansas State Beekeepers Assn.
and Midwestern Beekeepers Assn.

TUESDAY, JANUARY 14, 2003

8:00 a.m.           Trade Show Open........................................... Century BC

8:30 a.m.           ABF Auxiliary -
Annual Meeting and Breakfast................ Shawnee-Mission

8:30 a.m.           ABF General Session Resumes
Draw Door Prizes/Announcements....................... Century A

8:35 a.m.           'Bears, Bees and Barcodes' (set to music) - George Hansen, Foothills Honey, Colton, Ore.

9:15 a.m.           Reporting from the Beltsville Bee Lab, USDA-ARS:

                        - Dr. Mark Feldlaufer - 'Residues - The Other ÔR' Word'

                        - Dr. Jeff Pettis - 'Pesticides and Queens' and 'Update on Small Hive Beetles'

                        - Dr. Jay Evans - 'Bee Genes and Bee Health'

                        - Dr. Anita Collins - 'Preserving Bees for the Future'

10:40 a.m.         Drawing Door Prices
Announcements

10:45 a.m.         Reporting from the Tucson Bee Lab, USDA-ARS:
- Dr. Gordon Wardell, Dr. Gloria DeGrandi-Hoffman, and Fabiana Ahumada - 'Pumping Them Up: A Liquid Protein Diet for Honey Bees'
- Dr. Diana Sammataro - 'Strip Tease: Testing New Mite Strips'
- Dr. Gloria DeGrandi-Hoffman and Dr. Judy Hooper - 'Our Two Scents: European and African Pheromones'

11:45 a.m.         TBA

12 noon             LUNCH BREAK

1:30 p.m.           ABF Silent Auction Opens......................... Century Foyer

1:30 p.m.           Draw Door Prizes

                        Announcements

1:35 p.m.           'Canadian Report' - Tim Wendell, Roblin, Manitoba

2:00 p.m.           Panel: 'Alternative Mite Control Methods' -
- Moderator: Tim Wendell
- Bob Stevens, Betterbee, Greenwich, N.Y.
- Bill Ruzicka, MiteGone Enterprises, Kelowna, B.C.

2:30 p.m.           'U.S. Honey Promotion by Producer-Packers' -
- Sharon Gibbons, Gibbons Bee Farm, Ballwin, Mo.
- Clint Walker, Walker Honey Co., Rogers, Texas
- Steve Conlon, ThistleDew Farm, Proctor, W.Va.

3:30 p.m.           Draw Door Prizes
Announcements

3:35 p.m.           Panel of Survivors: 'Beekeeper Fires: Can They Be Profitable?'- Moderator: Pat Heitkam
- David Ellingson
- David Hackenberg, Hackenberg Apiaries, Lewisburg, Pa.

4:00 p.m.          ABF Silent Auction Closes........................ Century Foyer

4:15 p.m.           Forum: 'National Honey Board: Where It Is; Where It's Going' - Moderator: Clint Walker, ABF Past President, Walker Apiaries, Rogers, Texas

5:00 p.m.           Recess General Session

6:30 p.m.           Depart for Steamship Arabia Museum
and Kansas City Barbecue Dinner
Optional Event - Register at Convention Desk

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 15, 2003

8:00 a.m.           Trade Show Open........................................... Century BC

8:30 a.m.           ABF General Session Resumes
Draw Door Prizes/Announcements....................... Century A

8:35 a.m.           "Second Generation and Still Ticking" - David Ellingson, Ellingson's, Inc., Ortonville, Minn.

8:45 a.m.                   Optional Event: Group Departs for Tour to Independence

9:00 a.m.           Reporting from the Weslaco Bee Lab, USDA-ARS:

                        - Dr. Patti Elzen - 'Better Science/Better Value - Cooperative Research Between Labs'

                        - Bob Cox - 'Sampling Bees and Honey to Detect ABF'

                        - Frank Eischen - 'Does Coumaphos Affect Bees?'

10:30 a.m.         Draw Door Prizes
Announcements

10:35 a.m.         'Using Inert Dust to Reduce Varroa Populations' - Dr. Marion Ellis, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebr.

11:00 a.m.         'Honey and the National Honey Board: Worth Every Penny' - Gene Brandi, NHB Chair; Bruce Boynton, NHB CEO; Julia Pirnack, NHB Director of Industry Services; and Bruce Wolk, NHB Director of Marketing

12:00 p.m.         LUNCH BREAK

1:30 p.m.           ABF General Session Resumes
Door Prizes/Announcements............................... Century A

1:35 p.m.           Reporting from the Baton Rouge Bee Lab - Dr. Tom Rinderer, Laboratory Director
- 'A Review of Activities at Baton Rouge'
- 'What's Up with the Russian Honey Bees?'

2:30 p.m.           "The Honey Bee Genome Project" -
- Danny Weaver, chairman, ABF Research & Technical Committee, Bee Weaver Apiaries, Navasota, Texas
- Dr. Kevin Hackett, National Program Staff, USDA-ARS, Beltsville, Md.
- Dr. Gene Robinson, University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana

3:00 p.m.           'Nothing Less than a Revolution - Radical Change or Just Full Circle?' - Dr. Marla Spivak, University of Minnesota, St. Paul

3:30 p.m.           General Session Recesses

4:00 p.m.           American Honey Show Auction
                    ............................ at the Honey Show Display

7:00 p.m.           YOU'RE INVITED - to an evening of Live Music, Food, Fellowship, Fun, and Fund Raising........... Century A

THURSDAY, JANUARY 16, 2003

8:00 a.m.-10:45 a.m.               Trade Show Open....................... Century BC

8:30 a.m.-12 noon    ABF EDUCATIONAL WORKSHOPS

                                             - See Separate Schedule

12:00-1:30 p.m. LUNCH BREAK

1:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m.  Beginning Beekeeper Short Course
         ...................................................................... Pershing Place East

- Leaders:           - Dr. Marion Ellis, University of Nebraska, Lincoln
- Dr. Marla Spivak, University of Minnesota, St. Paul.
- Gary Reuter, University of Minnesota, St. Paul

1:30-5:00 p.m.    ABF Business Meeting..................................... Century A

6:00 p.m.           Social Hour and Auction............... Washington Foyer, 1st fl.

7:00 p.m.           ABF Annual Banquet and Honey Queen Coronation

                                                      .................................... Washington Park Place, 1st fl.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 2003

6:00 a.m.-12 noon ABF Directors......................................... Penn Valley

EDUCATIONAL WORKSHOPS
THURSDAY, JANUARY 16, 2003

These workshops are meant to be interactive. Plan on participating so you can find solutions that will apply to your unique situation.

8:30 a.m.-10:00 a.m. - 1st Workshop Period

#1. Selling Your Honey at Retail - Producer-packer Clint Walker will lead a discussion, which will include these points: How to get and hold shelf space; Developing niche markets; using permanent store displays; selling honey from your home. (Century A)

#2. Honey Extracting Set-Ups - What is the proper balance among warehouse space, labor, money, speed,equipmente consistency? David Ellingson will lead this discussion. (Pershing Place North)

#3. Queen Breeders and Their Customers - California queen breeder Glenda Wooten will lead the group to discuss how the buyer and the seller can work together to get the ultimate queen delivered at the right time, in great condition, with wonderful acceptance. (Pershing Place East)

#4. Traditional Bee Diseases - Updates on Control Methods - Former Iowa apiary inspector Bob Cox is now a research schientist at the Weslaco Bee Lab. He will lead you to see what are currently the best methods of treatment for your situation and location. (Penn Valley)

#5. Everything about Beeswax - From Cappings to Candles - Local beekeeper, Randy Knotts, makes beautiful beeswax candles. He will take you through the process he uses to achieve that!  He'll share with you the methods he uses to clean his cappings, which molds work best and which wick to use.  Randy will demonstrate his technique for dipping candles.  He will also talk about packaging and selling your candles. (Roanoke)

#6. Handmade Soaps and Skin Care Products - Made with Honey and Beeswax - Local beekeeper, Becky Tipton, will demonstrate how to add value to your honey and beeswax by making and marketing handmade soap and skin care products that contain honey and /or beeswax. Becky will have many samples with her, plus she will provide handouts of some of her tried and true recipes. (Pershing Place West)

10:30 a.m. - 12:00 noon - 2nd Workshop Period

#7. Selling Your Honey Wholesale - Bob Brandi will help you answer thse questions: Is it best for you to: Shop for the highest price? Build a solid long-term relationship with a single packer? Be a member of a cooperative? (Century A)

#8. Exchanging Bee Colonies for Increased Utilization and Profit - California beekeeper Steve Godlin will lead a discussion on how you can share colonies with another beekeeper to have the best of both worlds. Will your bees winter better in California? Do you need the cash flow? Is the stress worth it? Do you have more honey locations than bees? (Pershing Place East)

#9. Queen Breeders and Their Customers - (Repeat of Workshop #3 - in Pershing Place East)

#10. Mite Treatments - Promising Alternative Controls - Tim Wendell of Roblin, Manitoba, talks about mite control methods other than those currently in use. (Penn Valley)

#11. Everything about Beeswax (Repeat of Workshop #5 - in Roanoke)

#12. Handmade Soaps and Skin Care Products (Repeat of Workshop #6 - Pershing Place West)

ABF SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS

1:30 p.m.-5:30 p.m. &#150 MONDAY, JANUARY 13, 2003

n Commercial Beekeepers
Special Interest Group....................... Pershing Place North

LEADER:    George Hansen
ABF Director, Foothills Honey, Colton, Ore.

1:30 p.m.           'Crop Insurance for Beekeepers' - Jason Schickedanz,
Policy Analyst, AgriLogic, College Station, Texas

2:30 p.m.           Open Forum on the Honey Market: 'Projections, Pressures, and Influences'

3:30 p.m.           'An In-Depth Look at Bee Nutrition' -Dr. Gordon Wardell, Tucson Bee Lab, USDA-ARS

4:00 p.m.           Open Forum on Productivity: 'How Can We Do More with Less?'

4:30 p.m.           Business Session
- Proposals for Resolutions
- Other Business
- Election of Director to ABF Board of Directors

5:30 p.m.           Adjourn

ABF SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS

1:30 p.m.-5:30 p.m. &#150 MONDAY, JANUARY 13, 2003

n Package Bee & Queen Breeders
Special Interest Group........................ Pershing Place West

LEADER:    Gus Rouse
ABF Director, Kona Queen Hawaii, Captain Cook, Hawaii

1:30 p.m.           'The NZ / Aussie Bee Import Issue - What to Expect' - Dr. Mark Feldlaufer, Beltsville Bee Lab, Beltsville, Md.

2:00 p.m.           'Stock Preservation' - Dr. Anita Collins, Beltsville Bee Lab, Beltsville, Md.

2:30 p.m.           "Bee Breeding Update" - Dr. Tom Rinderer, Baton Rouge Bee Lab, USDA-ARS, Baton Rouge, La.
- Russian Queens Progress
- Status Report on SMR Queens
- Tracheal Mite Research Update

3:30 p.m.           Bee Mailing Issues

4:30 p.m.           Business Session
- Proposals for Resolutions
- Other Business
- Election of Director to ABF Board of Directors

5:30 p.m.           Adjourn

ABF SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS

1:30 p.m.-5:30 p.m. &#150 MONDAY, JANUARY 13, 2003

n Honey Packing
Special Interest Group.......................... Pershing Place East

LEADER:    Sharon Gibbons
ABF Director, Gibbons Bee Farm, Ballwin, Mo.

1:30 p.m.           'Top 10 Honey Marketing Tips' - Bruce Wolk, Marketing Director, National Honey Board, Longmont, Colo.

2:30 p.m.           'How to Design, Set Up, and Get Your Brochure of Flyer Printed' - Jeanne Judson, account executive, Mega Color Corporation

4:00 p.m.           'Honey Quality and Testing Methods' -
- Brent Barkman, Golden Heritage Foods, Hillsboro, Kans.

5:00 p.m.           Business Session
- Proposals for Resolutions
- Other Business
- Election of Director to ABF Board of Directors

5:30 p.m.           Adjourn

ABF SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS

1:30 p.m.-5:30 p.m. &#150 MONDAY, JANUARY 13, 2003

n Hobbyist/Sideliner

                        Special Interest Group......................................... Penn Valley

LEADER:    John Talbert
ABF Director, Ex-Officio
Sabine Creek Honey Farm, Josephine, Texas

John Talbert has been asked by the ABF Board of Directors to represent our Hobbyist and Sideliner members on the Board of Directors and to lead this Special Interest Group. He is developing a program that will appeal to the experienced beekeepers and show the 'newbees' that there is more to beekeeping than just knowing what is happening inside the white box. If you are other than a commercial beekeeper, you are invited to participate in the inaugural session of this SIG.

1:30 p.m.           Welcome

1:45 a.m.           'Sharing Beekeeping: Mentoring, Scholarship Programs, Honey Queens, and Informational Presentations' - Jimmie Oakley, Round Rock, Texas, and John Talbert

2:30 p.m.           'Replacement Queens &#150 Selection and Timing' - Clint Weaver, R. Weaver Apiaries, Navasota, Texas

3:30 p.m.           'Using Products of the Hive for More than Just a Sweetener' -

4:30 p.m.           Business Session

                        - Future Directions for Hobbyist/Sideliner SIG
- Proposals for Resolutions
- Other Business

5:30 p.m.           Adjourn