Our Story

It started with a Netflix documentary. But there was nothing chill about it. In fact, Barbara had zero chill while watching Vanishing of the Bees. Zero. And who could blame her? When you hear just how much we depend on honeybees ecologically, economically. And that they’re dying off at alarming rates. It doesn’t sit well.

Somehow it was an inflight magazine article, not his wife’s hysterics, that made Bryan realize what a crisis this was. But living in the Kansas suburbs, he and Barbara felt powerless to help the situation. And they couldn’t accept that.

So they got a map. And drew a circle around Kansas City that spanned 100 miles. And started looking for land where they could raise bees.

Then in 2010, they found it. Eighty acres just outside of Garland, Kansas. Black Dogs Farm—their Act II. They knew starting a small farm at age 50 would be a challenge, but they felt empowered to make a difference. Not just with bees, but with rescue dogs too. And sheep. And just good, honest farming.

Today Bryan and Barbara live on Black Dogs Farm full-time and continue to support the honeybee population by maintaining hives on behalf of fellow bee activists all over the country. They are passionate about providing locally made goods to the people of Kansas City, and hope to inspire others that it’s never too late to do what you love.

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