village in New Mexico
Honey bee forage in San Jon, New Mexico
Estimated forage here is better than about 90% of sites in New Mexico. Against other New Mexico sites it stands out most in spring (96th percentile) and lowest in fall (35th). Biggest nearby bee crops: sorghum (nearest 2.4 mi N, grown 3 of the last 5 years); cotton (nearest 3.7 mi NW, grown 1 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in San Jon?
- First forage: Feb 16 (dandelion, native wildflowers, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard))
- Main flow: Mar 16 to May 31, peaking early May (summer-flowering trees (locust, linden))
- Season ends: Oct 31
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of San Jon, 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 Mar 29.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): summer-flowering trees (locust, linden), roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red; white, likely to stay liquid a long time
- Summer honey (July and August): fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red; light amber, likely to set over some months
- Fall honey (September to November): fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), garden flowers; amber
- Whole season (March to November): summer-flowering trees (locust, linden), fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), dandelion; white, likely to stay liquid a long time
Nectar-source estimate (plants weighted by how much bees favor them), not a pollen analysis. Full honey estimate.
Bee crops within flight range
- Sorghum: about 4 acres in a typical year, nearest 2.5 mi N, blooms late May – late Jun (grown 2 of the last 5 years)
- Cotton: about 64 acres in a typical year, nearest 3.7 mi NW, blooms early Jul – early Sep (grown 1 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 San Jon
Mostly: Western Great Plains Mesquite Shrubland; Western Great Plains Shortgrass Prairie; Western Great Plains Sandhill Steppe.
Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.55 mi SE; creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.76 mi SE.
How San Jon ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 33rd | 71st | 22nd | 52nd |
| New Mexico | 90th | 96th | 42nd | 35th |
| Southwestern Tablelands | 58th | 89th | 15th | 19th |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 83% 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 San Jon: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Logan 18 mi · Grady 20 mi · Tucumcari 21 mi · Nara Visa 37 mi · House 45 mi · Clovis 47 mi
All towns in New Mexico · 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 San Jon (35.1113, -103.3363); 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.