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Long awaited new edition producers manual launched
Peter Gregg | July 28, 2022
UNDERHILL, Vt.—The most comprehensive resource for sugarmakers just got better!
The Third edition of the North American Maple Syrup Producers Manual has a new chapter on food safety, as well as updated chapters on sap, syrup, and value-added product production based on the most recent research and modest updates to other chapters.
Remaining chapters have had modest updates.
There are sections on sugarbush management, economics of maple businesses, marketing, and more.
The 434-page Manual is available for free download - just send a blank email to mapleproducersmanual@gmail.com and you will automatically receive a link.
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Consumers don’t give a hoot about the health benefits of maple, or if it's fake
Peter Gregg | July 15, 2022
SYRACUSE, N.Y.—Sugarmakers may want to rethink how they market syrup because many things they’ve been doing up until now have been wrong, according to new market research.
“U.S. consumers are not familiar and confident about what they know about maple syrup,” said Helen Thomas, executive director of the New York State Maple Producers Association, which co-sponsored a market research study this spring.
More than 1600 consumers were surveyed, including in-person focus groups in six major U.S. cities as part of a study funded by the USDA Acer grant program. The results were revealed during a Zoom meeting this week with the International Maple Syrup Institute.
“A lot of people think they know maple syrup but they don’t,” Thomas said. “There was confusion on what maple syrup really was.”
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Federation breaks ground on new storage warehouse
Peter Gregg | July 5, 2022
LONGUEUIL, Que.—The Québec Maple Syrup Producers federation last week broke ground on a new $14 million warehouse in Plessisville, Que. that will become the third warehouse of its Global Strategic Maple Syrup Reserve.
“We just had a record harvest of 211 million pounds this spring that will allow us to replenish our reserve,” said federation President Luc Goulet.
The new warehouse will be 104,000 square feet and will hold 52 million pounds. It is expected to open in the spring of 2023.
It will be the second largest warehouse in the reserve, just after the Laurierville installation which holds up to 55 million pounds.
With the third installation in Saint-Antoine-de-Tilly, the Strategic Reserve will ultimately have a total storage capacity of 133 million pounds (216,000 barrels) of maple syrup. [ MORE ]
Done deal: H2O Innovation closes on Leader sale
Peter Gregg | July 1, 2022
SWANTON, Vt.—The installation of a new $1 million state-of-the-art tubing extruder will be the first order of business following the H2O Innovation buyout of Leader Evaporator Co., a deal that closed on Thursday night during a ceremony at the Leader plant in Swanton.
Paperwork was signed and champagne was flowing, as H2O became the new owners of the Leader Evaporator Co., which was founded in 1888 and reincorporated by a handful of prominent sugarmaking families as exclusive stockholders in 1964.
Meanwhile, H2O Innovation is a publicly traded company from Quebec City, Que. with a $250 million market capitalization with ambitions to significantly grow the maple side of its water purification business.
Rock Gaulin will run the operation in the U.S., officials said. Heading up the sales force in Swanton for the new H2O Innovation/Leader hybrid will be Kyle Lothian. [ MORE ]
Sugarmakers testing for themselves reds vs. sugars
Peter Gregg | June 7, 2022
CONESVILLE, N.Y.—Sugarmakers are giving their reds more respect.
Following some breakthrough research from Dr. Abby van den Berg of the University of Vermont Proctor Maple Research Center this winter, showing that red maples produce as much sap as sugar maples with nearly the same sugar content, sugarmakers are testing for themselves.
“I decided to do my own little experiment here,” said John Riedl, a sugarmaker in Conesville, N.Y. in the Catskills region.
Riedl, with wife Cathy, said he did an experiment on a small number of red maple trees located in an open area, and compared them to some sugar maples nearby.
“We have four large hard maples in our front yard and four large soft maples behind our house,” Riedl told The Maple News. [ MORE ]
Sugarmakers confronted by testy neighbors
Peter Gregg | May 9, 2022
MALTA, N.Y.—Two sugarmakers were dealing with testy neighbors this season, who apparently don’t love maple.
Sugarmaker Erich Ruger of Sugar Oak Farms in Malta, N.Y. told The Maple News a neighbor snipped his sap lines.
“Caught some lady cutting my sap lines around the corner who said I was ‘polluting the planet,’” Ruger said. “Sheriff had a nice long talk with her. Luckily I got there when I did or I would have missed her.”
Ruger said no charges were filed.
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Vermont Maple Festival back after two-year absence this weekend
Peter Gregg | April 20, 2022
ST. ALBANS, Vt.—Sugarmakers visiting the equipment open houses in Vermont this weekend are encouraged to visit the nearby Vermont Maple Festival, back after a two year absence.
For info click on https://www.vtmaplefestival.org
“We’re doing our best to bring back some of the enjoyment of celebrating the first agricultural crop of the year,” organizers said.
The Vermont Maple Festival will kick off at 12:00 Noon on Friday, April 22 with the annual Maple & Milk toast on the Main Street Stage in St. Albans Vt. [ MORE ]
Bulk price ticks a smidge higher for new crop syrup
Peter Gregg | April 14, 2022
ALSTEAD, N.H.—Big syrup crops in the Northeast and Upper Midwest are tamping down prospects of a dramatically higher bulk price this season.
But there is still an increase.
Packers in the Northeast for the most part will be paying $2.60 per pound for the top grades, not much higher than prices before the season started but significant higher than this time last year.
Prices paid by most packers for field run bulk syrup are $2.60 per pound for Golden Delicious and Amber Rich; $2.50 per pound for Dark Robust; Very Dark Strong is paying $2.20 per pound and processing grades are $1.30.
There is a 20 cent premium attached to all organic syrup.
Sugarmakers with drums of ropy and unfiltered syrup will get 75 cents per pound.
“Big crop,” said Bruce Bascom, of Bascom Maple Farms in Alstead, N.H. and one of the biggest U.S. packers. “Northern half of U.S. did very much better than the southern tier. Most of the tonnage is made in the north.” [ MORE ]
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