PRESENT DAY

IIn 2011 the four Hofmann children sold the arable portion of the land, 55 acres, to a close friend and neighbor, Bill Jewison, who had been renting the land since 2000. Before that, Bill’s father, Bill Jewison Sr. and his brother Joe, had been farming the land on shares, a relationship that had begun in 1945. Since the Hofmann children weren’t farmers, selling the land to Bill Jr. was a natural solution. Eldest son, Larry, and Jan, his wife, now own the remaining 45 acres and presently operate those acres as Hofmann Farm. Larry and Jan are determined to keep the farm, are both acutely aware and respectful of its history and heritage, and are now working to preserve as much of it as possible. The original frame house has been modernized over the years and has recently been extensively remodeled. Plans are in the works to begin offering the house as a place of retreat to singles, couples or small groups. People who have visited Hofmann Farm often express how they feel a sense of peace and serenity while there and comment on how lovely it is. Bees are once again being kept at Hofmann Farm by a beekeeper who is also interested in seeing the farm and its history upheld. There is hope that the honey house and “wax shed,” a 20 ? 40 foot building erected in 1926 for the purpose of rendering wax, might be preserved for their historical value. With the enthusiastic help and encouragement of the Waseca County Historical Society, on January 19, 2016, The Hofmann Apiaries was entered into the National Register of Historic Places. The Hofmann Apiaries is one of only three honey bee-related sites on the Register and the only one who will be able to offer living history, education, and services to small and novice beekeepers and others who are interested.

HOFMANN CENTER FOR HONEY BEES

People the world over are becoming increasingly aware of the peril honey bees face. Their peril is also ours, as the honey bee and man’s food supplies are inextricably linked. The owners of Hofmann Farm are clearly aware of this, and there is fervent hope that in some way the farm might be used to further inform, educate and instruct people in the ways of bees, their importance to us, and how best to begin reversing trends and practices that are endangering bees and our own well-being. The approach is multi-faceted with the emphasis on education and service. The name currently favored for this enterprise is the Hofmann Center for Honey Bees (HCHB). The first priority is to restore the honey house and refit it to become a fully functioning extracting plant. HCHB will then offer extracting as a service to any beekeeper wishing to take advantage of the facility. Fortunately, there is an increasing interest in beekeeping, and the number of hobbyist beekeepers is growing rapidly. However, extracting honey, especially for one having only a handful of colonies is an expensive and somewhat cumbersome proposition. It is hoped that people who are interested in keeping some bees but are hesitant to take the plunge because of extracting, might be encouraged to start keeping bees knowing they have a way to harvest their honey without the bother or expense of doing it themselves. (This not unlike Emil Hofmann providing clover hulling to local farmers as a way of encouraging them to grow alsike clover.) The second priority is to restore and update the wax shed with an open and modern interior space. The wax shed will then function as a place to hold seminars, workshops and classes and will also serve as a place to install museum-quality displays of historic tools and equipment used in beekeeping and in the production of honey. These displays will be augmented with large photographs and graphic displays documenting the historic aspect of The Hofmann Apiaries and of beekeeping in general. Much of the extracting equipment Charles Hofmann sold in 1985 has recently been located (one extractor had changed hands three times before it was found), and plans include returning some of that equipment to the honey house to serve as part the functioning extracting plant or to the museum area of the wax shed as non functioning historic displays.

It is thought that this historic site with its unique and wonderful old honey house, in conjunction with the wax shed, is the perfect place where people and students can visit to learn about honey bees, how honey is processed, and most importantly, to learn how significant honey bees are to humans and the environment.