In this episode of Between the Rows, I sit down with Chris Hiatt—one of the most prominent commercial beekeepers in the U.S. and former President of the American Honey Producers Association—for a candid conversation on the realities of modern beekeeping.

Recorded at the tail end of almond pollination season in California, this discussion goes beyond the surface. We talk about what actually happened this season, how weather timing impacted bloom and bee activity, and what growers and beekeepers experienced on the ground.

Chris brings a rare perspective—running a large-scale beekeeping operation across multiple states while also managing almond orchards—giving him insight from both sides of the pollination equation.  

From there, we dig into the bigger questions facing the industry today:

• Why colonies are weaker than they used to be
• The real cost of pollination and rising operational risk
• Colony losses and what’s driving them
• The role of nutrition, forage, and changing environments
• The growing disconnect between perception and reality in beekeeping

This is not a theoretical conversation—it’s a grounded, field-level look at what it takes to run bees at scale today, and where the industry may be heading next.

If you care about agriculture, pollination, or the future of food systems, this episode gives you a direct window into one of the most critical—and challenged—parts of the ecosystem.