MU Jefferson Farm’s Accessible Beehives Help Veterans – Morning Ag Clips

MU Jefferson Farm’s Accessible Beehives Help Veterans  Morning Ag Clips

Discover how accessible beehives are empowering veterans to engage in beekeeping while enhancing their wellness. COLUMBIA, Mo. – Accessible, ergonomically designed beehives at the University of Missouri’s Jefferson Farm and Garden Extension and Education Center give disabled veterans an opportunity to practice beekeeping. The new hives grew out of MU Extension’s Heroes to Hives program, which addresses the financial and personal wellness of veterans through free professional training and community development centered around beekeeping. The AŽ hives, named after their Slovenian inventor, Anton Žnideršic, eliminate the heavy lifting, bending and back strain of traditional Langstroth hives, says Karen Funkenbusch, who heads Missouri’s Heroes to Hives program. Individual frames can slide out horizontally, and they can be accessed from a sitting position.

The design helps beekeepers like Fred Marjoda, who uses a wheelchair. A Navy veteran of the Vietnam War, Marjoda has degenerative bone disease and a spinal cord injury from a 1977 car accident. “The Slovenian-style bee house and AŽ hives provide significant, accessible therapeutic beekeeping opportunities for veterans by eliminating heavy lifting and reducing physical strain, allowing those with injuries to work comfortably,” Funkenbusch says. “These setups offer a calm, focused environment that reduces PTSD, anxiety, and stress symptoms while fostering a sense of purpose and community,” she adds. Additionally, the meditative nature of working with bees provides a