The Heartland Apicultural Society (HAS) is a mid-west beekeeping organization dedicated to assisting beekeepers through education. This is accomplished by an annual, 3 day conference held at a different site each summer. The conference features plenary presentations by university research and extension speakers, classroom talks, and hands on “in the apiary” sessions. Presenters are not only the university folks and others whose articles you read in beekeeping magazines, but also experienced local beekeepers and “regular” attendees (folks like Kent Williams from here in Kentucky, though some of these also write articles for the magazines).
This year’s conference will be held at the University of Missouri in St. Louis from July 12th through the 14th. A large vendor show is always part of the gathering, along with evening events, and tours to see sights in the St. Louis area. There will be college dormitory housing and meals available at an economical cost for participants. I expect this year’s meeting to be another GREAT learning opportunity and a fun experience for all that attend.
I served as HAS president in 2007, when the annual conference was last held in Kentucky, and as HAS chairman from 2008 – 20010. Due to my friendships in the HAS fold and in St. Louis, I have agreed to jump in and assist in working out the final details for this year’s conference.
Our goal is to get a list of some of the conference speakers up on the HAS webpage in the next few days, followed quickly by more detailed information and a pre-registration form. I will also be doing posts on this webpage to keep you informed as we proceed.
I will be traveling to St. Louis in the near future to look over the facilities for myself and to meet with volunteers there. If you live in the St. Louis area or plan to attend the conference and wish to help, please let me know.