(North Dakota Ag Connection) – Honey production in 2021 from North Dakota producers with five or more colonies totaled 28.3 million pounds, down 27% from 2020, according to the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service.

North Dakota ranked first in the nation for honey production for the eighteenth consecutive year.

There were 515,000 honey producing colonies in North Dakota during 2021, up 4% from 2020.

Average yield was 55 pounds per colony, down 23 pounds from 2020. Producer stocks were 2.27 million pounds on December 15, 2021, down from 8.11 million pounds a year earlier.

Prices for the 2021 crop averaged $2.19 per pound, up from $1.59 per pound in 2020. Prices were based on retail sales by producers and sales to private processors and cooperatives. Total value of honey produced in 2021 was $62 million, up 1% from 2020.