Finer Honey Farm Field Day

Finer Honey Farm Field Day

Riley and Samantha Finer have been keeping bees and producing honey products at this 6.5- acre location since 2013. Riley started with 2 hives in 2010, after he and a buddy decided to start beekeeping over a beer one afternoon. They kept the bees in his friend’s parents’ back yard.Riley’s hives grew from 2 to 10 and then 35. He now manages about 430 hives. Besides honey, the Finers provide combed honey, creamed honey, and beeswax products to their customers. The bees themselves are also “rented out” to local farmers like Berry Hill Orchard, Flatrack Farms, and Plain Ol’ Pumpkins, who want pollinators on their property, but don’t want to become beekeepers themselves. In the winter months, the bees are shipped to California via semi-truck, where they pollinate fruit and nut crops like almonds, apples, and cherries.

This Field Day will be an Open House event. Visitors will get a hands-on experience with extracting honey and collecting beeswax. They can also take a walk through the pollinator prairie, and enjoy honey-based snacks. Finer Honey products will be available for purchase that day. “The property will be basically bee-free,” says Riley. “I will have moved all the hives to a remote location, so no one has to worry about getting stung,” The Finer Honey Farm has grown exponentially over the last several years, and Riley has more goals.

“I would love to have 600-800 hives,” he says. “And fill a semi-load with 60-some barrels of honey!” He also plans to finish the shop area for extraction, bottling, and storage, as well as add a storefront at some time. But mostly, Riley loves working with the bees, and the solitude of the work. “I just want to keep doin’ my thing with the bees.”

The Field Day hosts can be reached at finerhoneyfarm@gmail.com or finerriley0@gmail.com.
Questions may also be directed to Mary at connection@healthyharvestni.com.

The North Iowa Local Food Connections program is coordinated by Healthy Harvest of North Iowa to build relationships between local food and farm businesses. This series of field days provides an opportunity to learn about the unique businesses across our region raising and providing great food. The network creates a space for businesses and friends to collaborate, learn, and create connections that build businesses and productive communities. North Iowa Food Connections program is a partnership of Healthy Harvest of North Iowa (www.healthyharvistni.com), local food and farm business. Support provided by a USDA Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program (BFRDP), in partnership with Practical Farmers of Iowa.

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Healthy Harvest of North Iowa is a 501c3 nonprofit organization that connects and educates in support of the local food system. Information can be found at www.healthyharvestni.com.