What time of year is there the most honey ready to market by small local honey producers?
It depends on the location, but typically June-August. Some as late as October.
In my area the honey flow is from mid April to June 1. It usually takes me about 30 days to harvest it. Then whenever I get around to bottling it, shortly after it's sold.
People think that when spring starts, you get honey. So around March 1st or so I start getting significant demands for honey. So I learn to hold back half or so of last year's crop, and start selling it in March or April. Once I sell out of last year's crop, I sell this year's crop. At least until I get about halfway through, and then I stop selling and repeat next year.
I wish I could just sell when it's available. I'd sell July 1st until it's sold out, then repeat. But not too many people want honey in November, and they all want it in April. Oh well, it's still just as good.
Anyway, $85/gallon (about $7 per pound). I guess that's the going rate, as, IIRC, that's the same as what maxthespy said he paid even in an entirely different geography.
Sounds about right.
The numbers change monthly (
https://www.beeculture.com/regional-honey-price-report-10/ was last November's numbers, I can't find the online published February numbers, although I have it in paper form). Statistics aren't kept for gallons. Just common weights (as well as Quarts and Pints, because people apparently can't get enough Mason jars). Only thing higher than 5 lbs is a 60 lb bucket (rough 5 gallons). Beyond that it's wholesale in 55 gal drums.
I'd suggest looking into getting buckets over gallons, at least if you like the honey. A 55 gal drum (~660 lbs) is difficult to deal with, but a 5 gallon bucket isn't. And if you can shave the price down from $7/lb to $3.50 per lb. . . Based on the price, if you buy 2.5 gallons, you essentially get the next 2.5 gallons for free.
I stopped selling in buckets years ago because I didn't need to offload honey at that price point. But if I sold more I would. And I have in the past (although mostly to people that turn it into wedding door prizes, as homebrewer never wanted 5 gallons at a time, they just wanted 1 or 2 gallons at the 5 gallon price).