Fargo, N.D. (AP) North Dakota leads the nation in honey production for the sixth consecutive year. The Agriculture Department says North Dakota beekeepers with five or more colonies produced 34.7 million pounds of honey last year, down 4 percent from 2008 but still tops in the nation. North Dakota and California typically vie for that distinction. Production in California last year totaled only 11.7 million pounds, and the state lost out on second place to South Dakota, which produced 17.8 million pounds. Nationwide, 144.1 million pounds of honey were produced.