Busy Bee Farm
Hay Lakes, Alberta · Online shop · busybeefarm.ca
Small businessMain products hit
Mike and Jenny deJong keep 15,000 to 20,000 colonies on Range Road 224 near Hay Lakes, selling raw and bulk honey and beeswax at the farm gate and contracting hives out to pollinate hybrid canola seed and blueberries across the country.
This year humbled meSource: europesays.com, Sep 9, 2026
Busy Bee's raw and bulk honey is natural honey under HTS 0409.00.00 on the CBP Section 338 list, so every barrel crossing south has carried a 50% additional duty since August 22, 2026. It landed at the end of a summer of record rain that kept the bees in the hive, and the New York Times found deJong walking his honey house past machinery and steel drums that Canada's own retaliatory tariffs had made dearer: "This year humbled me," he said.
In their own words
This year humbled me
Mike deJong, Busy Bee Farm, quoted by The New York Times · europesays.com, Sep 9, 2026
deJong's summary of a year in which the heaviest rains in more than a century kept his worker bees idle and then a 50% duty closed the market for what honey he did get.
Quoted word for word from public posts and articles. Owners can claim the listing to add or remove a quote.
Made in Canada
The farm is central Alberta from the ground up: "Established in 2008, near the community of Hay Lakes, Alberta, Mike and Jenny deJong built their farm from the ground up. Currently operating 15 000 bee hives, Busy Bee Farm commercially produces honey, wax and bees for sale and also provides pollination services across the country such as hybrid canola seed and blueberries."
On the tariff list
- HTS 0409.00.00 · Natural honey · 50% since Aug 22, 2026
The farm's own site says it "commercially produces honey, wax and bees for sale" and describes itself as a "Bulk honey producer and commercial pollination service provider", and the Alberta Beekeepers Commission lists its products as "Raw Honey", "Bulk Honey" and "Beeswax/Products". Raw and bulk honey is natural honey under HTS 0409.00.00.
Rates are the additional US duty under Section 338. About the tariffs
Sources
- busybeefarm.ca · accessed 2026-09-09
Established in 2008, near the community of Hay Lakes, Alberta, Mike and Jenny deJong built their farm from the ground up.
- busybeefarm.ca · accessed 2026-09-09
Currently operating 15 000 bee hives, Busy Bee Farm commercially produces honey, wax and bees for sale and also provides pollination services across the country such as hybrid canola seed and blueberries.
- busybeefarm.ca · accessed 2026-09-09
Bulk honey producer and commercial pollination service provider
- albertabeekeepers.ca · accessed 2026-09-09
Mike deJong 780-995-8814 48549 Range Road 224, HAY LAKES AB T0B 1W0
- albertabeekeepers.ca · accessed 2026-09-09
Products: Raw Honey Bulk Honey Beeswax/Products Available at Farm Gate.
- albertabeekeepers.ca · accessed 2026-09-09
Busy Bee Farm Ltd. near Hay Lakes, Alberta, requires 8 Apiary Labourers (NOC 85100) with a minimum of 1 year experience in commercial beekeeping, wages ranging from $18.34 - $22.00/hour; Also required is 20 Apiary Technicians (NOC 84120) with a minimum of three years of experience in Canadian commercial beekeeping
- europesays.com · accessed 2026-09-09
said deJong, the owner of Busy Bee Farm Ltd., which, at 20,000 hives, is one of the largest operations in central Alberta. The province produces 40% of Canadian honey.
- europesays.com · accessed 2026-09-09
Then President Donald Trump imposed 50% tariffs on honey and hundreds of other Canadian products.
- content.govdelivery.com · accessed 2026-09-09
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