Wisconsin Woman Crowned 2019 American Honey Queen

A Wisconsin woman has been chosen as the next American Honey Queen, representing the American Beekeeping Federation.

Hannah Sjostrom of Maiden Rock was recently crowned 2019 American Honey Queen. Sjostrom is a nursing student at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and was Wisconsin Honey Queen in 2018, a program run through the Wisconsin Honey Producers Association.

“I’ll be traveling from coast to coast as a national representative for the honey industry,” Sjostrom said.

Wisconsin has many agriculture “royalty” that serve as ambassadors for the industry, from the Fairest of the Fair to Alice in Dairyland.

While some organizations have recently ditched the queen title in favor of a formal internship, Sjostrom said having a Honey Queen is still important to beekeepers in the state.

“This program is still really popular and it’s moreso because we need the bees,” Sjostrom said. “The health of the honeybees has been declining and so this is a great way that brings attention to the honeybees.”

Anna Kettlewell, chairwoman of the American Honey Queen program, said the Honey Queen provides a more personal look at the niche sector in agriculture.

“Having the public understand that for many people in the beekeeping industry, it’s not just a hobby, this is actually their livelihood and the struggles that we face in our industry, putting that (to a) human face, it’s really important,” Kettlewell said.

Kettlewell said Wisconsin’s Honey Queen program has always had a strong showing and has had many candidates go on to serve at the national level.

Jenny Gross from Sheboygan was last year’s American Honey Princess, the title given to the first runner-up. The 2016 American Honey Queen was Kim Kester of Nekoosa.

U.S. Department of Agriculture data shows Wisconsin beekeepers produced 2.97 million pounds of honey in 2017, ranking 15th in the nation.