city in Minnesota

Honey bee forage in Holdingford, Minnesota

Estimated forage here is better than about 60% of sites in Minnesota. Against other Minnesota sites it stands out most in fall (76th percentile) and lowest in summer (58th). Biggest nearby bee crops: corn (nearest 0.2 mi E); soybeans (nearest 0.2 mi E, grown 1 of the last 5 years); alfalfa (nearest 0.6 mi SW, grown 3 of the last 5 years).

When is the honey flow in Holdingford?

  • First forage: Apr 1 (dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard))
  • Main flow: Jul 1 to Aug 31, peaking late Jul (soybeans, alfalfa)
  • Season ends: Oct 15
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Holdingford, from what grows within flight range (about 3.7 miles) and when it blooms here. Dates are the model's estimate for a typical year; the spring index for this spot falls on May 17.

What the honey is made of

  • Spring honey (March to June): clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), early trees (maple, willow, poplar); extra light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
  • Summer honey (July and August): soybeans, alfalfa, clovers: white, alsike and red, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard); white, likely to set within weeks to a few months
  • Fall honey (September to November): soybeans, alfalfa, clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion; extra light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
  • Whole season (March to November): soybeans, clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, alfalfa; extra light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid

Nectar-source estimate (plants weighted by how much bees favor them), not a pollen analysis. Full honey estimate.

Bee crops within flight range

  • Corn: about 577 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.2 mi E, blooms late Jul – late Aug (grown 5 of the last 5 years)
  • Soybeans: about 72 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.4 mi W, blooms early Jul – early Sep (grown 2 of the last 5 years)

From USDA's crop maps for 2021–2025; fields rotate, so a crop counts by how often it was grown. Listing a field says nothing about its owner.

The land and water around Holdingford

Mostly: Corn; Eastern Cool Temperate Pasture and Hayland; North-Central Interior Dry-Mesic Oak Forest and Woodland.

Nearest mapped water: creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.22 mi E; mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.26 mi W.

How Holdingford ranks

Against random land inOverallSpringSummerFall
Continental US84th50th88th85th
Minnesota60th59th58th76th
North Central Hardwood Forests84th49th79th76th

Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.

About 39% of the land here is scored with national averages for its vegetation type rather than measured plant cover, so the wild-plant part of this estimate is rougher than the crop part.

The national forage map around Holdingford: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.

Nearby

Bowlus 7 mi · Upsala 7 mi · Elmdale 7 mi · St. Anthony 7 mi · Albany 8 mi · Avon 9 mi

All towns in Minnesota · National map · How the scoring works

An estimate from public maps (USDA crop maps 2021–2025 averaged, LANDFIRE vegetation), not a survey of the ground. Maps can't see garden plantings, understory density, other beekeepers' hives, or this year's weather. The point is the Census Bureau's published center of Holdingford (45.7303, -94.4714); a yard a mile or two away can differ, so check your own spot. The FEMA flood map was not checked for this page. Benchmark 2026.5, built 2026-10-19. How this works · All sources.