Retired foundry executive featured in Badger Bee

Keith Penney is featured on the cover of the March 2020 isue of American Bee Journal.
Submitted Photo

A Waupaca area resident has been selected as the Wisconsin Honey Producers Association’s Beekeeper of the Year for 2020.

Keith Penney took up beekeeping after retiring as Waupaca Foundry’s vice president of manufacturing and is featured in the December issue of the Badger Bee, the association’s official publication.

His work with the WHPA has been as a contributor behind the scenes, organizing district meetings, coordinating events such as Honey Sunday and growing beekeepers from the ground up through mentorship.

Penney has also been an active member of the Waupaca County Beekeepers Association for more than a decade.

“He goes way beyond what is expected to mentor and support new beekeepers,” according to a story in the December 2020 edition of The Badger Bee, the official publication of the Wisconsin Honey Producers Association.

“He travels many miles every year answering their questions and he never wants to see a beekeeper or bee colony fail,” according to the story. “Keith is a modest beekeeper. He never assumes he is right and is always trying to learn from others. In spite of this modesty, he is firm with new beekeepers who fail to learn the basics, who don’t do mite counts and don’t treat properly. This is a reflection of him being a true beekeeper. He cares about the bees.”

Penney has been an annual fixture at the WHPA’s booth at the Wisconsin State Fair in West Allis.

“After working at the state fair, he rides home silently – in the back seat – because he has lost his voice from talking bees,” according to the story. “He loves talking bees, educating others about the honey and beekeeping industry and promoting the WHPA at a grassroots level.”