Heroes to Hives online program moves to Michigan Food & Farming Systems for the 2023 beekeeping season

Ana Heck, Michigan State University Extension -

Michigan State University Extension continues to provide educational resources and host hands-on beekeeping workshops to veterans and the program.

Beekeepers gathered around an open beehive.
MSU Extension hosts a Heroes to Hives workshop at MSU Tollgate Farm and Education Center.

As the Heroes to Hives program continues to change and grow, the online portion of the program will move from Michigan State University Extension’s (MSU Extension) online course platform to Michigan Food & Farming Systems (MIFFS). Veterans, Reservists, Active Duty or National Guard members of the U.S. Armed Forces are eligible for the program, and they are allowed to enroll their adult children, spouses, partners and caregivers. Registration will be held at www.HeroesToHives.com from Nov. 1, 2022, through Feb. 28, 2023.

MIFFS will email eligible participants educational content monthly from March 2023 through November 2023. The 2023 online program will include new videos and resources, and past Heroes to Hives participants are welcome to register.

Since 2017, MSU Extension has taught beekeeping through the Heroes to Hives program to Veterans, Reservists, Active Duty, National Guard members of the U.S. Armed Forces, and their immediate dependents. To support the growth of the program, MIFFS submitted a grant to work with MSU Extension, University of Missouri Extension, University of Minnesota’s Bee Veterans program, University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Great Plains Master Beekeeping program, and Michigan Veterans of Foreign Wars. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) awarded the group $750,000 for an Enhancing Agricultural Opportunities for Military Veterans Grant.

MSU Extension continues to create educational materials for participants in the Heroes to Hives program as well as hold in-hive workshops. Participants in the 2023 Heroes to Hives online program who reside in Michigan will be notified by email about opportunities to register for in-hive workshops at MSU sites in the 2023 beekeeping season.

Students in the 2022 Heroes to Hives online course have until Dec. 31, 2022, to finish the course and download their certificate of completion. Students receive a link with all of the educational content so that they can access the materials after the online course closes.

Resources from MSU for beekeepers and pollinator enthusiasts

Acknowledgment

This work is supported by the Enhancing Agricultural Opportunities for Military Veterans grant, award no. 2021-77028-35274 from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

This article was published by Michigan State University Extension. For more information, visit https://extension.msu.edu. To have a digest of information delivered straight to your email inbox, visit https://extension.msu.edu/newsletters. To contact an expert in your area, visit https://extension.msu.edu/experts, or call 888-MSUE4MI (888-678-3464).

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