<div dir="ltr"><br><div class="gmail_quote">---------- Forwarded message ----------<br>From: <b class="gmail_sendername">USDA NRCS Missouri</b> <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:USDA-NRCS@public.govdelivery.com">USDA-NRCS@public.govdelivery.com</a>></span><br>Date: Thu, Aug 27, 2015 at 10:12 AM<br>Subject: A Beekeeper's Dream: From Iran to Missouri<br>To: <a href="mailto:bernhap2@slu.edu">bernhap2@slu.edu</a><br><br><br><u></u>
<div>
<table width="700" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center">
<tbody><tr>
<td>
<table style="width:700px" border="0">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td><a href="http://links.govdelivery.com:80/track?type=click&enid=ZWFzPTEmbWFpbGluZ2lkPTIwMTUwODI3LjQ4NDc3MzUxJm1lc3NhZ2VpZD1NREItUFJELUJVTC0yMDE1MDgyNy40ODQ3NzM1MSZkYXRhYmFzZWlkPTEwMDEmc2VyaWFsPTE3NDE2MzA0JmVtYWlsaWQ9YmVybmhhcDJAc2x1LmVkdSZ1c2VyaWQ9YmVybmhhcDJAc2x1LmVkdSZmbD0mZXh0cmE9TXVsdGl2YXJpYXRlSWQ9JiYm&&&100&&&http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/site/mo/home/" target="_blank"><img src="http://content.govdelivery.com/attachments/fancy_images/USDANRCS/2014/01/251001/nrcs-missouri_original.jpg" alt="Missouri_NRCS_Helping People Help the Land" title="Missouri_NRCS_Helping People Help the Land" width="700" height="105"></a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="text-align:right">
<p>Having trouble viewing this email? <a href="http://links.govdelivery.com:80/track?type=click&enid=ZWFzPTEmbWFpbGluZ2lkPTIwMTUwODI3LjQ4NDc3MzUxJm1lc3NhZ2VpZD1NREItUFJELUJVTC0yMDE1MDgyNy40ODQ3NzM1MSZkYXRhYmFzZWlkPTEwMDEmc2VyaWFsPTE3NDE2MzA0JmVtYWlsaWQ9YmVybmhhcDJAc2x1LmVkdSZ1c2VyaWQ9YmVybmhhcDJAc2x1LmVkdSZmbD0mZXh0cmE9TXVsdGl2YXJpYXRlSWQ9JiYm&&&101&&&http://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/USDANRCS/bulletins/116a3c3" target="_blank">View it as a Web page</a>.</p>
<p><a href="http://links.govdelivery.com:80/track?type=click&enid=ZWFzPTEmbWFpbGluZ2lkPTIwMTUwODI3LjQ4NDc3MzUxJm1lc3NhZ2VpZD1NREItUFJELUJVTC0yMDE1MDgyNy40ODQ3NzM1MSZkYXRhYmFzZWlkPTEwMDEmc2VyaWFsPTE3NDE2MzA0JmVtYWlsaWQ9YmVybmhhcDJAc2x1LmVkdSZ1c2VyaWQ9YmVybmhhcDJAc2x1LmVkdSZmbD0mZXh0cmE9TXVsdGl2YXJpYXRlSWQ9JiYm&&&102&&&http://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/USDANRCS/bulletins/116a3c3?reqfrom=share" target="_blank"><img width="83" height="16" alt="Bookmark and Share" style="border:0" src="https://public.govdelivery.com/assets/share_this.gif"></a></p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<h1><font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">A Beekeeper's Dream: From Iran to Missouri</font></h1>
<p><font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3"><img src="http://content.govdelivery.com/attachments/fancy_images/USDANRCS/2015/08/595250/dscn0213_original.jpg" alt="David Panahi Checks His Hives" title="David Panahi Checks His Hives" width="400" height="300"></font></p>
<p><font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">The closing days of World War II brought sleepless nights to David Panahi, then a four-year old Iranian boy living in what is now Azerbaijan near the border of Russia. His father away with the Army, Panahi remembers countless nights lying alone on the floor, crying himself to sleep while the sound of bombs exploding filled the air. </font></p>
<p><font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">During the few peaceful daylight hours, Panahi and his older brother crossed cautiously to the countryside and watched Russian farmers tend to their beehives. </font></p>
<p><font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">“Watching those beekeepers collect honey, I said right then-and-there, ‘God, I’d really like to do that one day.’” Panahi said. “God is good and he had a plan. I just didn’t realize it was going to take 65 years to get to the point where I would be in a position to have hives,” Panahi laughed.</font></p>
<p><font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">Panahi left Iran in 1977, two years before the Iranian revolution which sent the Shah into exile and left Ayatollah Khomeini at the helm of the country.</font></p>
<p><font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">“If we had stayed in Iran, I’m fairly certain we would have been killed because of our affiliation with the Iranian Army,” Panahi said. </font></p>
<p><font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3"> Making the decision to move to America based on a picture of a palm tree that graced the cover of a magazine his Dad had shown him years earlier, Panahi and his two children packed up and left to begin new lives in the United States.</font></p>
<p><font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">With stops in New York, Hawaii and a 37-year stay in California, Panahi and his wife Paula eventually found their way in 2006 to a picturesque acreage in Fair Grove, Missouri, and immediately began making plans for a farm.</font></p>
<p><font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">“Within our first week here we bought horses, lambs, goats and geese,” Panahi said. “This place was a zoo.”</font></p>
<p><font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">It wasn’t long after settling in at the Dallas County farm that Panahi connected with NRCS Resource Conservationist Myron Hartzell. Panahi needed a water source and Hartzell was happy to create a plan that included both a watering and rotational grazing system for his horses. It was around this time that Panahi returned to the plan he envisioned nearly seven decades earlier on the Russian border of Iran. He invested in his first three Italian beehives. </font></p>
<p><font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">During a 2007 field visit with Hartzell, it came to light that Panahi now needed shade and winter protection for his new hive area and more blooming plants for pollinator habitat. After installing pasture fencing on his own, Panahi discovered that livestock, horses and goats were no longer the area he wanted to focus on. </font></p>
<p><font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">Dedicating full energy to his beehives, Panahi increased to 10 hives in 2008, and 15 hives in 2009. Currently, Panahi has more than 100 Italian and Russian and Carniolan beehives scattered around his property and the properties of friends and acquaintances within a 90-mile radius.</font></p>
<p><font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">“I make a visit to each of my hives once a week, at least three times a month,” Panahi said. </font></p>
<p><font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">Routinely checking the queen, ensuring that the hives have enough space to spread out and feeding the bees with supplemental sugar water, Panahi’s pollinators produce an average of two tons of honey each year. However, due to the large amount of rainfall this year, Panahi expects less production since rain washes away pollen from the flowering blooms.</font></p>
<p><font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">With assistance from NRCS’ Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) and Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), Panahi’s pollinators are surrounded by fields of wildflowers, shrubs, red maples and fruit trees including pears, peaches, apples and even heat-loving figs. The native plants, Witchazel, Aromatic Asters and Goldenrod, were established with assistance from NRCS and designed to have continuous bloom periods throughout the growing season that enhance honey production and pollination activity. </font></p>
<p><font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">“My neighbor told me there was no way that I would be able to get a fruit tree to grow in this part of Missouri,” Panahi said. “But the bees have helped produce some of the sweetest, juiciest fruit you can imagine. There is a good cross benefit between the pollinator crops and honey.”</font></p>
<p><font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">NRCS Resource Conservationist Adam Coulter has worked extensively with Panahi over the past few years and now hosts 10the Pollinators of Panahi’s hives on his own pollinator-friendly property.</font></p>
<p><font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">“David is doing a great job building relationships in the community,” Coulter said. “He’s helping spread the word about the advantages of not only pollinator habitat but of NRCS assistance. His involvement in numerous local and state-level organizations is making people realize that NRCS is more than just an agency to help with terraces and livestock.”</font></p>
<p><font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">Panahi sells his honey locally at the annual Fair Grove festival and has a shop on his property that runs on the honor system. His name and reputation for good, quality products that include honey, hives, queens and bee boxes, is extending his reach even further.</font></p>
<p><font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">“I’m doing my best, as far as I know,” Panahi said. “I’ve learned a lot over the past few years. I attend classes and seminars, I’m a member of the Ozark and Missouri Beekeeping Associations and serve as a mentor to others beekeepers. I’m thankful for the assistance that NRCS has provided me. My gardens, fruit trees, wildflowers and trees have all been significantly enhanced by the bees and NRCS helped put that pollinator habitat in the ground.”</font></p>
<p><font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">View the story and additional photographs on the <a href="http://links.govdelivery.com:80/track?type=click&enid=ZWFzPTEmbWFpbGluZ2lkPTIwMTUwODI3LjQ4NDc3MzUxJm1lc3NhZ2VpZD1NREItUFJELUJVTC0yMDE1MDgyNy40ODQ3NzM1MSZkYXRhYmFzZWlkPTEwMDEmc2VyaWFsPTE3NDE2MzA0JmVtYWlsaWQ9YmVybmhhcDJAc2x1LmVkdSZ1c2VyaWQ9YmVybmhhcDJAc2x1LmVkdSZmbD0mZXh0cmE9TXVsdGl2YXJpYXRlSWQ9JiYm&&&103&&&http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detail/mo/home/?cid=NRCSEPRD392239" target="_blank">Missouri NRCS Website</a>. </font></p>
<div>
<hr>
<p><a href="http://links.govdelivery.com:80/track?type=click&enid=ZWFzPTEmbWFpbGluZ2lkPTIwMTUwODI3LjQ4NDc3MzUxJm1lc3NhZ2VpZD1NREItUFJELUJVTC0yMDE1MDgyNy40ODQ3NzM1MSZkYXRhYmFzZWlkPTEwMDEmc2VyaWFsPTE3NDE2MzA0JmVtYWlsaWQ9YmVybmhhcDJAc2x1LmVkdSZ1c2VyaWQ9YmVybmhhcDJAc2x1LmVkdSZmbD0mZXh0cmE9TXVsdGl2YXJpYXRlSWQ9JiYm&&&104&&&http://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/USDANRCS/bulletins/116a3c3?reqfrom=share" target="_blank"><img width="83" height="16" alt="Bookmark and Share" style="border:0" src="https://public.govdelivery.com/assets/share_this.gif"></a></p>
<table style="width:420px" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td width="57"><a href="http://links.govdelivery.com:80/track?type=click&enid=ZWFzPTEmbWFpbGluZ2lkPTIwMTUwODI3LjQ4NDc3MzUxJm1lc3NhZ2VpZD1NREItUFJELUJVTC0yMDE1MDgyNy40ODQ3NzM1MSZkYXRhYmFzZWlkPTEwMDEmc2VyaWFsPTE3NDE2MzA0JmVtYWlsaWQ9YmVybmhhcDJAc2x1LmVkdSZ1c2VyaWQ9YmVybmhhcDJAc2x1LmVkdSZmbD0mZXh0cmE9TXVsdGl2YXJpYXRlSWQ9JiYm&&&105&&&http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/national/home" title="USDA NRCS" target="_blank"><img src="http://content.govdelivery.com/attachments/fancy_images/USDANRCS/2014/02/264303/usda-footer_original.jpg" alt="NRCS Logo" width="133" height="90" style="border:0"></a></td>
<td width="5"> </td>
<td style="width:333px;font-family:Arial,Verdana,sans-serif;color:#666666;font-size:12px" valign="top">Questions for USDA NRCS Missouri? <a href="http://links.govdelivery.com:80/track?type=click&enid=ZWFzPTEmbWFpbGluZ2lkPTIwMTUwODI3LjQ4NDc3MzUxJm1lc3NhZ2VpZD1NREItUFJELUJVTC0yMDE1MDgyNy40ODQ3NzM1MSZkYXRhYmFzZWlkPTEwMDEmc2VyaWFsPTE3NDE2MzA0JmVtYWlsaWQ9YmVybmhhcDJAc2x1LmVkdSZ1c2VyaWQ9YmVybmhhcDJAc2x1LmVkdSZmbD0mZXh0cmE9TXVsdGl2YXJpYXRlSWQ9JiYm&&&106&&&http://www.mo.nrcs.usda.gov/contact/" title="Contact Us" target="_blank">Contact us</a></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<table style="width:120px" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="color:#666666;font-family:Arial,Verdana,sans-serif;font-size:12px" colspan="6" valign="bottom" height="24">STAY CONNECTED:</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center" width="29"><a href="http://links.govdelivery.com:80/track?type=click&enid=ZWFzPTEmbWFpbGluZ2lkPTIwMTUwODI3LjQ4NDc3MzUxJm1lc3NhZ2VpZD1NREItUFJELUJVTC0yMDE1MDgyNy40ODQ3NzM1MSZkYXRhYmFzZWlkPTEwMDEmc2VyaWFsPTE3NDE2MzA0JmVtYWlsaWQ9YmVybmhhcDJAc2x1LmVkdSZ1c2VyaWQ9YmVybmhhcDJAc2x1LmVkdSZmbD0mZXh0cmE9TXVsdGl2YXJpYXRlSWQ9JiYm&&&107&&&https://twitter.com/NRCS_Missouri" title="Twitter" target="_blank"><img src="https://service.govdelivery.com/banners/GOVDELIVERY/SOCIAL_MEDIA/twitter.gif" border="0" alt="Visit Us on Twitter" width="27" height="25"></a></td>
<td width="29"><a href="http://links.govdelivery.com:80/track?type=click&enid=ZWFzPTEmbWFpbGluZ2lkPTIwMTUwODI3LjQ4NDc3MzUxJm1lc3NhZ2VpZD1NREItUFJELUJVTC0yMDE1MDgyNy40ODQ3NzM1MSZkYXRhYmFzZWlkPTEwMDEmc2VyaWFsPTE3NDE2MzA0JmVtYWlsaWQ9YmVybmhhcDJAc2x1LmVkdSZ1c2VyaWQ9YmVybmhhcDJAc2x1LmVkdSZmbD0mZXh0cmE9TXVsdGl2YXJpYXRlSWQ9JiYm&&&108&&&http://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/USDANRCS/subscribers/new" title="Sign up for Email Updates" target="_blank"><img src="https://service.govdelivery.com/banners/GOVDELIVERY/SOCIAL_MEDIA/envelope.gif" border="0" alt="Sign up for email updates" width="25" height="25"></a></td>
<td width="34"> </td>
<td width="34"> </td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p><span style="color:#666666;font-family:Arial,Verdana,sans-serif;font-size:12px">SUBSCRIBER SERVICES:<br><a href="http://links.govdelivery.com:80/track?type=click&enid=ZWFzPTEmbWFpbGluZ2lkPTIwMTUwODI3LjQ4NDc3MzUxJm1lc3NhZ2VpZD1NREItUFJELUJVTC0yMDE1MDgyNy40ODQ3NzM1MSZkYXRhYmFzZWlkPTEwMDEmc2VyaWFsPTE3NDE2MzA0JmVtYWlsaWQ9YmVybmhhcDJAc2x1LmVkdSZ1c2VyaWQ9YmVybmhhcDJAc2x1LmVkdSZmbD0mZXh0cmE9TXVsdGl2YXJpYXRlSWQ9JiYm&&&109&&&https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/USDANRCS/subscriber/edit?preferences=true#tab1" title="Manage Subscriptions" target="_blank">Manage Subscriptions</a> | <a href="http://links.govdelivery.com:80/track?type=click&enid=ZWFzPTEmbWFpbGluZ2lkPTIwMTUwODI3LjQ4NDc3MzUxJm1lc3NhZ2VpZD1NREItUFJELUJVTC0yMDE1MDgyNy40ODQ3NzM1MSZkYXRhYmFzZWlkPTEwMDEmc2VyaWFsPTE3NDE2MzA0JmVtYWlsaWQ9YmVybmhhcDJAc2x1LmVkdSZ1c2VyaWQ9YmVybmhhcDJAc2x1LmVkdSZmbD0mZXh0cmE9TXVsdGl2YXJpYXRlSWQ9JiYm&&&110&&&https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/USDANRCS/subscriber/one_click_unsubscribe?verification=5.b1fc266cff9663f0934a1f295302fb1c&destination=bernhap2@slu.edu" title="Unsubscribe from All Topics" target="_blank">Unsubscribe All</a> | <a href="http://links.govdelivery.com:80/track?type=click&enid=ZWFzPTEmbWFpbGluZ2lkPTIwMTUwODI3LjQ4NDc3MzUxJm1lc3NhZ2VpZD1NREItUFJELUJVTC0yMDE1MDgyNy40ODQ3NzM1MSZkYXRhYmFzZWlkPTEwMDEmc2VyaWFsPTE3NDE2MzA0JmVtYWlsaWQ9YmVybmhhcDJAc2x1LmVkdSZ1c2VyaWQ9YmVybmhhcDJAc2x1LmVkdSZmbD0mZXh0cmE9TXVsdGl2YXJpYXRlSWQ9JiYm&&&111&&&https://subscriberhelp.govdelivery.com/" target="_blank">Help</a></span></p>
<p><em><span style="color:#666666;font-family:Arial,Verdana,sans-serif;font-size:12px">USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. To file a complaint of discrimination, write: USDA, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, Office of Adjudication, 1400 Independence Ave., SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call <a href="tel:%28866%29%20632-9992" value="+18666329992" target="_blank">(866) 632-9992</a> (Toll-free Customer Service), <a href="tel:%28800%29%20877-8339" value="+18008778339" target="_blank">(800) 877-8339</a> (Local or Federal relay), <a href="tel:%28866%29%20377-8642" value="+18663778642" target="_blank">(866) 377-8642</a> (Relay voice users).</span></em></p>
</div>
<div>
<hr>
<table style="width:100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="color:#757575;font-size:10px;font-family:Arial" width="89%">This email was sent to <a href="mailto:bernhap2@slu.edu" target="_blank">bernhap2@slu.edu</a> using GovDelivery, on behalf of: USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service · Public Affairs Division · 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Room 6221-S · Washington, D.C. 20250 · <a href="tel:1-202-720-3210" value="+12027203210" target="_blank">1-202-720-3210</a></td>
<td align="right" width="11%"><a href="http://links.govdelivery.com:80/track?type=click&enid=ZWFzPTEmbWFpbGluZ2lkPTIwMTUwODI3LjQ4NDc3MzUxJm1lc3NhZ2VpZD1NREItUFJELUJVTC0yMDE1MDgyNy40ODQ3NzM1MSZkYXRhYmFzZWlkPTEwMDEmc2VyaWFsPTE3NDE2MzA0JmVtYWlsaWQ9YmVybmhhcDJAc2x1LmVkdSZ1c2VyaWQ9YmVybmhhcDJAc2x1LmVkdSZmbD0mZXh0cmE9TXVsdGl2YXJpYXRlSWQ9JiYm&&&112&&&http://www.govdelivery.com/portals/powered-by" target="_blank"><img src="https://service.govdelivery.com/banners/GOVDELIVERY/logo_gd_poweredby.gif" border="0" alt="Powered by GovDelivery" width="115" height="35"></a></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p> </p>
</div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<img src="http://links.govdelivery.com:80/track?enid=ZWFzPTEmbWFpbGluZ2lkPTIwMTUwODI3LjQ4NDc3MzUxJm1lc3NhZ2VpZD1NREItUFJELUJVTC0yMDE1MDgyNy40ODQ3NzM1MSZkYXRhYmFzZWlkPTEwMDEmdHlwZT1vcGVuJnNlcmlhbD0xNzQxNjMwNCZlbWFpbGlkPWJlcm5oYXAyQHNsdS5lZHUmdXNlcmlkPWJlcm5oYXAyQHNsdS5lZHUmZmw9JmV4dHJhPU11bHRpdmFyaWF0ZUlkPSYmJg==" width="1" height="1" style="border-width:0;border-style:hidden" alt=""></div>
</div><br></div>