1920 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 



439 



Crop and Market Report 



Compiled by M. G. Dadant 



For our December ii'arket page we asked the following 

 questions of correspondents: 1. What portion of the 

 honey crop is still in the hands of the beekeepers, in your 

 neighborhood? 2. How is the demand? 3. At what 

 price is it selling, wholesale and retail? 4. Will your 

 market take more honey at present prices than is pro- 

 duced locally? S. What do you think is a tair wliolcsalc 

 price under present conditions? 6. What is the condi- 

 tion of the bees as they go into winter quarters? Of the 

 honey plants? How do you regard the prospect for next 

 year? 



PORTION OF CROP IN HANDS OF BEEKEEPERS 



There is practically an entire agreement on the part of 

 reports coming in that the smaller beekeepers who sell in a 

 retail way have almost entirelj' gotten rid of their pres- 

 ent supply of honey. If it is not already disposed of, they 

 e.xpect to clean up pretty well by the holid-.ys. 



On the other hand, the larger producers who a.-e forced 

 to seek the wholesale markets, have a very large part or 

 the crop still on hand. The Eastern States report from 

 25 to 50 per cent on hand, whereas the inter-mountain 

 States have possibly a little more than this. 



The situation seems to have improved considerably in 

 California, and they report now a large proportion of the 

 crop sold. 



Throughout the country the demand on the part of 

 wholesalers is very low, indeed, whereas the retail de- 

 mand is good. Naturally, owing to the unsettled condi- 

 tion, the wholesalers are only buying from hand to mouth. 

 and not getting in their season's supply of honey in the 

 fall as is usually the case. For this reason the orders 

 from bottlers and jobbers are at a minimum and they art 

 therefore not in the market for so much honey as usual. 



This would seem to indicate that the demand should 

 pick up from now on, owing: to the fact that the whole- 

 salers will run out of honey and will necessarily have to 

 call upon the jobbers and big packers for a fresh supply. 



Prices at which honey is selling in a retail way have 

 held up remarkably well, and we have only one or two 

 reports where ten-pound cans are retailing at 25c per 

 pound. In most instances the price is 30c to 35c, and this 

 is unjversal throughout the whole country. 



With the smaller beekeepers the stock cf honey they 

 produced themselves will not begin to supply their own 

 trade generally, whereas the larger beekeepers claim 

 they will have difficulty in disposing of the crop. This 

 means, therefore, that the demand on the part of the 

 wholesalers and jobbers will have to increase if the 

 larger producers are to dispose of their crop at normal 

 figures. 



FAIR WHOLESALE PRICE 



Indications of what the fair wholesale price should be 

 vary greatly with different sections of the country. There 

 seems to be no tendfii-cy, however, to a great slashing of 

 prices, and throughout the East indications are that 

 beekeepers think a fair price would be from 17c to 20c 

 for white extracted honey, wiih a price of from $7 to $5 

 for comb honey. In the west there is an indication that 

 producers are willing to sacrifice prices in order to move 

 their crop. In some instances producers who formerly 

 stated they were holding for 20c are now willing to take 

 15c to 18c for their crop if they can move the same im- 

 mediately. The very lowest price we have had any indi- 

 cations of is in Arizona, where one car of dark amber 

 honey sold for lie, and the reporter stated he had an- 

 other car which he is willing to sell for 10c. Utah white 

 extracted is offered at from 14c to 16c per pound. There 

 is a tendency on the part of producers in the West to 

 want to dispose of their crop, and a bujer who could 

 offer cash for immediate shipment could probably get 

 some reduction in prices. 



This slashing of orices, in the few instances, however, 

 seems to be on the part of beekeepers who are outside of 

 the different large associations who are handling the 



crop for their memlurs. l''or instance, the California As- 

 sociation quotes all honey within the exchange as mov- 

 ing nicely, and at very fair prices. Honey outside of th(. 

 exchange is from 3c to 5c per pound lower than what is 

 licing demanded by the exchange. 



Thi.s, of course, has a very depressing influence upon 

 the market, as buyers are not going to pav the Associa- 

 tion a higher price as long as the lower priced honey is 

 available outside. 



The Texas Association has. of their own accord and by 

 agreement, reduced their former prices from 3c to 4c per 

 pound, so that their lowest grade amber hcney is sellini;;' 

 at about 14c per pound f. o. b. shipping point. However, 

 there is very little honey left in the hands of producers 

 there and the Association expects to be able to clean up 

 the whole Texas crop without difficulty. . 



Another thing which has tended to hold the prices 

 down is the influx of large quantities of West Indian and 

 foreign honeys into the Xew York market. West Indian 

 honey is selling from 80c to $1.25 per gallon, or a price 

 of less than 10c per pound, in many cases. 



Of course, most of this is inferior hone}-, which would 

 not grade up with any 'of our domestic products, but it 

 will compete with it in many lines, such as in use fo" 

 bakeries' products, etc. 



As stated above, there is a tendency on the part of 

 producers to willingly take a little less price than they 

 had wanted per previous report to us. There seems no 

 indication, however, of a large break in th,' market, and 

 ihe lowest price at which white alfalfa honey is quoted 

 is 14c f. o. b. shipping point. 



Within the last two weeks there has been a stiffening 

 of the market, and some reports are now coming in that 

 there should be no difficulty in disposing of the complete 

 1920 crop before the new crop is available. 



One point which made the producers so anxious to sell 

 is the fact that in the last two or three years there has 

 been such an extreme demand for honey that the whole 

 crop has been sold previous to the holidays. This was 

 not formerly the case before war times end we see no 

 reason why beekeepers should demand all honej' sold be- 

 fore the first of the year. This year conditions are ab- 

 normal and the demand will probably strengthen as the 

 season continues, owing to the fact that the wholesalers 

 only have very limited supplies on hand and must renew 

 them as fast as they sell any to the retailers and other 

 trade. 



There seems to be no doubt in the minds of many that 

 honey prices are to see a reduction before the 1921 crop 

 is sold, and in fact there is novi' a reduction over what 

 was formerly asked. The California Association is still 

 holding to their original prices, and we have had no re- 

 ports of any reduction on the part of any of the other 

 large western associations. 



From all indications, white honey is going to sell for 

 awhile yet. at least, at a price equal to 15c per pound f. 

 o. b. shipoing point, while amber honey should command 

 a price of Ic or 2c a pound less. In fact prices at which 

 honey is retailing and with good demand in the eastern 

 and central western market would not indicate that wTiite 

 honey should have to sell as low as 15c per pound. 



As stated before, it is not a lack of demand on the part 

 of the retailers and of the consuming public for honey, 

 but more on the part of the wholesaler, who is very con- 

 servative in his buying, that has kept down the demand 

 for large lots of honey. 



We just have report of the movement of 200 tons of 

 California honey to New York. This would indicate that 

 the demand has increased, although we have no idea of 

 what price was received for this shipment. 



Just what the honey market will do within the next 

 sixty days remains to be seen, and will depend entirely 

 upon the demand of the consuming public, for the whole- 

 salers cannot all hold out with their orders if the public 

 demands honey. 



