By LESLIE EIKLEBERRY
Salina Post
A local beekeeper has received a grant to study a potential late-summer food source that not only could help bees, but also be of use to cattle and humans.
The North Central Region Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (NCR-SARE) announced last week that Allen Stovall from AJ Honey Farms, Salina, had received a $14,152 grant from NCR-SARE's Farmer Rancher Grant Program to study the use of a late summer perennial as a food source for honey bees.
Stovall, who operates AJ Honey Farms with his wife, Judy, said that they will be studying the use of Silphium Integrifolium, a part of the Aster (Sunflower) family.
"This flower blooms in the later part of summer from July into September. Honey bees have a hard time finding food during this time of the year. We call this a dearth," Allen told Salina Post. "For honey bees this means it's pretty much a desert during these months unless we can find alternatives to provide for them. Silphium is one of those potential alternatives."
The two-year grant project will have four feeding sites for bees.
"Our honey bees will have access to Silphium at two sites and two sites will not have any Silphium available. We will measure the production from each site and report our findings," he said.
Stovall noted that if the project successfully shows Silphium as a late-summer food source for honey bees, it would add to the perennial's uses.
"We can use it as a supplement in cattle feed, the seeds from Silphuim can be used to extract human consumable cooking oil (similar to sunflower oil) and as beekeepers we want to see if the honey produced from Silphium can be a passive crop," Allen Stovall said.
The idea for the study was born from AJ Honey Farm's working relationship with The Land Institute.
"Ebony Murrell from The Land Institute came to us a few years ago to do pollination service for the Silphium plant and from that relationship, we have been able to put together a grant proposal that will help in further research," he said. "AJ Honey Farms LLC has been in collaboration with The Land Institute for about three years now in developing this research."
According to NCR-SARE, the grant "was awarded as part of NCR-SARE's Farmer Rancher Grant Program, a competitive grant program for farmers and ranchers who want to explore sustainable solutions to problems through on-farm research, demonstration, and education projects." The focus of each grant program is on research and education.
The study will be a two-year endeavor in 2023 and 2024.
"During this time we are looking to educate people about Silphium but we also want to help new beekeepers become educated with their new endeavor. We started out as hobbyists and fell in love with it so much that my wife, Judy, and I are making a career out of it," Allen Stovall said.
Indeed they are. The couple's store, at 901 N. Ninth Street, Suite A, in Salina has been open since October 2022.
"Thanks to our loyal customers and wonderful public support, it looks like we are here to stay," he said.