In honor of Missouri's State Honey Bee Awareness and Appreciation Week, we're highlighting Missouri honey! On the Missouri State Fair's fairgrounds, the Agriculture Building is the place to 'bee' for Missouri honey - both in the AgriMissouri Market and at the Missouri State Beekeepers Association booth. Right outside the agriculture building, visitors can also check out bee-friendly plants in the Missouri Department of Transportation Highway Gardens.
Bees play an important role in agriculture as pollinators for our flowering plants - including many of the state's agricultural crops. More than 400 different species of bees call Missouri home and most are key to producing the food we grow, from soybeans to cotton, melons to tomatoes, and berries to pumpkins. It is estimated that bees contribute $15 billion to the value of overall U.S. crop production, as well as supporting flowering plants and trees within the landscape and nursery industry, which represents $3.4 billion per year in Missouri.
Gov. Nixon recently proclaimed Aug. 12-18 as Missouri's bee week, both to honor our state insect, the honey bee, and to celebrate the state's bees, beekeepers and their businesses.
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