Honey Bees Unlimited

What looks like a single hive… can impact up to 17,000 acres.

That’s the power of pollination and the work behind Honey Bees Unlimited.

Founded by Mike and Gary Barber, their operation provides a “blanket of pollinators” across Texas, supporting crops, forage, and the long-term health of the land.

AgTrust is proud to partner with customer-owners who are not only growing their business but also strengthening agriculture across our territory.

🎥 Look for their full story coming soon.

The deadline to report honeybee colonies for calendar year 2026 is Jan. 2, 2026.

If you’re a bee producer, this is a great time to contact your local office to make sure your records are up to date.

First, you’ll need to review all changes in inventory that occurred during calendar year 2025, including additions and losses reported to FSA. Once you’ve signed your final inventory for 2025, you can begin your inventory for calendar year 2026.

To report your beginning inventory, you’ll need to provide the following:

🐝 The farm number where your headquarters is located

🐝 Names and shares of all producers sharing in the colonies

🐝 The intended use of the bees (Honey, pollinating, and/or breeding)

🐝 Number of colonies

With this information you will fill out and sign our CCC-771 Honeybee Colony Inventory Reporting Form. This form serves as a running record throughout the year. Anytime you add colonies, split colonies, sell colonies, or transport colonies in or out of the county you will have 30 days to report the change to FSA. FSA will keep track of that change on your running CCC—771.

This record is the first step to eligibility for the Emergency Livestock Assistance Program (ELAP.) For more information on ELAP for honeybees check out this link: https://www.fsa.usda.gov/tools/informational/fact-sheets/emergency-assistance-livestock-honeybees-farm-raised-fish-program-4

Graphic by USDA.

🐝 Today we’re in Texas!

Join Project Apis m. board member George Hansen at the Texas Beekeepers Association Annual Convention. Learn how we advance honey bee health through research, education, and beekeeper support. See you soon!

📍 Waco Convention Center, 100 Washington Avenue, Waco, TX
⏰ Time: Check the convention schedule

More info: https://texasbeekeepers.org/annual-convention-2025/?utm_source=fb_page&utm_medium=Project+Apis+m.&utm_campaign=publer

PRESS RELEASE: Today, Commissioner Sid Miller praised the remarkable comeback of the Texas honey industry, noting that coordinated efforts by pesticide regulators, the Texas Department of Agriculture, and partners across the agriculture community have helped create conditions for Texas bees to thrive. According to Texas A&M AgriLife, Texas beekeepers produced more than 4 million pounds of honey this season, worth nearly $9 million at market prices averaging $2.24 a pound — the strongest output the state has seen in years.

READ HERE: https://texasagriculture.gov/News-Events/Article/10637/Commissioner-Miller-Praises-the-Comeback-of-Texas-Honey

Check out this great video produced by AgTrust our lending partner.

Honey Bees Unlimited: The Barber Brothers, Modern-Day Cowboys of Beekeeping Honey Bees Unlimited, founded by brothers Gary and Mike Barber, is more than a business—it’s a way of life. As migratory commercial beekeepers, they carry on...

Brothers Mike and Gary Barber are dedicated to protecting and supporting honeybees. In 2018, they launched Honey Bees Unlimited, a venture focused on sustaining honeybee populations and the beekeepers who care for them.

Guided by the belief that life is better with bees, AgTrust Farm Credit customers Mike and Gary have built rooted in stewardship, sustainability and community.

Meet your AgriLife and TAIS bee-friends and learn about three doom and gloom bugs Let’s put some faces to names! Meet the AgriLife, Texas Master Beekeeper, and TAIS team, and get to know three of the ‘doom and gloom’ bugs everyone’s talki...

Urgent ‼️ our honey bees need your help. Friday deadline. Please sign on if you want the USDA to continue in this critical research mission at the Beltsville bee lab. Gary Barber

USDA has opened a public comment period on its proposal to relocate ~2,600 positions, including closing the USDA Beltsville Bee Research Laboratory.

Many U.S. honey bee scientists and industry leaders believe moving the Beltsville lab would cause immediate and long-term harm to the beekeeping industry.

Sign this letter urging USDA leadership to reconsider: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1VbTtU1tH4MxiRdwpK4J6U4LT-ie9LNFeNCYd14nnOwc/edit?usp=sharing&utm_source=fb_page&utm_medium=Project+Apis+m.&utm_campaign=publer

Add your name by midnight, Friday, Aug. 29th: Signature link: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/12K6r2FFA5upqLztoFauHRwbInqFcp5INf6PXhSlhujA/edit?usp=sharing&utm_source=fb_page&utm_medium=Project+Apis+m.&utm_campaign=publer

You can also submit your own public comment by Friday, Aug. 29th.

Please share with others who care about pollinator research and beekeeping.