Over the past few days I interviewed four people, ranging from a researcher to an employee with a non-profit to a city employee. To say that our discussions were useful in helping me figure out all this food system stuff would be an understatement. I think I've finally reached the point where I stop wanting to be a researcher and want to be doer in all the things I'm learning about. It's not enough anymore to sit on the sidelines and write about all the freakin' cool stuff going on around me. I've lost my patience! Hence my decision to move to Minneapolis after I graduate from the University of Kansas to get some work experience in the wonderful field of food. I'd also like to get more exposure to Hispanic culture, and I'm quite confident that I can do that there.
Today's post I wanted to include some of the information I learned about honey, beekeeping, and issues of biosecurity in Melbourne and the state of Victoria. The culture around honey here is kind of wonderfully insane. I've never seen so many varieties (or better yet, flavors) of raw honey. Definitely one of the most interesting marketing strategies I've seen to date. Who knew that the flowers the bees pollinate could have such an impact on the honey's flavor? Many people I've met have their own personal preference of raw honey for specific beverages or recipes. (For those of you interested in the bee/honey production regulations in Lawrence, check out this publication from from the City).
Anyways, in a segue from talking about fruit flies and biosecurity in Australia (their fruit flies are not what you think), I got to talking with a researcher at the University of Melbourne about bees and biosecurity. To date, no record of Varroa Mite exists in Australia, which is parasite that infests honey bee colonies. I found that for pollination of California's large almond groves, not enough bees naturally live in the area to pollinate the flowers. Because Australian bees don't have Varroa Mite, we happily import them to pollinate our flowers. How crazy is that? The restrictions on imports to Australia, however, I imagine are quite strict to prevent the Mite from getting out of control.
I also learned that beekeepers will diversify their income by going to various properties to pollinate and spend the rest of their time harvesting their own hives and turning it into a value-added product or selling it as is, raw. It never occurred to me that as a farmer I might have to pay someone to come pollinate my plants. In an interesting turn of events, when urban-dwellers in Melbourne started to learn about Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) in the U.S. and Europe, honey production in the city started to skyrocket, without there being similar problems with CCD in Australia. This could be good and bad depending on how one looks at it. For example, one could see it as a preventative measure, whereas others might fear for the naivety of amateur beekeepers that couldn't recognize a disease in their hive due to improper training. Either way, the reaction of Melbournians is fascinating, and it will be interesting to see how the status of bees plays out. Perhaps the excess bees might make for a stronger export market.
Lastly, I just wanted to comment on the importance of self-confidence in pursuing your career. I realize that this whole trip has not only accomplished specific credit requirements for my degree at KU, but assisted me in career exploration. As mentioned before, I determined that planning might not necessarily be the best fit because I want to be more of a change-maker than a policy writer. That being said, I can still be influential outside of my position as a farmer/entrepreneur and fulfill the role of activist or policy advocate. Reading about Dr. Nick Rose's experiences with food systems building in Australia has shown me that. Today when I talked to one of the writers of Food City, a food policy report from the City of Melbourne, I realized that my trajectory in this field has most certainly been intentional, and that most people who have been in the work force for long are only just learning what food systems are. They are trying to keep up with the pace of things outside the policy or planning offices, and that gives me more confidence in my own knowledge and experiences in this field.
One of the best pieces of advice I ever received was from my grandpa last year. He said that if I didn't think that I could get a job as a planner after graduating from KU, then the only thing I was lacking was confidence, not a planning degree. While for a bit I faltered in really heeding that advice, I am starting to understand what he was talking about. I know myself and my drive and determination to do what I love, and I just have to put some faith in that knowledge.
I guess it's time to pack my bags now...
Today's post I wanted to include some of the information I learned about honey, beekeeping, and issues of biosecurity in Melbourne and the state of Victoria. The culture around honey here is kind of wonderfully insane. I've never seen so many varieties (or better yet, flavors) of raw honey. Definitely one of the most interesting marketing strategies I've seen to date. Who knew that the flowers the bees pollinate could have such an impact on the honey's flavor? Many people I've met have their own personal preference of raw honey for specific beverages or recipes. (For those of you interested in the bee/honey production regulations in Lawrence, check out this publication from from the City).
Anyways, in a segue from talking about fruit flies and biosecurity in Australia (their fruit flies are not what you think), I got to talking with a researcher at the University of Melbourne about bees and biosecurity. To date, no record of Varroa Mite exists in Australia, which is parasite that infests honey bee colonies. I found that for pollination of California's large almond groves, not enough bees naturally live in the area to pollinate the flowers. Because Australian bees don't have Varroa Mite, we happily import them to pollinate our flowers. How crazy is that? The restrictions on imports to Australia, however, I imagine are quite strict to prevent the Mite from getting out of control.
I also learned that beekeepers will diversify their income by going to various properties to pollinate and spend the rest of their time harvesting their own hives and turning it into a value-added product or selling it as is, raw. It never occurred to me that as a farmer I might have to pay someone to come pollinate my plants. In an interesting turn of events, when urban-dwellers in Melbourne started to learn about Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) in the U.S. and Europe, honey production in the city started to skyrocket, without there being similar problems with CCD in Australia. This could be good and bad depending on how one looks at it. For example, one could see it as a preventative measure, whereas others might fear for the naivety of amateur beekeepers that couldn't recognize a disease in their hive due to improper training. Either way, the reaction of Melbournians is fascinating, and it will be interesting to see how the status of bees plays out. Perhaps the excess bees might make for a stronger export market.
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| Ever heard of a beetroot latte? Neither had I. |
One of the best pieces of advice I ever received was from my grandpa last year. He said that if I didn't think that I could get a job as a planner after graduating from KU, then the only thing I was lacking was confidence, not a planning degree. While for a bit I faltered in really heeding that advice, I am starting to understand what he was talking about. I know myself and my drive and determination to do what I love, and I just have to put some faith in that knowledge.
I guess it's time to pack my bags now...
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