{"id":3065,"date":"2023-12-06T08:52:28","date_gmt":"2023-12-06T13:52:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beekeepingfornewbies.com\/?p=3065"},"modified":"2023-12-06T08:52:30","modified_gmt":"2023-12-06T13:52:30","slug":"beekeeping-is-agriculture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beekeepingfornewbies.com\/beekeeping-is-agriculture\/","title":{"rendered":"Is Beekeeping Agriculture?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Beekeeping (technically called \u201capiculture\u201d) is considered agriculture based on standard definitions and everyday usage. Beekeeping is also treated as agriculture (or farming) by the federal and state governments via regulations and tax codes.<\/strong> The Cornell College of Agriculture and Life Sciences has a Master Beekeeping Certificate Program<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a hobby backyard beekeeper, this classification is probably not that particularly meaningful to you. (You can brag to your friends how many “head” you have in your “herd” if you like.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even as a hobbyist, check your state\u2019s agriculture department for regulatory information that may pertain to you<\/strong>, such as registration of your hives. For example, West Virginia mandates that beekeepers register with the West Virginia Department of Agriculture<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your local government may not have an agriculture department, but you should check regulations with them anyway, especially in urban and suburban areas.<\/strong> In California, there are county agriculture commissioners. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you intend to be a commercial beekeeper, the agriculture classification<\/strong> is a bit more critical. There are regulatory and tax implications that may not apply to a hobbyist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Income tax and property tax law treatment of beekeeping as agriculture can have a meaningful impact on you. Check with a qualified professional (lawyer or tax accountant) for advice in these areas.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Agriculture Definition<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Merriam-Webster defines agriculture <\/a>as \u201cthe science, art, or practice of cultivating the soil, producing crops, and raising livestock and in varying degrees the preparation and marketing of the resulting products.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a beekeeper, your honey bees are livestock, <\/strong>as we outline below. Thus, beekeeping is considered agriculture by standard definitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. Government Considers Beekeeping Agriculture<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

U.S. Department Of Agriculture (USDA)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The USDA refers to beekeeping<\/a> by its agricultural name. Apiculture is defined as “the maintenance of honeybees and hives – provides farmers and hobbyists with a variety of enterprises including production of beeswax, honey and other edible bee products; crop pollination services and sale of bees to other beekeepers.”<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The USDA provides support for beekeepers in a variety of ways, such as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n