BEEKEEPER OF THE YEAR

In 2003, the ISBA Board of Directors established its Beekeeper of the Year program. This prestigious program is designed to recognize, on a yearly basis, an Illinois Beekeeper who most embodies and exemplifies the key objectives of the ISBA, to promote:

  1. Interest in Honey Bees and Beekeeping by encouraging good Beekeeping practices in Illinois
  2. The utilization of Honey Bees for pollination of agricultural crops
  3. The dissemination of information about Honey Bees and Beekeeping

Each Summer, the ISBA nominates a Beekeeper that meets the following candidate requirements:

  1. A candidate must be a member, in good standing, of the ISBA and must be a resident of the state of Illinois
  2. A candidate must be first nominated by an ISBA member, approved by the program Chairperson and the ISBA Secretary and finally approved by the ISBA Board of Directors
  3. A candidate must be willing to receive the ISBA Beekeeper of the Year designation
  4. If a winner is not willing to participate, a new winner will be awarded from the slate of nominations
Past Winners of the ISBA Beekeeper of the Year
2003 - Charles Lorence
2004 - Marlin Wagner
2005 - Dan and Janet Hart
2006 - Ron Fischer
2007 - Rich Ramsey
2008 - John Hansen
2009 - Rita Taylor
2010 - Mike and Astrid Sabo
2011 - Gene Killion
2012 - Bill and Dorothy Buckley
2013 - TBA