JEFFERSON, COUNTY — At Granny Kat’s Bee Farm, hives hum, and jars of golden honey line the shelves — but owner Kathy Goahlke says the work here is about more than a sweet product. It’s about protecting pollinators that are essential to agriculture and teaching the community how to help them thrive.
WATCH FULL REPORT BELOW:
“Every year I lose about 25 percent of my bees to all the different things going on with bees,” Goahlke said. “Then when spring comes, we’re doing our best to split and make more hives and more colonies.”
Honeybees pollinate roughly one-third of the food we eat and contribute billions of dollars to U.S. agriculture, a role that local beekeepers say makes their work urgent. At Granny Kat’s, that mission is front and center: the farm offers hands-on classes for beginners and experienced keepers, demonstrations that take visitors from the hive to the jar, and practical training on hive health and colony management.
Goahlke’s classes teach practical skills — monitoring the queen, spotting disease, and protecting colonies from environmental stressors — while emphasizing conservation. The farm’s educational programs aim to grow the number of informed backyard stewards and small-scale beekeepers who can help reverse local declines.
This year, Granny Kat’s marked its fifth anniversary, celebrating both its honey production and its growing impact on the local environment and community awareness. Neighbors who stop by can watch the beekeeping process firsthand and leave with honey, new knowledge, and a better understanding of the role pollinators play in food systems.
As concerns about declining bee populations continue nationwide, farms like Granny Kat’s are working to keep hives strong — one colony at a time.
Want to see more local news? Visit the WTXL ABC 27 Website.
Stay in touch with us anywhere, anytime.
