2026 Heroes to Hives Program registration open

Registration is now open for the 2026 Heroes to Hives program.

University of Missouri Extension assistant professor Karen Funkenbusch said veterans who want to learn about beekeeping can attend the self-paced online class, which runs March-November. Participants also receive on-ground training on hive handling, hive inspections, pest and pathogen management and beekeeping ergonomics from April to October.

Locations for hands-on training include the Heroes to Hives apiary at the University of Central Missouri’s Mitchell Street Farm at Warrensburg; MU Southwest Center at Mount Vernon; Three Rivers Community College; University of Missouri-St. Louis; and MU Jefferson Farm and Garden in Columbia.

On-ground training sessions are for registered veteran participants and their dependents age 18 and older. Register on the University of Missouri Extension website.

Since 2021, MU Extension has offered the Heroes to Hives program with support from the Missouri AgrAbility Project and Missouri Beginning Farmer and Rancher Program, U.S. Department of Agriculture – National Institute of Food and Agriculturem, and Rotary Club of Columbia.

Army veteran and Michigan State agricultural entomologist Adam Imgrao and his wife began the program in 2015. Missouri is the first state chapter.