getting to my core
beekeeping + phenology = responsible honey
When you buy my honey, wax bars and pastilles, and lip balm, when you use my phenology guides for beekeepers, we are working together for good air and water quality and choice-level perennials in the ground.
You see, I grew up in the country. Excellent air and water quality and appropriate land use motivate me. Combining my love of beekeeping with that motivation led to honey, lip balm, teaching, BeeLaws.org, A Phenology Planner for Beekeepers, and A Beekeeper’s Year (prairie edition) Calendar.
I choose to spend my time and money in alignment with my values, so I also want you to know that I run a homeshare-style AirBnb where $1 from every night’s stay goes to the Sustainable Iowa Land Trust and another dollar to rotating religious charities.
My resume type of stuff can be found at LinkedIn. My resume is diverse for a unique experience.

2023 Activity
- Try THAT in a Small Town!, Diversity Panel moderator, Iowa Farmers Union Annual Convention, Dec. 2
- Success for All Means Accessible Information for All, Bee Culture, Sept 2023 issue (a review of the Phenology Calendar)
- Specialty Producer Spotlight with Julia McGuire (click to watch and listen), Iowa Farmers Union Lunch and Learn, Aug 17
- Introduction to Beekeeping, East Side Branch, Des Moines Public Library, Wed., July 26
- Introduction to Beekeeping, West Des Moines Public Library, Sat., April 1
- East Central Iowa Beekeeping Association, March 13, Evolving From the Phenology Planner to the Phenology Calendar
- Lunar New Year Wellness Event at Genesis Health Club
- Practical Farmers of Iowa Annual Conference Lightning Talk, Jan. 2023, Using Phenology to be a Better Beekeeper
Reviews for the Phenology Planner
- American Bee Journal (2022)
- The Buzz (Dec. 2021)
- The Beeline (Summer 2021)
2022 Activity
- Iowa Honey Producers Association Annual Convention, Nov. 2022 Phenology – The Effectiveness of Monthly Planning
- American Bee Journal, May 2022 Can I keep bees where I live?
- Administrative Council, North Central SARE Field Day, July 2022 The role of SARE in a _Phenology Planner for Beekeepers_
- Iowa Honey Producers Field Day, July 2022 Grants for beekeepers
Grant Awards
- NC-SARE Learning circles for beekeepers, 2023
- ChangeX Pollinator habitat, 2022
- NC-SARE Phenology for beekeepers, 2021
- IDALS SCBG Impact of mushroom extracts on honey production, 2019
- IDALS SCBG Bee Laws for the State of Iowa, 2015
More Bee Stories
- Field to Family story (2021)
- Your Neighbor (DM Cityview 2020)
- Talk of Iowa with Andy (audio Iowa Public Radio 2020)
- A bee rescue story with Jerry (video KCCI 2017)
episode 132 JULIA MCGUIRE BEES (KFMG Green City)
Bee-friendly Cities in Iowa (audio WVIK 2016)
- Evolution of BeeLaws.org and changing city code (WFAN 2016)
- Q & A (The Urban Farm 2015)
- My bee story (The Urban Farm 2014)
- FarmHer minor part (Harvest Public Media 2014)