Are you close enough to get to the mpls farmer's mkt? There's a very nice beekeeper who is there most weekends. I'm pretty sure he lives locally (i.e., zone 4) but he might travel with his bees to pollinate more southerly blooms during the winter.

Carmellia - Beekeeping is a popular hobby on a large and small scale around here.... zone 3a. So should be no problem in your area. Despite the very wet, rainy summer, folks still got very good yields this year.

Could also call the Dept of Ag and ask for the beekeeping inspector. A nice gentleman who I am sure could steer you to the right resources and folks who would be able to help.
Jan

The beekeepers association in my area (N.Central MN) doesn't have amy members in southern MN, so I googled "apiaries" Beekeeping, etc. and got tons and tons of likely hits

Here's a link to the Mn dept of agriculture. Quite prominent on the front page is the caveat that every MN beekeeper is rquired to register his hives, which goes far to explain why I let mine die out. I was at the hobby level, and no longer wanted the hassle and expense.

Here is a link that might be useful: Mn Dept of Ag