In early May 2012, the U.S honey crop projections were somewhat favorable. Moderate early spring rains were alleviating some of the moisture concerns caused by the very dry winter conditions in many of the prime honey producing regions of the U.S. Then in late May and early June, the rain just seemed to stop in many regions of the country, and intense heat started burning everything up.

Current 2012 U.S. honey crop projections are now for only a slightly better crop than last year's dismal 148 million lb. crop. With virtually no carryover honey from last years' poor crop, U.S raw honey prices are rising. Heavy demand for all North American honey will keep prices firm as the honey crops come in.

Argentina is leading the way for raw honey imports into the U.S. for the second year in a row. GMO pollen concerns by Europe has prevented imports of most Argentina honey into Europe. Previously, Europe was aggressively importing Argentina honey, and this kept much of this honey from reaching the U.S. As the U.S dollar gained strength against the Euro, and as the GMO pollen issues arose, more and more Argentina honey found its way into the U.S. This has helped to improve the U.S raw honey supply, and helped to moderate imported honey prices.

Imports of raw honey from India into the U.S. are well below last year, as Europe is sourcing more raw honey from both India and China to fill their honey needs.

Imports of Brazilian raw honey into the U.S. have been steady with moderate prices. Europe is still aggressively sourcing Brazilian honey.

Vietnam is still slowly getting its' honey crop into the market, and U.S. importers are still proceeding with caution due to the Carbendazim fungicide contamination issue from some of their floral sources. Vietnam beekeepers moved their hives to areas with different floral sources. This resulted in reduced honey production, and these different floral sources also produced darker honey.