New Jersey?s budget troubles are forcing state leaders to make some tough cuts this year, and some beekeepers are worried those cuts will hurt their program.

Part-time beekeeper Bill Horan says a state grant helped him learn the subtleties of beekeeping and bought him the equipment that put him in business. The grant was put toward a beekeeper program that has graduated 100 people over the last three years.

But with some cuts on the horizon, the future of that program is uncertain. Tim Schuler, of the state Department of Agriculture, is afraid grant money for the beekeepers could feel the sting.

?I am a state employee. I work for the state Department of Agriculture ? I?m concerned,? Schuler says.

If grant money is cut, Horan and Schuler fear the Garden State could lose dozens of new beekeepers every year.

For an extended interview with Schuler, go to channel 612 on your iO digital cable box and select iO Extra.

The New Jersey Beekeepers AssociationDepartment of Agriculture