Kentucky State Fair information

HONEY DONATIONS STILL ACCEPTED
Jars going out mid-month

Every year KSBA donates approximately 300 jars (8 ounces each) of honey to Kentucky State Fair breakfasts sponsored by the Kentucky Farm Bureau, Commodities Association, 4-H and FFA. If you will help with this year’s donation of honey, we'll send you the jars. Please email to manager@ckyhp.com your name, contact information (phone and email) and the approximate number of honey jars you would like to fill. Later this month we will mail you the number of honey jars and lids you have indicated you would like to donate, ensuring you have time to fill the jars through your honey harvest. Thank you in advance for your willingness to help with this year’s Kentucky State Fair.

HONEY BOOTH GUIDELINES PUBLISHED

The KSBA Honey Booth Guidelines have been published to the KSBA website. The full set of regulations is available at the bottom of this newsletter and at kybees.org. Here are highlights of the full document:

• Both Certified Kentucky Honey Producers (CKHP) and non-CKHP honey will be sold in the West Wing/West Hall booth.
• Only KSBA members may have their honey sold by the volunteers. Renew or start your membership at kybees.org before Aug. 1, 2023.
• CKHP manager Scott Moore will oversee the proportional distribution of shelf space based on the number of producers selling honey this year.
• Honey samples will be offered to the public. It is preferred that producers provide a separate “squeezable” jar of honey for samples. If this is not possible, a jar of the producer’s inventory will be selected for sampling.
• All honey will be tested for moisture content. CKHP honey must not exceed 18.0 percent. Non-CKHP honey can have moisture content up to 18.5 percent.
• In addition, the Kentucky Department of Public Health (KDPH) will do minimal random sampling from any producer.

          Honey labels must be pre-approved by the KDPH Food Safety Branch to prove compliance with labeling regulations. To submit a sample label directly to the KDPH’s Food Safety Branch, send a PDF copy of the label attached to an email, with the subject line “Attention Labeling,” to food.safety@ky.gov.

          See the full document (at the end of this newsletter and at kybees.org) for further regulations applying to honey labeled as monofloral, and for beeswax-related health and beauty products.

Check-in, re-stocking, check-out, removal:

• Check-in your honey and products at the West Wing Honey Booth Sunday, Aug. 13 from 12 noon until 3 p.m. (all times EDT) and Wednesday, Aug. 16 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Paperwork must be completed at the drop-off; do not drop off products early and leave.   
• During the Fair, honey may be checked in from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day. Check with booth management in advance to see if re-stocking is needed; don’t bring product to re-stock if they say there is enough.
• Check-out is Wed. August 16 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., during which unsold product must be removed. All producers should check with the honey booth manager(s) as the state fair winds down to check for unsold honey and products. 

          KSBA volunteers will sell your honey and hive products at the previously published state fair prices. The supplier will receive 70 percent of the selling price. KSBA retains 30 percent of the selling price and absorbs all applicable sales taxes and credit card processing fees. You will be paid your share via check from the KSBA treasurer within 30 days of the end of the fair. 

           Mike Mabry and Tim Sheehan, KSBA Directors, are the honey booth managers for all KSBA state fair activities; will oversee the local club volunteers and daily booth operations; and are the sole authority on honey booth products, management, and procedures. Any disputes must be detailed in writing (via email is acceptable) to the honey booth manager(s).