Hunter's Honey Farm

Making life sweeter in Martinsville, Indiana

Tracy Hunter and his wife Chris know a thing or two about bees. Together with their children, 14-year-old Ross and 8-year-old Mackenzie, they run a 3rd generation beekeeping operation started by Tracy’s grandfather in the early 1900s. Hunter’s Honey Farm is situated on 75 acres—65 for timber and 5 for Christmas trees, plus hives with as many as 80,000 bees each—and includes an onsite store offering a dozen kinds of honey, as well as candles, snacks, and gifts.

The Hunters also sell pollination and even the bees themselves. Orders for these products are processed from all over the United States, and the Hunters also sell their products to major farmers markets in Bloomington, Indianapolis, and Carmel. They also have exhibits at the Indiana State Fair and several county fairs and their products are carried at major retailers like Meijer and Rainbow Blossom. 

For Tracy, who was recently named Indiana Farm Bureau’s Farmer of the Year, investing in honey just makes sense. For one thing, honey is the only product that never spoils. For another, there’s simply the joy of carrying on the family heritage. “Beekeeping is a very rewarding occupation,” notes Tracy. “It allows me to enjoy the products of the beehive and value-added products using honey, beeswax, pollen, and more.” 

“Around 1910, my grandfather, Gilbert Perigo, obtained his first hive while still in high school.  He eventually ran 600 - 800 hives while teaching in a one-room schoolhouse in Boonville, Indiana.  My mother, Marian Hunter, kept a few hives and also taught elementary school.  And now I am operating a few hundred hives and teach high school biology in Trafalgar, Indiana.” 

“Today, the fourth generation of beekeepers is a vital part of our operation. Even though my son, Ross, is only 14 years old, he has already hived his own bees and is very active in our queen production.  My daughter, Mackenzie, helps my wife, Chris, with the candle making and preparing the honey snacks and treats like our honey dried apple slices.”

Beekeeping is not without its challenges. There are mystery disease killings, for example, which the USDA believes could have to do with stress and environmental chemicals, one reason Tracy is no longer using chemicals in his processing. “It’s still agriculture,” he says. “It involves all the weather, disease and financial-related challenges any other farmer endures.  But we look forward to continuing the tradition of producing premium honey along other hive products because it is not just a job—it’s a way of life for us.”

For more information about Hunter’s Honey Farms or to schedule a tour of their property, be sure to visit www.huntershoneyfarm.com.