Pam Jahnke, farm director for the Midwest Farm Report Radio Network, received the Lee Heine Good People Award by the Wisconsin Honey Producers Association in December 2023.
Lee Heine was a leader in the beekeeping industry who passed away in 2021. He was very involved in the Wisconsin Honey Producers Association, including serving as the president and vice president, and contributing to the association’s membership, marketing, promotion, and education efforts.
The association created the Good People Award in 2023 to honor Heine’s memory and individuals who have positive relationships with industry members and have taken on the beekeeping industry’s causes. The recipients of the Good People Award are not beekeepers and do not work in the beekeeping industry.
Jahnke got involved with the Wisconsin beekeeping industry through her career in farm broadcasting.
“We’ve got a pretty strong group of honey producers in Wisconsin, and I started going to their conventions,” Jahnke said. “I love covering their news, and they always make it so easy on us. They always arrange for us to interview the Wisconsin Honey Queen and other sources.”
In recent years, the public became aware of prevalent issues within the beekeeping industry, and Jahnke wanted to bring light to these challenges of the industry.
“People started talking about issues like colony collapse, and I circled back to the group to find out more about this and other hot topics,” Jahnke said. “We all depend on bees, and I like talking to producers about the individual challenges they are facing.”
She was honored to be recognized for championing the beekeeping industry.
“It just makes sense that I’d be working with these folks on a regular basis,” Jahnke said. “So, for them to turn around and award me for sharing their stories was a surprise.”
She knew Heine personally and considered it a privilege to be the inaugural recipient of the award created to honor him.
“Lee never walked out of a room without making friends,” Jahnke said. “I was a little emotional when I got the award because he was such a great guy.”
