North Dakota leads in honey production for 14th year

FARGO, N.D. (AP) - Honey production in North Dakota last year was down 11 percent from 2016, but the state still led the nation in production for a 14th straight year.

The Agriculture Department says producers with five or more colonies totaled 33.7 million pounds of honey in 2017.

The number of honey-producing colonies in North Dakota was down 6 percent to 455,000. Average yield was down 4 pounds, to 74 pounds per colony.

The total value of honey produced in the state was down 9 percent, to $63.6 million.