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Goodrich installs more than 1500 new monitors
Peter Gregg | November 26, 2024
EDEN, Vt.—The big monitor installation continues in Northern Vermont.
Glenn Goodrich of Goodrich Maple Farm along with Brett and Chris Elliott, woods managers, continues a massive installation of Farmblox monitors—upwards of 1500 of them, across the expanse of Goodrich’s 160,000-tap sugarbush.
More than 300 monitors were installed last season.
[ MORE ]
Industry leaders offer market outlook for 2025
Peter Gregg | November 26, 2024
PORTLAND, Maine—Syrup is still selling, that’s the good news.
Bulk buyers and industry leaders on a discussion panel at the NAMSC annual meeting seemed optimistic about the consumer end of the marketplace.
“People are using syrup for more than just breakfast overall, they are keeping syrup as a grocery staple,” said David Ellis, of Butternut Mountain Farm in Morrisville, Vt., one of the nation’s top syrup buyers.
Ben Fisk of Ben’s Sugar Shack in Temple, N.H. agreed, but was hopeful to expand further.
“If we could get people to use just one ounce of maple syrup in their coffee every day, we’d be in good shape,” he said.
None of the panelists would reveal or predict where the bulk price might be going, but gave a broad perspective on the current maple marketplace. [ MORE ]
Will the Midwest drought impact maple production?
Les Ober, OSU Extension maple specialist | October 10, 2024
BURTON, Ohio—Climatic conditions are once again posing a possible weather threat to maple syrup producers.
Western and Southern maple producing regions of United states are now part of an Abnormally Dry to Exceptional Drought pattern.
Of major concern to maple producers, is how the drought will affect the 2025 season. Currently, there does not appear to be a threat to New York and New England, where too much rain has caused other issues. That could all change if the drought shifts north and east.
The extreme drought and exceptional drought is concentrated in West Virginia and Southeastern Ohio, and has spread to the Upper Midwest.
However, large portions of other states are experiencing Abnormally Dry to Moderately Drought conditions.
Of greater concern, would be for this drought to extend into the winter and beyond. Snow accumulation during the Winter has a major impact on recharging the subsoil and sap flow. The subsoil moisture is everything when it comes to sap production.
The greatest impact would be from an extended drought, that reoccurs over multiple years. [ MORE ]
Average retail syrup price for a gallon goes up
Peter Gregg | June 26, 2024
HARRISBURG, Pa.—The retail price for a gallon of syrup in the United States averaged $55.70 last year, up two bucks over the 2022 average retail price in the U.S.
Seven states were surveyed by the USDA on retail prices, excluding the granddaddy of syrup prices, Connecticut where some sugarmakers are rumored to fetch $100 per gallon.
In Maine, retail averages $69.80 per gallon; New Hampshire gets $64.90; New York was at $53.80; Wisconsin gets $52.00; Michigan $56.60; Pennsylvania at $47.10 and Vermont was at $57.10, according to the USDA.
[ MORE ]
Sugarmakers endorse “Krueger Sanitation Method
Michael Rechlin, Future Generations University | May 28, 2024
FRANKLIN, W.V.—Three-sixteenth tubing systems rely on gravity-initiated tension in the sap column to develop vacuum.
They provide substantial increases in sap flow without the added equipment and energy expenses of 5/16 vacuum systems.
What they do require is adequate drop to develop the pull. Over time it was discovered that 3/16 systems had their own problems.
Foremost of which is the accelerated growth of microbial mass, leading to clogging, at points of reduced diameter around fittings.
Also, with the tubes remaining filled with sap a greater volume of contaminated sap was being be drawn back into the tree during the freezing period of a sap flow cycle.
Various strategies are being developed to address these two drawbacks. The approach looked at here is a cleaning and sanitation technique we refer to as the “Krueger Sanitation method.” [ MORE ]
Big mast year reported in Northeast
Peter Gregg | May 28, 2024
UPTON, Mass.—Tom Claflin, a sugarmaker in Upton, Mass. reports an unbelievable mast year in his area.
“It’s like a carpet,” he told The Maple News.
“It’s been so wet lately and all the seeds germinated. I’ve never seen them producer like this.” C
Caflin blames the phenomenon on the lack of sugar in the sap this season.
“Every time we have a big mast year like this the sugar sucks,” he told The Maple News. [ MORE ]
CDL Corporate Group acquires Prestige Maple Products Inc.
| February 26, 2024
St-Eusèbe, Que—CDL Corporate Group has recently acquired Prestige Maple Products Inc., a family-owned company specializing in the production and distribution of processed and packaged maple products.
This acquisition, leveraging the complementary synergies of both companies, will enable Prestige Maple Products to ensure its growth and continue its development through product diversification in both domestic and international markets.
Prestige Maple Products is located in St-Eusèbe in the Bas-St-Laurent region.
Its strategic location, quality services to maple producers, processed products to consumers, its team and its specialized infrastructures in maple product processing are the reasons why Prestige Maple Products was a desired partner for CDL.
Mr. Patrick Lavoie, founder of Prestige Maple Products and former owner, explains: "CDL is a family-owned company like ours, well-known in the maple industry. The association of these two companies with common family values was therefore quite natural!"
Growing the Maple Market Potential
[ MORE ]
Frozen trees are better for tapping, sugarmaker experts say
Peter Gregg | January 11, 2024
SYRACUSE, N.Y.—Take it from the pros, tap the trees while they’re frozen, not when they’re running.
“I like to tap when the trees are cold,” said Mike Parker, of 100,000-tap Parker Maple Farm in West Chazy, N.Y. during the NYS Maple Conference last weekend. “When it’s warm, we’re chasing leaks.”
Parker was one of several sugarmakers interviewed by the Maple News who said that ice cold trees are the best conditions for tapping.
“The holes drill much cleaner,” said Raymond Gingerich, who taps 10,000 in Orwell, Ohio.
Both sugarmakers said that if a producer taps a tree and sap comes out of the hole, they’ve already missed a run. “You’re getting there too late,” Gingerich said.
Drills have been humming across the Maple Belt since the turn of the year, with sugarmakers tapping and many making syrup already.
Frozen trees have been a little hard to come by in the Northeast, with another mild January and even milder December. [ MORE ]
Long list of topics for maple show this weekend
Peter Gregg | January 4, 2024
SYRACUSE, N.Y.—The Mid-Winter Maple Classic in central New York is returning this weekend after a one-year absence. Walk-ins are welcome but are not guaranteed a meal ticket and will be responsible for their own breakfast and lunch arrangements.
Friday, January 5 - 4:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Attendee Registration opens at 4pm
Browse the Trade Show
There will be Pizza and cash bar starting at 6 pm.
Saturday, January 6 - 8 am - 4:30 pm
Full trade show all day
There will be multiple 1-hour workshop sessions at 9:00 am and 10:30 am, and 1:30 pm and 3:00 pm
[ MORE ]
Mid-Winter Maple Classic returns to Syracuse this weekend
Peter Gregg | January 3, 2024
SYRACUSE, N.Y.—The big show in central New York is returning this weekend after a one-year absence.
Walk-ins are welcome at the door.
The NYS Mid-Winter Maple Classic is this Friday and Saturday, January 5-6 at the OnCenter in downtown Syracuse.
The show will include a full slate of 27 different expert speakers, seminars and a huge trade show. [ MORE ]
Producers worried about terrible looking trees
Peter Gregg | September 29, 2023
RUPERT, Vt.—It’s not your imagination. The trees look terrible this fall.
Many folks are noticing the horrible appearance of the leaves on the maples in many areas of the Northeast.
Trees have looked spotted and a dull yellowish brown.
UVM Extension maple expert Mark Isselhardt said in the past couple of weeks he’s been fielding phone calls from worried producers.
Isselhardt said there is nothing unusual going on. Trees are mostly done making their sugar as of July.
He blamed most of the situation on the extreme wet weather we've had in the Northeast this summer. [ MORE ]
Plan now to attend the Lake Erie Maple Expo
| September 14, 2023
ALBION, Pa.—The Lake Erie Maple Expo in Northwestern PA gives lots of learning opportunities and insight into the art of Maple Syrup.
The show will feature classes for the expert as well as for the hobbyist.
This year, producers will have five workshop topics to choose from.
A sample agenda for the Friday Workshops potentially includes;
● Maple Tubing Installation layout and design
● Maple Confections and Value Added Maple Products
● A Maple Workshop for Beginners
● Advanced Tubing & Vacuum
[ MORE ]
Seal up your sap collection tanks
Peter Gregg | July 11, 2023
SHELBURNE FALLS, Mass.—Sealing up the tanks makes for cleaner sap.
Hunter Sessions, 22, and father Criag Sessions of Winston’s Sugar House in Shelburne Falls, Mass. have sealed up thier sap collection tanks airtight.
“You try to keep the sap as clean as you can before you process it,” Craig Sessions said.
“You don't want it filling up with rainwater or any other contaminants in there.”
Hunter said the less particles or dirt in the tank, the better it is for the RO membranes. [ MORE ]
Vermont maple recognizes outstanding sugarmakers
| June 27, 2023
RICHFORD, Vt.—The Vermont Maple Sugar Makers’ Association (VMSMA) presented the 2023 Annual Maple Awards and announced winners of their first annual maple contest at their annual meeting held on Saturday.
Outstanding Sugar Maker Award was given to Cody Armstrong, of Randolph Center, Vt.
Armstrong represents the next generation of Vermont sugar makers by focusing on achieving high yields, producing high quality syrup, and contributing to the vitality of the Vermont maple industry, the VMSMA said.
Amstrong has also shown interest in supporting students interested in maple by volunteering at the Vermont FFA Maple Career Development Event and looks forward to mentoring the next generation of sugar makers. [ MORE ]
New from Leader + H20, Exactap tapping tool
Peter Gregg | June 27, 2023
SWANTON, Vt.—Leader + H20 has introduced a new tapping-assist tool.
New from Leader + H20 the Exactap tree tapping tool. It retails for $499. Available at all dealers for the upcoming season.
Currently the item has two fittings—one for a DeWalt drill and the other for a Milwaukee drill.
Designed to perfect and stabilize tap hole drilling.
Quick detach tool can be removed after the season and use the drill the rest of the year. [ MORE ]
Dealer open houses and Vt. Maple Festival this weekend
Peter Gregg | April 25, 2024
SWANTON, Vt.—The big maple equipment manufacturers will be hosting open houses this weekend in Franklin County, Vt. where producers can see demonstrations and seminars and enjoy big discounts on equipment orders for next season.
Multiple dealer open houses will be starting tomorrow morning and through Saturday afternoon, all within a few miles of each other in Franklin County, Vt.
Running at the same time will be the can’t-miss Vermont Maple Festival in St. Albans, Vt., which features maple exhibits, a grand parade.
Here is the website link to the festival: https://www.vermontmaplefestival.com
[ MORE ]
Maple industry in Vermont thriving
Peter Gregg | January 30, 2023
RANDOLPH, Vt.—The maple industry is mostly thriving but some challenges lie ahead.
That was the message from a panel of industry experts during the VMSMA & UVM Extension winter conference last month.
“I’m always optimistic but it seems we are at a bit of a crossroads,” said Arnold Coombs of Coombs Family Maple and the primary sales agent for Bascom Maple Farms.
Coombs said retail grocery stores are not happy with syrup price increases, as inflation catches up with the industry overall.
On the production side, the trees and sap production are thriving.
“The maple industry is in a really healthy position,” said Dr. Tim Perkins of the UVM Proctor Maple Research Center. “We're doing quite well and learning more and more each year.” [ MORE ]
Bulk market flush with carryover syrup for 2023
Peter Gregg | January 6, 2023
ALSTEAD, N.H.—A large carryover of last year’s massive crop is expected as producers gear up for—and in some cases, begin—the 2023 season.
Bruce Bascom of Bascom Maple Farms said he would likely have enough carryover syrup from 2022 to last until at least April of this year.
Sales at the retail level have tapered off, he said.
“This year the crop was a lot bigger than you think, it’s probably 70 or 75 million pounds,” he said.
Bascom said there is at least 35 million pounds of drum syrup in the field, which is up by more than 100 percent over 2021.
“It's more than doubled,” he told The Maple News. [ MORE ]
Industry leader panel says future of maple is strong
Peter Gregg | December 17, 2022
LACROSSE, Wisc.—Industry leaders and experts had an upbeat message on the state of maple going into 2023.
“Markets are expanding and more syrup is being made than ever before,” said Matthew Bascom of Bascom Maple Farms during a panel discussion on the future of maple at the North American Maple Syrup Council annual meeting in LaCrosse, Wisc.
The panel featured Bascom, Wisconsin bulk buyer Steve Anderson, NAMSC president Howard Boyden, New York maple association director Helen Thomas and IMSI president Pam Green.
One of the big topics of discussion was pricing, on the minds of many sugarmakers who are dealing with rampant inflation in production input costs.
Overall the consensus was yes, sugarmakers should raise prices of syrup.
“It doesn’t make much sense to sell syrup at a loss,” Bascom said. “So if you need to go up, go up. We’ve got to farm the bottom line.”
Thomas said in New York, many sugarmakers are raising retail prices for syrup. [ MORE ]
Hurricane wipes out maple in Nova Scotia
Paul Post | November 8, 2022
ANTIGONISH, N.S.—Jason Haverkort has weathered quite a few storms during his years as a veteran Nova Scotia sugarmaker.
Nothing compares to the devastating fury wrought by Hurricane Fiona that slammed eastern Canada, leaving behind a nearly $1.5 billion path of destruction in its wake.
The tempest, packing more than 110 mph winds, hit during the late-night hours of Friday, September 23. Those who could sleep, awoke to unimaginable damage the next day.
“Never in my wildest dreams could I imagine such devastation,” said Haverkort, owner of Haveracres Maple Farm in northeast Nova Scotia.
“I have areas of complete write off, only a few twigs left standing. Most areas suffered a 50 percent or greater loss of tappable trees. We’re estimating 6,000 of our 12,000 trees to be blown down. The wind seemed to funnel up the valleys and flattened trees in its path. Some of the trees left standing are in rough shape also, many with broken branches.”
His sugarhouse somehow escaped unscathed, but trees came down all over his pipeline system, which has to be cut and spliced in many places. “I have been on a pipeline replacement schedule for a few years, but now it should all be replaced ,” he said.
Haverkort plans to tap whatever healthy trees are left, but expects more than a 50 percent loss of income from Fiona. “I couldn’t survive a year with no income,” he said.
But for some maple operations, there is no future. [ MORE ]
Maple milk a hit in Pennsylvania
Peter Gregg | October 25, 2022
SOMERSET, Pa.—Turner’s Dairy in Western Pennsylvania is featuring a limited edition Maple Milk, made with real maple syrup from Emerick’s Maple in Somerset, Pa.
Turner’s partners with local independent farmers to bring the best tasting products to the community.
The company releases limited edition, flavored milks throughout the year.
The Maple Milk is being sold in quarts and pints.
"The official release was on October 10, and we expect to run out sometime during the week of November 14," said Turner's spokeswoman Adriana Mazzotta. [ MORE ]
Sugarmakers urged to pay attention to quality
Les Ober, Geauga County OSU Extension | October 5, 2022
BURTON, Ohio—Maple grading and maple quality have become major topics at just about every maple syrup meeting.
Why has this topic taken on a new sense of importance? What is driving this interest?
As the popularity of maple syrup products continues to grow, we are introducing more new customers to pure maple syrup.
As interest grows, so does the number of questions about content, grading and nutritional value.
Consumers ask! What is the difference between pure maple syrup and table syrup? Is this a superior product to table syrup and is it worth the price they are paying for it?
In most stores you find maple syrup right above the pancake flour.
The shelf space is minimal and is often shared with Log Cabin, Mrs. Butterworths, and other corn syrup derivatives. [ MORE ]
New company pledges to revitalize the Sugarhill Containers brand
Peter Gregg | October 4, 2022
TURNERS FALLS, Mass.—The new company that recently bought out Sugarhill Containers is promising to dramatically speed up lead times for sugarmakers to get delivery of plastic molded jugs with custom printing.
“We’re working very hard to aggressively address the backlog,” said Sean R. Fallmann, President and CEO of Atlanta-based Altium Packaging, which in August bought out Plastic Industries, the parent company of Sugarhill.
Fallmann told The Maple News on Tuesday that his company hopes to return to an eight to 12 week lead time for sugarmakers to place an order and receive delivery of screen printed jugs, a longtime favorite container for producers.
"That is our goal and we want to get back to that as quickly as possible," Fallmann said. [ MORE ]
Red maple sap “looks different” than sugar maple sap
Peter Gregg | September 15, 2022
UNDERHILL, Vt.—More love for red maple.
Sugarmakers are flocking to new research from the University of Vermont that shows red maples produce nearly the same amount of sap and sugar as its cousin the sugar maple.
“There is really no difference between what the reds and the sugars are doing of the course of a season,” said Dr. Abby van den Berg of the UVM Proctor Maple Research Center. She gave a presentation on reds at Bascom Maple Farms open house recently.
Van den Berg conducted her study on reds in 2020 and 2021 and this past season conducted further research by segregating sap from the two species and boiling it side by side in two evaporators. [ MORE ]
Pectin from walnut syrup could be the answer
Peter Gregg | September 14, 2022
PETERSBURG, W.V.—Sugarmakers Gary Mongold and Mark Bowers are developing a commercial use for pectin, a residual ooze that sometimes forms in walnut syrup during production.
Mongold, who operates 700-tap Mongold Walnut Farm in Petersburg, W.V. where Bowers also taps maples, made a recent discovery about an alternative use for pectin.
“I heard on the radio a story about how the Mayo Clinic was saying pectin was good for arthritis,” Mongold told The Maple News, during an interview at the West Virginia Maple Producers Association annual meeting this spring.
[ MORE ]
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.
[ MORE ]
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.”
[ MORE ]
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.
[ MORE ]
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 ]
Leader Evaporator to be sold to H20 Innovation
Peter Gregg | April 13, 2022
SWANTON, Vt.—Leader Evaporator Co., the biggest U.S. maple equipment manufacturer, will be sold to H20 Innovation, another big player in the maple industry and a publicly traded company out of Quebec City, Que.
H20 announced in a press release that it has entered into a “binding letter of intent” to buy Leader and its 103,000 sq. ft. factory in Swanton, Vt. by July. Terms of the sale were not announced.
“The acquisition is expected to increase revenues coming from maple equipment and products by 60% to 70% and to expand our manufacturing capabilities to answer the growing demand of the maple industry”, said Frédéric Dugré, President and Chief Executive Officer of H2O Innovation.
Leader Evaporator has 53 dealers and distributors in the U.S. and H20 has nearly 50 including an anchor store in Swanton, just down the street from the Leader headquarters. No word on the fate of that location. [ MORE ]
Quebec's warehouses nearly empty of table grade syrup
Peter Gregg | March 9, 2022
COWANSVILLE, Que.—The reserve of table-grade syrup in Quebec is almost down to zero.
"I think it’s a couple million pounds left,” said David Hall, a sugarmaker from Cowansville, Que. and a board member for the Quebec maple producers federation.
A staggering, back-to-back 20 percent increase in sales and consumer demand over the past two years, combined with a short crop last year in Quebec and the U.S. has led to a situation many did not foresee.
“Is it unnerving? Yes. But there’s not much we can do about it,” Hall said. [ MORE ]
Legendary Vermont sugarmaker shares his maple wisdom
Peter Gregg | February 25, 2022
COLUMBIA CITY, Ind.—Focus to quality.
That was the advice from legendary Vermont sugarmaker Glenn Goodrich, the featured speaker at the recent annual meeting of the Indiana Maple Producers Association in Columbia City.
Goodrich offered folksy humor and helpful pointers, sharing what he has learned growing his dual operation in Cabot, Vt. and Eden, Vt. to upwards of 150,000 taps after starting out on a flat pan and cinder blocks.
“Everything we do is focused to quality,” Goodrich said. “Your customer is sophisticated. Tune up your sugarhouse. Small is ok but make it nice.”
Goodrich pointed out the differences between Vermont and Indiana sugaring that work in the Hoosiers’ favor.
In Northern Vermont, the days just don’t warm up enough to get huge sap runs as they do in Indiana, where sugarmakers can enjoy “3 gallon days,” he said.
[ MORE ]
Many quality defects found in online syrup, say researchers
Peter Gregg | February 24, 2022
MORRISVILLE, Vt.—Many quality defects were found in syrup bought online, Vermont researchers found.
Nearly in one in four samples of dark syrup bought online was off-flavor, according to a study conducted by University of Vermont Extension.
“Everything flows from quality,” said Mark Isselhardt, maple specialist with UVM Extension who conducted the study with colleague Mark Cannella, also of UVM Extension. “You can’t expect consumers to pay a premium and not give them what they are expecting.”
Isselhardt and Cannella bought syrup samples off the internet from various maple states including Vermont, New York, Maine, Ohio and Massachusetts and tested for clarity, density, color and off-flavor.
There were a total of 116 samples of Golden Delicate and 129 samples of Dark Robust. Three samples each were ordered from each producer. [ MORE ]
Maple manufacturers deal with supply issues
Peter Gregg | January 27, 2022
SYRACUSE, N.Y.—Insane.
That’s the word that manufacturers of maple equipment and supplies are describing the marketplace as they try to keep up with orders with wildly fluctuating input costs.
Steve Caccamo, president of Next Generation Maple Products of East Syracuse, N.Y. shared with The Maple News just how crazy things have gotten.
Stainless steel, the most critical input for any equipment manufacturer in the maple industry, has seen dramatic shifts in pricing and availability over the past six months, Caccamo said. Nearly quadrupled.
For example, 4x10 sheets of 20 gauge stainless that was selling for $198 last year jumped to $715 per sheet on Oct. 13, Caccamo said.
Prices have since settled to $398 as of early January, but still double the price of last year.
“Some of our equipment has 40 different components and everything has doubled,” he said. “It’s brutal.” [ MORE ]
R/O pre-filters could be the next shortage scare
Peter Gregg | January 11, 2022
SYRACUSE, N.Y.—Not time to panic yet but the latest shortage in maple supplies could be R/O pre-filters.
“They’ve been hard to get,” said Sandy Wilcox of Countryside Hardware in DeRuyter, N.Y. who was a featurted vendor at the New York maple conferences this weekend.
“Folks might want to get on to some,” she said.
Wilcox said at her store, one of the biggest suppliers in central New York, the 5 micron, 20-inch prefilters have been easier to find than the 10 micron.
“Those are in low supply or out,” she said.
At Maple Expert Solutions in Henniker, N.H. owner Clayton Christie was hesitant to say there was a shortage just yet.
“I know we are selling them fast and likely won’t have any left soon,” he told The Maple News on Tuesday. [ MORE ]
Showdown
Peter Gregg | January 5, 2022
VERNON, N.Y.—Pick one, pick both, pick neither.
Sugarmakers this weekend must pick between the “January Maple Conference” at the Vernon Downs Casino in Vernon, N.Y. and the “Mid-Winter Maple Classic” at the state fairgrounds in Syracuse, N.Y.
Both are scheduled for this Friday and Saturday located just 43 miles apart along the NYS Thruway.
The Mid-Winter Classic show in Syracuse will feature presentations by maple experts from Cornell University, the University of Vermont and Michigan State University.
The Vernon show will feature well-known entertaining speakers like Glenn Goodrich of Cabot, Vt. and Bruce Gillilan, formerly of Leader Evaporator.
[ MORE ]
China a big potential market for maple
Peter Gregg | January 5, 2022
MORRISVILLE, Vt.—Sugarmakers looking for new opportunity should know China is buying up maple syrup like crazy.
“I look at the data from China and I see a lot of potential,” said Qingpin Wang, Ph.D, a professor of economics at the University of Vermont.
Qingpin was one of the panelists on the “State of the Maple Industry” panel discussion during Vermont Maple Conference Week on Dec 10.
Wang said data on maple sales in China from 2009 shows there was hardly a drop of syrup sold there.
By last year it was up to 260 metric tons.
“That’s a lot of maple syrup,” he said. [ MORE ]
Red maples might not be so bad after all
Peter Gregg | December 14, 2021
UNDERHILL Ctr., Vt.—Might be time to start loving the reds.
Red maples are getting some attention from maple researchers who are trying to debunk their bad reputation.
“Across the maple industry there are lingering perceptions that the red maple is a ‘less than,’” said Dr. Abby van den Berg of the University of Vermont Proctor Maple Research Center, during an online seminar on Friday.
Some sugarmakers say they don’t produce much sap and others say they produce an inferior flavor.
But van den Berg said early results from a two-year study on red maples may surprise the haters. [ MORE ]
Canada still has syrup despite reports in national media
Peter Gregg | December 1, 2021
LONGUEIL, Que—Don’t believe the hype.
A flurry of national news reports this week—including on NBC’s Today Show broadcast yesterday—proclaimed there is a shortage of Canadian syrup.
Not true, says the Quebec maple producers federation.
“There’s no shortage at all,” said Helene Normandin, spokeswoman for the Quebec Maple Syrup Producers.
That’s not to say that syrup hasn’t been moving. In fact, it’s selling like hotcakes.
The federation’s Strategic Reserve has been drained of 50 million pounds since the beginning of this year, most of it sold in the United States, which had its worst crop in 10 years.
But there is still another 50 million pounds left in the warehouses near Montreal that make up the Reserve, Normandin said.
[ MORE ]
Sugarmakers banned from using packing peanuts in New York
Peter Gregg | November 10, 2021
ALBANY, N.Y.—Sugarmakers who package and ship may have to make changes before the end of the year.
The New York State Maple Producers Association is advising sugarmakers that effective Jan. 1, no producer will be allowed to sell products that are packaged in containers containing polystyrene foam.
In addition, producers will prohibited from packaging their mail-order maple products in widely-used polystyrene loose fill packaging—commonly referred to as packing peanuts. [ MORE ]
Stock up now. DE filter aid in short supply for the season
Peter A Gregg | November 8, 2021
DERUYTER, N.Y.—Don’t wait. Stock up on your DE now.
Sugarmakers are being advised to buy their Diatomaceous Earth (DE) earlier rather than later with supply chain issues causing shortages of the valuable filter aid.
At the open house event at Countryside Hardware on Oct. 23 supplier representatives warned sugarmakers of a shortage of DE.
The Maple News has confirmed with DE manufacturers that the product is in limited supply.
“There is currently a shortage on flux calcined DE driven by supply chain issues domestically but mainly overseas and strong demand,” said John Polychronopoulos, sales manager for Dicalite Management Group, Inc. which manufactures the popular Dicalite brand sold by most maple supply houses.
[ MORE ]
Maplestitskin! Ohio sugarmaker turns bad syrup into not-so-bad syrup
Paul Post | October 29, 2021
EFFERSON, Ohio—Nate Bissell is the self-proclaimed Rumpelstiltskin of the maple industry.
Somewhat like the Brothers Grimm fairy tale imp, who spun straw into gold, Bissell in September turned a large supply of off-flavor, fermented syrup into a marketable product.
"We called the project Maplestiltskin," said this sixth-generation producer of Bissell Maple Farm in Ashtabula County, Ohio.
"Food companies (including well-known cereal brands) want cleaner labels with fewer ingredients,” he said. "They buy commercial syrup all the time. This market wants a maple syrup that will have a strong flavor, sweeten and add some color and texture. Most people don't even know it exists. That's what this is for."
"Would I put this on my pancakes? Heck no!" he said. "It's not going to be table grade that would win an award. But it would be great in granola. I know of a sausage company that buys $1 million dollars of commercial syrup per year. It's going into sausage, ham and bacon." [ MORE ]
Vermont sugarmaker re-purposing old sap buckets and looking for more
Paul Post | October 15, 2021
Mt. HOLLY, Vt.—Sugarmaker Adam Karle is preserving a key element of sugarmaking history by giving new life to old sap buckets.
The Mount Holly, Vermont producer uses them to make unique maple leaf-designed lights that are selling like hotcakes, coast to coast, since he first introduced them last spring.
"The original intent was for people to dress up their sugarhouse or shed, but people have taken these things to a whole other level, decorating their homes," Karle said. "Hey, whatever it takes, I'm all for it. That's awesome. I've already been shipping them to people from California and down South."
Galvanized sap buckets are no longer used for sap collection in the industry on a commerical basis, and discouraged to be used by hobbists because they are not considered food-grade. [ MORE ]
NYS Maple Association bringing back the Mid-Winter Classic
Peter A Gregg | October 15, 2021
SYRACUSE, N.Y.—It's back!
The biggest maple show in the industry will be coming back after a two-year absence on January 7-8, 2022 at the New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse, N.Y.
The Board of Directors of the NYS Maple Producers’ Association met October 12 and decided that the Mid-Winter Classic conference, workshops and trade show will be safe to have in person this winter.
[ MORE ]
Maple syrup soda taps into early success
Stan Maddux | October 6, 2021
BROWNSVILLE, Ind.—Response at the Indiana State Fair could decide if a newly developed maple soda pop winds up on store shelves.
A maple syrup producer has teamed up with a craft beverage maker to create a recipe and gauging future prospects of the drink.
“It’s selling really well,” said the soda pop inventor Kevin Hart, who makes syrup from taps in a 110 acre woods outside Brownsville.
Hart is also President of the Indiana Maple Syrup Association.
Hart has been selling maple cream soda since the spring at farmers markets he works primarily in central Indiana. [ MORE ]
Natural gas evaporators a good option to consider
Stan Maddux | October 6, 2021
MERRILL, Wisc.—Great stuff if you can get it.
There’s nothing maple syrup makers shouldn’t like about using natural gas evaporators to boil down their sap unless it’s breaking from tradition.
Natural gas is much cheaper and easier to use than most other evaporator fuels and it’s always there whenever needed, said Joel Oelke, a Midwest Regional Salesperson for Leader Evaporator headquartered in Swanton, Vermont.
Oelke said evaporators running on natural gas are becoming more popular but holding back sales is lack of access to a pipeline carrying the cleaner burning fuel.
“A lot of sugarhouses are in remote locations where natural gas just isn’t available,” he said.
Oelke from his home office in Merrill, Wisconsin, is involved in sales for Leader Evaporator throughout the Midwest and as far east as New York and Pennsylvania. [ MORE ]
Fall maple conference in Niagara Falls is canceled due to Covid
Peter Gregg | Sept. 2, 2021
SYRACUSE, N.Y.—Covid cancelations are back.
After two years of planning and preparation, the “Maple at the Falls” Niagara Falls NAMSC/IMSI meetings scheduled for late October, have been canceled.
The New York State Maple Producers’ Association said in an announcement Thursday that the planning group attempted nearly every avenue to make the meetings work and to ensure that they would be held.
But Canadian border closures and restrictions, a rapidly rising COVID 19 infection rate nationwide, travel restrictions being placed on research presenters/specialists and vendor hesitation left the committee with few choices.
[ MORE ]
Quebec to add 7 million new taps instead of 3 million
Peter Gregg | July 21, 2021
LONGUEUIL, Que.—Quebec producers will be adding seven million new taps into their quota system by 2023, dramatically increasing an announced expansion from last month.
“We’re not trying to one-up anybody, we’re looking at it as a business,” said David Hall, a 25,000-tap producer from Cowansville, Que. and a director for the Quebec Maple Syrup Producers federation.
The federation had announced in June a three million tap expansion of its government sanctioned quota system.
But since then the federation hired an actuary to study its current syrup holdings against the marketplace and determined that by December the federation’s warehouses could drain to critically low levels, prompting the release of four million more taps.
Hall said that since the end of the 2021 season, U.S. bulk buyers have stepped up to buy 50 million pounds out of the federation's Global Strategic Reserve, which stockpiles surplus syrup from season to season.
By the end of the year, there could be only 40 million pounds left in the reserve of table grade syrup, Hall said.
[ MORE ]
Consumers want to know what state their syrup is coming from, especially from Vermont
Peter Gregg | July 9, 2021
MONTPELIER, Vt.—Consumers are more like to buy maple if the state in which it was produced is identified on the label.
“Consumers really want to see the state branded on their product,” said researcher Matthew George of the Atlantic Corporation, a market research company hired by the Vermont agency of agriculture to study consumer preferences for maple and maple products.
More than 1,800 consumers were polled for their maple preferences in the Northeast-based study titled "Identifying Market Opportunities for Maple Syrup Producers in Vermont.”
More than 36 percent said the geographic origin of their syrup was “very important.”
The research focused on all aspects of maple marketing big and small and is available online at https://www.atlanticcorporation.com/vt-maple-dashboard
[ MORE ]
Sugarmakers raising their prices at the sugarhouse and the farm stand
Peter Gregg | June 29, 2021
TEMPLE, N.H.—Sugarmakers are raising farm prices in direct-to-consumer sales.
It is following a trend for just about every consumer staple in the marketplace, from airline tickets to chicken cutlets.
“We upped our price in our gift shop to $75 a gallon,” said Ben Fisk of Fisk’s Maple Syrup in Temple, N.H. during the annual meeting of the New Hampshire Maple Producers Association last month. “We’ll see if it sells. It’s inflation.”
Fisk had been selling a gallon for $60.
At the same meeting, sugarmaker Charlie Hunt of Hunt’s Maple Syrup in Hillsborough, N.H. said he was going to raise his quart prices to $20 as soon as he got home. He was at $17. [ MORE ]
Quebec sugarmakers to add 3 million new taps by 2023
Peter Gregg | June 15, 2021
LONGUEUIL, Que.—Quebec’s sugarmakers will be allotted a minimum of 3 million new taps through its quota system by 2023.
The announcement Tuesday of a big tap increase from the Quebec Maple Syrup Producers federation comes on the heels of a short crop and sky high syrup demand around the world.
At the same time, the province's syrup reserve is draining quickly, with zero organic syrup left.
“With a need for supply to keep up with demand, the conclusion is evident, Québec’s maple industry is booming!” said Geneviève Martineau, spokesperson for the Quebec Maple Syrup Producers federation, which governs the production of syrup in the province.
The federation hinted even more taps may be allotted into the province's quota system.
[ MORE ]
He finally won it! After four and a half decades of trying N.H. sugarmaker wins top prize for syrup
Peter Gregg | May 24, 2021
BOSCOWEN, N.H.—Persistence pays off.
It took 46 years, but Steven Osborn of Osborn Family Sugar House in Boscowen, N.H. finally won the Carlisle Cup, known formally at the Lawrence A Carlisle Memorial Trophy, the prize for being judged the best syrup in New Hampshire.
“I’ve been chasing this thing a long time,” Osborn said on Saturday, cradling the cup following his win at the annual meeting of the New Hampshire Maple Producers Association held this weekend in Plymouth, N.H.
Osborn, who sugars off of 200 taps with his son Jeff, first started attending NHMPA meetings in 1974, and annually entered his syrup in the association’s judging contest, known to be the most rigorous in the U.S. maple industry.
[ MORE ]
On the lookout for abandoned sugarhouses
Peter Gregg | May 7, 2021
FAYSTON, Vt.—A Vermont woman is starting a database of abandoned sugarhouses.
Dori Ross is the founder of The Sugarhouse Project, an online registery of old sugarhouses.
“I have spent a lot of time with old sugarmakers in their sugarhouses, talking to them and listening to their stories,” Ross said. “This rich history needs to be preserved somehow.”
[ MORE ]
Season Update #2: Drills blazing, open house weekends canceled except Maine's
Peter Gregg | January 27, 2021
CHERRY VALLEY, N.Y.—Drills are blazing.
Across the Maple Belt sugarmakers were getting taps in hoping to catch an early thaw.
“We got 6,000 in and we're ready,” said Ken Chase of Ern-Joy Farm in Cherry Valley, N.Y.
Chase had been tapping for three weeks straight, saying he learned a lesson three years ago when he waited to tap and missed out on some January runs. Last year he was tapped by mid January and it paid off. He made 110 gallons of January syrup.
The forecast for the remainder of January doesn’t indicate any such luck this year. Still, Chase feels he did the right thing.
“At some point it’s gonna thaw and we’ll be ready,” Chase said. [ MORE ]
Meet the Brix Balancer. New D&G machine balances the density
Peter Gregg | December 15, 2020
LAKE PLACID, N.Y.—Meet the Brix Balancer.
Ever had to add permeate to a barrel of syrup because your brix was too high?
Last season researchers at Cornell's Uihlein Maple Research Center had an opportunity to demo a Brix Equalizer by Dominion and Grimm.
The innovative unit has a digital in-line brix meter that measures the finished brix of syrup after being drawn-off and filtered, but before being packed into a barrel.
A digital touch panel screen allows the user to set the desired brix level and if the unit reads a brix higher than the set point, it will inject a little permeate water from a small tank on the machine.
[ MORE ]
Finding Home Farms wins national award
Peter Gregg | December 8, 2020
GREENVILLE, N.Y.—A New York sugarhouse won a national award for its innovative rye barrel syrup.
Finding Home Farms, owned by Dana and Laura Putnam, won the Product of the Year from the Specialty Food Association’s 2020 Sofi Awards.
The rye barrel aged maple syrup was chosen in a blind taste test, selected by a panel of specialty food experts from nearly 2,000 entries across 39 product categories. This product is made in collaboration with Orange County Distillery, a farm distillery based in Orange County N.Y. [ MORE ]
Got 'sick' syrup? Find out why
Peter Gregg | November 26, 2020
WESTFORD, Vt.—Got sick syrup? Find out why.
The Vermont Maple Sugar Makers Association will be conducting a virtual diagnostic on submitted syrup, helping sugarmakers identify bad syrup and its causes.
The online session is called “Tele-Maple Medicine: Why Does My Syrup Taste Sick” and part of the weeklong 2020 Maple Conference Week Dec. 6 through Dec. 11 hosted by the VMSMA and the experts from the University of Vermont maple program.
The VMSMA has been seeking two ounce samples of off-flavor syrup and panelists will create a live show, tasting and diagnosing the issue. [ MORE ]
Branon Family Maple Orchards unveils pouch packaging
Peter Gregg | November 17, 2020
FAIRFIELD, Vt.—Branon Family Maple Orchards is the latest operation to come out with pouch packaging.
Called “Maple to Go!” the family farm says the new packaging system “allows maple lovers to bring pure Vermont maple syrup along with them wherever and whenever they travel.”
“We had people tell us they wanted to bring our maple syrup with them whenever they went someplace, but they couldn’t justify lugging a pint jug around,” said Cecile Branon, co-owner of 80,000-tap Branon Family Maple Orchards located in Fairfield, Vt.
Maple to Go! is a 3.4-ounce (100 ml) food-grade pouch of organic Grade A amber/rich Vermont maple syrup with a re-closable, no-mess twist cap that allows for multiple usage. [ MORE ]
Leader Evaporator and H20 Innovation partner up
Peter Gregg | November 11, 2020
MASON, Mich.—Leader Evaporator Co. and H20 Innovation will start carrying each other’s equipment at their respective U.S. dealerships.
“It’s an exciting opportunity,” said Leader’s chairwoman Mary Fogle Douglass, owner of Sugar Bush Supplies in Mason, Mich., a major Leader dealer.
Douglass hosted her annual fall open house virtually on Oct. 24, where she made the H20 announcement.
“We thought about what things we are missing and how people can get it quickly,” Douglass said.
Some of the big ticket items that Leader dealers will start carrying are H20’s line of large size tanks.
“They have a huge line,” Douglass said.
[ MORE ]
And then there were none... Last of the winter maple shows canceled
Peter Gregg | October 29, 2020
SYRACUSE, N.Y.—And then there were none.
The last remaining scheduled winter maple shows have now been canceled.
The 2021 New York Winter Maple Conference has become the latest maple event to succumb to the COVID -19 virus. Also canceled this week, the Wisconsin Winter Institute hosted by the Wisconsin Maple Syrup Producers Association.
The WMSPA will instead be hosting a virtual edition of the event, with a large agenda of educational seminars via Zoom. [ MORE ]
‘Tree Water’ company looking for permeate suppliers
Deborah Jeanne Sergeant | October 28, 2020
KATONAH, N.Y.—Asarasi Sparkling Tree Water is looking for more permeate.
The three-year-old water company has landed a deal with beverage giant Anheuser-Busch and is looking to add to its maple permeate supply base, said company founder Adam Lazar.
Asarasi has also collaborated with Goose Island Brewery producing the world's first 100% plant-based beer called Tree Water Pilsner with Anheuser Busch and the product sold out in under a week, Lazar said.
"This opportunity continues to lead to more significant volume sourcing and we are excited to bring this opportunity to all New York State Maple Producers," he said.
Asarasi said it is looking for permeate suppliers of 5,000+ gallons in any given maple season, Lazar said.
Interested producers can check out supplying opportunities at www.asarasi.com/permeate-supplier PASSWORD: PERMEATE [ MORE ]
Syrup sales through the roof at retail this fall
Peter Gregg | October 14, 2020
WOODSTOCK, Vt.—There’s a maple gold rush this fall.
“Our mail order has been through the roof,” said Ralph Luce of Sugarbush Farm in Woodstock, Vt. “We would typically see maybe 40 orders per month, we’re now getting 150 or more.”
Luce and the entire Luce family were scrambling over Columbus Day weekend tending to the crush of tourists to the 10,000-tap mountaintop farm, flocking to buy syrup and cheese and see the spectacular foilage.
“We’ll have thousands here this weekend,” Luce said, during a tour for The Maple News.
He said crowds were coming from more regional locations like New York and Boston, theorizing that tourists were opting for local fall vacations due to the pandemic.
Crowds were good about wearing masks, Luce said.
“We’re trying to keep people outside and spread out,” he said.
Luce said since the spring syrup sales have been stronger than ever.
[ MORE ]
States press on with fall maple events
Peter Gregg | October 6, 2020
SYRACUSE, N.Y.—Instead of apples and pumpkins, how about maple syrup?
States across the Maple Belt will be participating in a “Fall in Love with Maple” open house event throughout October, competing with traditional fall agritourism events.
“This year has been everything but normal, but one thing that has remained the same is the sweet golden syrup that we can celebrate as the autumn leaves color up,” said Helen Thomas, executive director of the New York State Maple Producers Association.
[ MORE ]
Birch season in U.S. down over last year
Peter Gregg | August 2, 2020
LAKE PLACID, N.Y.—The U.S. birch season was largely a bust this spring.
"At our facility and from what I have heard from many others, we had below average birch yields due to very cold weather and lack of rainfall in late April and early May," said Michael Farrell of The Forest Farmers in Mansfield, Vt. who oversees production on one of the largest birch operations in the U.S. with 16,000 taps.
"We also only tapped a portion of our trees in NY and none in Vermont due to issues around COVID."
Most producers said their production of birch, known as the little brother crop to maple, was off mostly due to bad weather.
[ MORE ]
Soaking old sap in pans an effective cleaner
Peter Gregg | July 14, 2020
HEBRON, N.Y.—It’s nasty and stinks but it works.
The old school way of pan cleaning after a season—letting last-day-of-the-season sap soak in the pans for five or six months—has been a proven method.
This season at The Maple News sugarhouse in Hebron, N.Y. we tried it for the second year in a row. We have had success after much smell enduring.
In April, we filled our pans and Steam-Away with skunked sap to the brim.
Through the spring, a bubbling, green, oozing crust grew like a science experiment.
By early July it transformed into an almost pleasant, brown cidery vinegar. [ MORE ]
Aunt Jemima brand of 'pancake' syrup to be discontinued
Peter Gregg | June 25, 2020
PURCHASE, N.Y.—The number one competitor of pure maple syrup—Aunt Jemima—will soon be no longer.
The fake syrup category leader has fallen to the Black Lives Matter movement and the brand will be discontinued, according to the corn syrup’s parent company, The Quaker Oats Company, owned by Pepsi Co.
“We recognize Aunt Jemima's origins are based on a racial stereotype,” said Kristin Kroepfl, Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, Quaker Foods North America.
The company said it will remove the image of Aunt Jemima from its packaging and change the name of the brand sometime next year.
[ MORE ]
Syrup producer making hand sanitizer in response to crisis
Peter Gregg | May 7, 2020
JEFFERSON, Ohio—Hand sanitizer could be the latest value-added crop from maple.
One Ohio producer is waiting for FDA approval to start distilling commercial grade syrup into ethanol as part of a recipe for a maple-based hand sanitizer.
“The demand for hand sanitizers is ridiculous,” said Nathan Bissell of Bissell Maple Farms in Jefferson, Ohio.
Meanwhile, Bissell has converted his idled syrup packing line into a hand sanitizer packing line, responding to the COVID-19 crisis and high demand for the virus killing product. [ MORE ]
Bascom's reopens for drum deliveries
Peter Gregg | May 4, 2020
ALSTEAD, N.H.—Bascom Maple Farms reopened their docks today, allowing sugarmakers to bring their crop for delivery, but by appointment only.
“Due to the unusually large amount of drum traffic yet to come in we are requesting producers call for a dock appointment,” said Bascom’s owner Bruce Bascom.
Field buyers for Bascom will also be deployed this week, and will be looking for syrup. [ MORE ]
Spring tick season expected to 'explode'
Peter Gregg | April 30, 2020
MIDDLEBURY, Vt.—Tick activity this spring is expected to explode, according to a Vermont sugarmaker and power lineman who trains personnel on tick safety.
“Springtime, April and May, we usually see a large tick explosion,” said Michael Christian, a sugarmaker from Orwell, Vt. and a crew manager for the state’s Green Mountain Power company, who has spent decades fighting ticks and establishing safety protocols for power line crews.
“By the end of June or July they go back in the ground,” Christian said. “Then they come back in September to feed again.”
Christian led a seminar at the Addison County Maple Conference in January where sugarmakers shared their defensive tactics and horror stories of other sugarmakers contracting Lyme disease and other chronic illnesses associated with tick bites.
[ MORE ]
Bascom's suspends bulk syrup buying for April
Peter Gregg | April 6, 2020
ALSTEAD, N.H.—The nation’s biggest out-of-field bulk syrup buyer is suspending operations for April due to COVID-19 concerns.
Bascom Maple Farms, the New Hampshire farm where sugarmakers flock from across the Northeast to get paid on the barrelhead, said it would immediately cease buying any syrup until early May at its facility.
The company, which also deploys buying agents across the Maple Belt from Ohio to Maine, had already suspended field buying until early May as well.
“Unfortunately, due to world events beyond our control, effective immediately Bascom’s will not be purchasing any maple syrup for the rest of April,” the company announced Monday.
“We anticipate reopening for purchasing syrup around May 4, 2020, but please call ahead to confirm,” the company said. “Recommendations from the CDC, WHO, and State Governments are changing constantly and could affect a reopen date.”
[ MORE ]
Season Update #8: Syrup flying off the shelves at grocery; season progresses
Peter Gregg | March 24, 2020
ALSTEAD, N.H.—Syrup is flying off the shelves at grocery stores as panicked shoppers stock up for shut-ins against the Coronavirus.
“Grocery syrup sales are very strong and we are struggling to keep up with orders,” said Bruce Bascom of Bascom Maple Farms, one of the biggest grocery suppliers in the U.S..
“Consumers are hoarding food at home," Bascom said. "Maple syrup is a comfort food so if they have to eat at home it is logical that more pancakes and waffles with maple syrup is just what the doctor ordered.”
At the Hannaford supermarket in Greenwich, N.Y. and other places around the U.S., store shelves where syrup usually is stocked were completely wiped out.
“Retail grocery is very strong,” said David Marvin of Butternut Maple Farms in Morrisville, Vt. another leading grocery supplier.
[ MORE ]
Season Update #7: Dealerships vow to stay open during COVID crisis
Peter Gregg | March 20, 2020
MASON, Mich.—Big equipment dealers are staying open during the Coronavirus crisis while trying to maintain a social distance.
“Open for business,” declared Sugar Bush Supplies in mid-Michigan in a blast email to customers on Thursday.
“During this critical time of production, we want to be available to meet your supplies and equipment needs,” the store said. “At the same tome we are implementing all the prudent cautions necessary to protect you and staff from the COVID-19 virus.”
The national crisis shutting down America came during the peak of maple season, where producers are still running to dealerships for sugaring supplies and repairs.
“We are encouraging our customers to place their order ahead of time instead of waiting in our showroom,” said Benoit Pepin, USA manager of Lapierre Equipment, which operates a typically thriving store in Swanton, Vt.
Most dealerships were following the same protocol.
[ MORE ]
Border shutdown with Canada will NOT include maple imports
Peter Gregg | March 18, 2020
MONTPELIER, Vt.—The Trump Administration has told agriculture officials in Vermont that the Canadian border shutdown announced today in response to the Coronavirus will not include agricultural products, including maple syrup.
“I just spoke to U.S. agriculture secretary Sonny Perdue and he made it very clear that this does not apply to trade and goods,” Vermont agriculture secretary Anson Tebbetts told The Maple News this morning.
“It will not impact trade and it will not impact goods.”
It was unclear whether employees and executives of the big Canadian maple equipment manufacturers will be able to cross into Vermont and staff their U.S. outlets. [ MORE ]
Season Update #6: New York, N.H. shut down maple weekends; sugarhouse restaurants close
Peter Gregg | March 16, 2020
SYRACUSE, N.Y.—New York’s two-week maple open house event has been canceled, the latest seasonal promotional event to shut down due to the Coronavirus crisis. New Hampshire's state open house event is also closed.
“…we have a responsibility to proactively do our part to promote social distancing and limit the spread of COVID-19,” the New York State Maple Producers Association said in a statement released this morning.
“Even though many of our farms do not see dense crowds for Maple Weekend, we know the risk of remaining open does not outweigh our responsibility to serve the public,” the association said.
The statewide event with 187 participating sugarhouses was scheduled to be open this weekend and March 28-29.
[ MORE ]
Season Update #5: Vermont cancels maple open house weekend to Coronavirus; others states stay open
Peter Gregg | March 13, 2020
The Vermont Maple Sugar Makers Association today announced it is cancelling the statewide maple open house weekend scheduled for March 21-22 over concerns about Coronavirus.
“It’s the prudent choice for our sugar makers and anticipated guests,” said Allison Hope, executive director of the VMSMA. All fees associated with the event will be refunded to sugarmakers.
The Vermont Maple Festival in St. Albans, Vt. scheudled for the last weekend in April and they nation’s biggest maple festival has also been cancelled.
“The Maple Festival trustees met tonight and have officially cancelled the 2020 Vermont Maple Festival,” said Cecile Branon, one of the festival organizers said late Thursday.
The annual festival was scheduled for April 24-26 in St. Albans, Vt. and was in its 54th year.
Other statewide maple open house weekends are still scheduled in multiple U.S. states over the next two weeks.
“We are monitoring the situation daily,” said Helen Thomas, executive director of the New York State Maple Producers Associaton. “To summarize, as of right now the event will go on as planned.” [ MORE ]
Bulk market prices stay low for producers in 2020
Peter Gregg | January 24, 2020
MORRISVILLE, Vt.—The downturn in the bulk market continues.
Producers should expect a flat and possibly declining bulk market for 2020, with overflowing inventories from last season and a Canadian exchange rate that continues to be unfavorable for U.S. producers.
“We have reduced our buy price this fall to reflect the adequate inventory we have from our usual suppliers,” said David Marvin, president of Butternut Mountain Farms in Morrisville, Vt., one of the biggest bulk buyers in the nation.
“I expect the carryover inventory and weak Canadian dollar will cause downward pressure on the 2020 crop if it is another big one.” [ MORE ]
Another climate change study finds that maple season may come earlier
| January 24, 2020
HANOVER, N.H. —Yet another university study of the maple industry is claiming rising daily temperatures is affecting sap flow and sugar content.
By 2100, the maple syrup season in eastern North America may be one month earlier than it was during 1950 and 2017, according to a Dartmouth College study published in Forest Ecology and Management.
“As the climate gets warmer, the sugar maple tapping season will shrink and will get closer to a December date. Maple syrup producers may want to consider adapting their technologies and collection logistics in advance, so that they are prepared for how climate change is going to affect production,” said co-author David Lutz, a research assistant professor of environmental studies at Dartmouth.
The study examined six sugar maple stands from Virginia to Québec, Canada, over a six-year period.
[ MORE ]
New Leaf Tree Syrups by The Forest Farmers makes sweet debut
Peter Gregg | August 29, 2019
MARSHFIELD, Vt.—Beech syrup? Really?
New Leaf Tree Syrups, the marketing brand of The Forest Farmers which operate sugarhouses in Marshfield, Vt. and Ellenburg, N.Y., announced a new specialty line of organic tree syrups which include American Beech, birch syrup, walnut and of course maple.
“We’re excited to introduce people to a whole new world of tree syrups,” said Dr. Michael Farrell, CEO of New Leaf Tree Syrups. Farrell is the former head of Cornell University’s maple research center in Lake Placid, N.Y. who helped launch the new private operation in 2017, taking his research skills to the private sector.
[ MORE ]
Maple booming in New York
Paul Post, Peter Gregg | July 7, 2019
HARPERSFIELD, N.Y.—A newly-released USDA Agriculture Census report says maple operations increased 15 percent across New York from 2012-17.
There are now 1,662 maple businesses in the state, according to the ag census, indicating significant industry growth, which could increase opportunities for obtaining state and federal funding to enhance maple production, research and marketing efforts.
“Am I surprised to learn it? Not at all,” said Keith Schiebel, coordinator of the New York State Maple Producers Association’s annual open house weekends and the Mid-Winter Classic maple show in January. “Before, a lot of people supplemented their farm incomes with maple. Now you’re seeing more and more people making their livelihood solely on maple. It’s not just a seasonal thing anymore.”
[ MORE ]
Industry leaders ponder the future of maple
Peter Gregg | May 13, 2019
HYDE PARK, Vt.—Tap expansion is slowing but the syrup market and overall maple economy remains strong.
This was the opinion of four industry leaders during a “State of the Industry” roundtable discussion at the Hyde Park Maple School in Northern Vt. this winter.
“I’m positive about the overall state of maple,” said Bradley Gillilan, president of Leader Evaporator Co., the nation’s biggest equipment manufacturer.
But Gillilan and Bruce Bascom, owner of Bascom Maple Farms in Alstead, N.H. both concurred that the rapid adding of taps over the past ten years is waning.
“Expansion is definitely slowing down,” Bascom said.
[ MORE ]
Dealer open houses and Vermont Maple Festival this weekend
Peter Gregg | April 21, 2022
SWANTON, Vt.—The big maple equipment manufacturers will be hosting open houses this weekend in Franklin County, Vt. where producers can see demonstrations and seminars and enjoy big discounts on equipment orders for next season.
Multiple dealer open houses will be starting tomorrow morning and through Saturday afternoon, all within a few miles of each other in Franklin County, Vt.
Running at the same time will be the can’t-miss , returing Vermont Maple Festival in St. Albans, Vt., which features maple exhibits, a grand parade.
Here is the website link to the festival: https://www.vermontmaplefestival.com [ MORE ]
Loans available for farm storage facilities for maple
Peter Gregg | April 15, 2019
WASHINGTON — The USDA’s Farm Storage Facility Loan (FSFL) program provides low-interest financing to producers to build or upgrade storage facilities and to purchase portable (new or used) structures, equipment and storage and handling trucks.
The program includes provisions for maple production.
The low-interest funds can be used to build or upgrade permanent facilities to store sap and syrup.
[ MORE ]
Season Update #8: Season finishing strong for most
Peter Gregg | April 12, 2019
HARRISVILLE, N.H.—The season is turning around in a hurry, with big sap runs finishing out what had been a sluggish season and making it into a winner.
“We’ve been boiling for the last 16 days straight,” said Jillian Miner, who with husband Jon makes syrup off 800 taps at Grand Monadnock Maple Farm in Harrisville, N.H. “We’re tired.”
The Miners were coming to the end of their season during a tour for The Maple News on Saturday, April 6 and had broke 300 gallons of production for the first time in their sugaring career.
“We’re running out of containers,” Miner said.
[ MORE ]
Season Update #7: Season catches up in a hurry
Peter Gregg | April 5, 2019
ELLENBURG CTR., N.Y.—The season is catching up fast, with an ocean of sap in the East this week.
“We’re overwhelmed with gratitude,” said Joy Herfurth of 10,000-tap Brandy Brook Maple Farm in Ellenburg Center, N.Y., near the Canadian border.
Herfurth said she got 22,600 gallons of sap in 36 hours from Tuesday into Wednesday of this week.
“That’s a record for us,” she said. “Our biggest holding tank is 4,000 gallons. So it was crazy.”
Like many in the Northeast, Herfurth had earlier worried about the late start. But that’s all changed now.
“We might run out of barrels,” she said.
[ MORE ]
Season Update #6: Midwest comes to life; Big sap runs in the Northeast
Peter Gregg | March 29, 2019
CADOTT, Wisc.—Sap was running everywhere this week, even in the Midwest which had barely started only a week ago.
“It’s running good here in some areas but the North is still a little slow,” said Peter Roth of Roth Sugar Bush in Cadott, Wisc.
Roth estimated he was at about 35 percent of a crop at his farm in Cadott, Wisc. as of this week.
Chris Ransom of Vadnais Heights, Minn. and president of the Minnesota Maple Producers Association said the season in his state was just starting to wake up after a harsh winter, but generally not too far off a typical start time for the season.
“At my place anyway, my average first sap run has been on about March 10 each year. This year it was the 15th so not much of a delay,” Ransom told the Maple News on Friday, March 29.
“I’d say we're at the beginning of the season and that most people are optimistic that the weather patterns are ‘textbook’ for sapping for the next week or so,” he said. [ MORE ]
Season Update #5: The season comes alive for some, still a trickle for north
Peter Gregg | March 22, 2019
SUNDERLAND, Vt. — The season is finally opening up in the central strip of the Maple Belt, with some sugarmakers buried in sap this week.
“It’s going to run like crazy,” said sugarmaker Jim Hayden of Sunderland, Vt. as he was boiling on Tuesday, March 20.
And sure enough it did, with an ocean of sap coming in during the 50 degree day on Wednesday in central and southern Vermont and neighboring New York. Sap ran through the night and into Thursday.
“I am sleep deprived,” said sugarmaker Tim Dwyer of Shushan, N.Y. [ MORE ]
Season Update #4: Season slowly starts to wake up in Northeast
Peter Gregg | March 14, 2019
HARDWICK, N.J. — The season is just starting to wake up in the Northeast late this week, while others in the southern areas of the U.S. Maple Belt are on a record pace.
“I’ve boiled 13 times already,” said Tom Phillips, who is boiling off 1,041 taps in Hardwick, N.J. and enjoying his best season ever.
“This year has been perfect temperatures,” he said. “Here it warms up just enough to get a good run and then freezes up again.
Phillips said most of his crop so far has been lighter grades of syrup, a flip flop from the last two years when it was all dark.
“I’ve made 90 percent light so far,” Phillips said on Tuesday during a tour for The Maple News. [ MORE ]
U.S. agriculture secretary Sonny Perdue tours Vermont sugarhouse
Peter Gregg | March 8, 2019
MILTON, Vt. — U.S. agriculture secretary Sonny Perdue on Friday toured 160,000-tap Georgia Mountain Maples, tapping the ceremonial first tree of the 2019 maple season with Vermont Gov. Phil Scott. and a group of second graders from a nearby school.
It was the first known visit of a sugarhouse by a U.S. agriculture secretary in modern history.
“What we saw here today was an experience here for me,” Perdue said. “I’ve never tapped a maple tree before.”
Perdue, who hails from the state of Georgia and is the former governor of that state, said he was impressed by the operation, owned by the Harrison Family and a showcase facility in the country’s biggest maple state.
“It was good to come and see a modern plant here,” the secretary said of the sugarhouse, which sits on a ledge at the base of Georgia Mountain. “I was blown away that Vermont produces half the syrup the U.S. consumes. I’m happy to be here during maple tapping season.” [ MORE ]
Wisconsin sugarmakers cry foul over misleading Menards syrup ad
Peter Gregg | March 7, 2019
MENOMONIE, Wisc.—Sugarmaker Mark Casper said producers in Wisconsin were upset with an apparent mislabeling mixup by Midwest homestore megachain Menards, which was selling Canadian syrup on its website with a “Made in U.S.A.” banner.
As of last week, the superstore chain was advertising Canadian syrup from Bernard & Sons, one of the biggest packers in Quebec, as being “Made in the USA.” The store was selling quarts of the Bernard syrup on its site for $8.99.
The ad has since been changed, with the Made in U.S.A. tag removed. [ MORE ]
Gov. Sununu kicks off 2019 season in New Hampshire
Peter Gregg | March 5, 2019
HENNIKER, N.H.— Gov. Christopher T. Sununu of New Hampshire tapped the official first maple tree of the state's 2019 sugaring season Monday at a ceremony at Intervale Pancake House in Henniker, N.H.
"We have those guys to the west who think they do it better than we do, but they don’t,” Sununu joked about neighboring Vermont, where the governor of that state plans to tap a ceremonial first tree on Friday at Georgia Mountain Maples in Fairfax, Vt.
Sununu spent more than an hour touring the Intervale facility in Henniker, N.H., visiting with owners Patrick and Melanie Connor and daughter Shelbie Connor who manages the dining room at the popular restaurant and sugarhouse.
[ MORE ]
Season Update #3: Sugarmakers mostly idle, but some have made syrup
Peter Gregg | March 1, 2019
HAMPDEN, Mass.—The 2019 season is still mostly on stand-by but for a few warm-wooded sugarmakers.
“I haven’t done nothing,” Thomas LeRay of Sweet Water Sugarhouse in Royalton, Mass. said on Friday, March 1. “I’ll start tapping on Monday. What’s the sense of tapping sooner and have the sap just sit there?”
Sugarmakers across the Maple Belt have been mostly idle, with a little bit of syrup made last weekend. Most have been frozen solid or buried in snow, or both.
“We got about a foot of snow and 40 mph winds,” said sugarmaker Mark Casper of Menomonie, Wisc. on Feb. 26. “Almost every county and township road in my county was impassable because of drifts up to 13 feet. It’s going to be a rough one trying to get started syruping.”
[ MORE ]
Season Update #2: In Vermont, a slow start to season so far and that's ok
Peter Gregg | February 15, 2019
WALINGFORD, Vt.—Vermont maple syrup producers have gotten off to a slow start to the season.
But most sugarmakers are characterizing it as a return to “normal” after several years of warm winter sugaring.
“In a normal year, this would be normal,” said 5,500-tap sugarmaker Steve Berger on Friday, Feb. 15, who was just getting into the woods to tap for the first time this season.
“Five or six years ago, we wouldn’t be doing anything in February,” he said.
Indeed the last four to five years have seen Vermont sugarmakers making big portions of their crop in January and February.
Not this year. [ MORE ]
Verona maple show moves to Syracuse
Keith Schiebel | January 3, 2019
SYRACUSE, N.Y. —A New Year means one thing to maple producers …must be conference time!
For the past 19 years, that meant travel to Verona. Not this year. Travel a bit further down the New York Thruway…or a bit closer...to our new home in Syracuse.
With the same anticipation as firing up a new RO for the first time or adding a new vacuum pump to a collection system, the January Maple Conference is transforming into a new standard for the maple industry…a classic!
Welcome to the 24th Annual Maple Conference and the inaugural "Mid-Winter Maple Classic" at the New York State Fair! We are confident that we’ll have another highly successful show and welcome your participation. With our new location comes new surroundings, new procedures, and a fresh approach to improving an already fantastic show; we think you’ll agree that the new host site is an exceptional facility for our event.
This year’s Mid-Winter Maple Classic is this Friday and Saturday, January 4th and 5th, 2019.
If you have not pre-registered, you can still join us and register at-the-door...but you may need to make plans now. At least the weather won’t be a factor. Friday’s general admission registration opens at 4:00 PM and the show closes Friday at 9:00 PM. Saturday’s general admission registration opens at 7:30 AM and ends at 4:00 PM.
The State Fair’s address is: 581 State Fair Boulevard, Syracuse, NY. Very easy access off Interstate 690. Enter Gate #2. At the security station, state to guard that you are attending the maple show. Drive straight ahead past Fair buildings to the middle of the Fairgrounds. Follow signs and/or direction of parking attendants to parking for Maple Show / Horticulture Building.
[ MORE ]
Low bulk prices squeeze the middle sized producer
Mark Cannella, University of Vermont Extension | November 7, 2018
MONTPELIER, Vt.—Scale, production systems, and marketing have a major impact on how a maple business operates and performs.
These factors can impact profits, owner sanity, job creation, land use, and community footprint. “Right-sizing” gets used by business managers to determine the right scale a particular business can operate to accomplish its goals.
Most maple enterprises are unique and the concept of “right-sizing” recognizes that all aspects of an enterprise come to play. The number of taps is not the only factor in right sizing. Market outlets, prices received and management skills are all important.
As global maple production increases the markets, communities, and business owners are facing changes. Vermont, like many other US maple regions, has over a 150 year cultural heritage of syrup production ranging from subsistence production to commercial activity. A long maple history reminds us that there are many “right-sizes” for sugaring that satisfy the goals of the producers.
The declining bulk price over the past 3 years has forced many maple business owners that sell bulk syrup to question if they are or will be at the right size to stay viable.
Agricultural research has demonstrated how mid-scale farms can often get stuck in the middle of the push and pull of economics and consumer preferences (see “Food and the Mid-Level Farm” by Lyson, Stevenson, and Welsh).
The mid-scale maple business is likely to be a full time job for the owners for part of the year. These operators need to earn a livelihood from risky business activity [ MORE ]
The 2018 New York State Maple Producers Winter Conference
| Jan. 4, 2018
The 2018 New York State Maple Conference Friday evening program will feature two great options starting at 5:30.
One option is a show and tell on making maple cream on various kinds of equipment and comparing the results.
The second will feature Brad Gillian, president of Leader Evaporator, explaining the IMSI social media initiative and its power to enhance maple marketing. [ MORE ]
Innovators speak at Federation's annual general meeting
Submitted | Dec. 28, 2017
On November 22 and 23, the Federation held its annual general meeting in Lévis, on the south shore of Quebec City, where the IMSI meeting was also held this year.
This year during the conferences, the Federation wanted to underline the innovative aspects of our sector and to promote the entrepreneurship of the maple syrup producers. [ MORE ]
Late October storm pounded Vermont sugarmakers
Paul Post | Dec. 21, 2017
Bob White says some parts of his property looks like it was used for an Air Force bombing range.
A half-mile away, Dave Davis thought a locomotive was coming through his house, which shook violently from sustained high winds that reached up to 80 mph.
They're among the scores of northern Vermont maple producers still digging out, clearing away downed trees, and trying to assess damage from a severe storm that ripped through their area the night of Sunday, Oct. 29. [ MORE ]
Hubbell Award goes to sugarmaker Dale Moser
| Dec. 12, 2017
Dale Moser of Beaver Falls, N.Y. was awarded the Hubbell Award by the New York State Maple Producers Association on Aug. 15. Moser is active in maple sugaring where he works with his three sons, Don, Jake and Bryan.
Moser’s Maple has been in continuous operation since 1970 and at one time Dale ran a Small Brothers Maple Dealership till the Mid 80’s. [ MORE ]
Storm takes toll on some Vermont sugarmakers
Paul Post | Nov. 17, 2017
Bob White says some parts of his property looks like it was used for an Air Force bombing range.
A half-mile away, Dave Davis thought a locomotive was coming through his house, which shook violently from sustained high winds that reached up to 80 mph.
They're among the scores of northern Vermont maple producers still digging out, clearing away downed trees, and trying to assess damage from a severe storm that ripped through their area the night of Sunday, Oct. 29. [ MORE ]
A sweet legacy for Vermont’s King of Maple
Anson Tebbetts, Vermont Agency of Agriculture | Nov. 1, 2017
January 1984.
The King of Pop had the number one song and the King of Maple was just beginning his career at the Vermont Agency of Agriculture.
Henry Marckres began inspecting products like apples, potatoes and strawberries and let’s not forget eggs. To become a certified egg grader, the training meant candling 5,000 eggs per day for more than a month.
An “egg-stroidnary” career was underway. [ MORE ]
Colleges tap into education through maple
Mike Rechlin | Sept. 21, 2017
The maple syrup industry has always had important links to Colleges and Universities. As an industry that continues to go through rapid changes in technology, we rely heavily on university research to drive innovation and change.
There are, however, growing connections being made between the sugarhouse and the classroom; ways in which the science, history, and culture of maple syrup making enrich the educational offerings at many colleges and universities. [ MORE ]
Record-breaking season floods bulk market
Peter Gregg | Sept. 9, 2017
Bulk marketers are buried in syrup after two back to back record-breaking seasons in the United States.
“The bulk market is flooded,” said Bruce Bascom of Bascom Maple Farms in Alstead, N.H. “Absolutely flooded.”
Average bulk prices in the United States in 2017 are about $2.10 per pound for the lightest grades, $2.00 per pound for the medium and dark grades and between $1.60 and $1.85 for the very dark grades. Some buyers pay bonuses for organic. [ MORE ]
Low-interest loans available to maple producers
Deborah Jeanne Sergeant | Sept. 1, 2017
Could you use a loan for expanding your maple operation’s storage capacity? You’re in luck — if you qualify.
FSA’s Farm Storage Facility Loan (FSFL) program offers farmers low-interest loans to improve their farm’s storage capacity and includes maple operations.
David Holck, executive director for Farm Service Agency for Washington, Warren, Saratoga and Rensselaer counties in New York, said that containers for maple sap and lines to the evaporator are eligible for FSFLs, and, an addition to the FSFL recently announced by the USDA, containers for syrup, too. [ MORE ]
Get ready for CMSPM Conference this weekend
| Aug. 22, 2017
Get ready to attend the 2017 Commercial Maple Syrup Producers of Michigan (CMSPM) “Tapping into the Future’ maple educational conference at the Treetops Resort in Gaylord, Michigan.
The conference will begin Friday evening Aug. 25 with a panel discussion of industry experts from Leader, CDL and LaPierre. [ MORE ]
It's not too late to attend the New York Maple Tour
| August 2017
The Lewis County Maple Producer Association will be hosting the 2017 New York State Maple tour. The tour is scheduled for August 13th, 14th, and 15th. Attendees from across the Empire State will have the opportunity to visit local maple syrup producers, examine their facilities, and engage fellow producers. The tour will also include a stop at Shultz’s cheese curd, one of the area’s leading producers of cheese curd. The tour will include a trade show and banquet at the Ridgeview lodge in Lowville, NY. Participants will be bused to each stop. [ MORE ]
Don’t miss the 2017 Vermont Maplerama
Sloan Bullard | July 20, 2017
Vermont Maplerama, the summer tour that features the showplace sugarhouses of Vermont is slated for Aug. 3-5. This year’s event is hosted by the Lamoille County Sugarmakers and will take place at the VFW in Hyde Park, Vt. The event includes tours, a trade show, banquet and awards ceremony, and a Saturday BBQ. [ MORE ]
Program offers easy money to sugarmakers
Peter Gregg | May 2017
Nothing beats free money.
An energy savings incentive program in Vermont largely paid for new flue pan preheaters for 18 oil-burning sugarmakers last year, with even more money slated for 2017. Applications are now being accepted in Vermont for up to $7,500 in grants for preheaters.
“I’ve never done a grant program that was so easy,” said Mark Stewart, who along with sons Elliot and Tanner, taps 25,000 in the central Vermont hamlet of Cuttingsville. “It was very easy.” [ MORE ]
Season wrapping up for most, but far north hangs on
Peter Gregg | April 8, 2017
The last gasp of the season for most this weekend.
“The lower elevation trees are on the way out,” said Dale Aines, of 20,000-tap Mettowee Valley Maple in Pawlet, Vt. on Tuesday. [ MORE ]
New VMSMA container timeline finalized
| March 31, 2017
Coming June 1st! New plastic containers from the Vermont Maple Sugar Makers Association featuring revised branding will be available on June 1 from Hillside Plastics Co.’s Sugarhill Containers.
“With the 2017 season underway, we’re excited to finally be able to announce a timeline for the roll-out of VMSMA’s new plastic and glass containers featuring the revised Vermont Maple Syrup branding,” the association said. [ MORE ]
Season winding down in the middle latitudes
Peter Gregg | March 2017
It could be close to the end for sugarmakers in the middle latitudes of the Maple Belt.
“My last boil was Thursday,” Wayne Palmer, a sugarmaker in Hebron, Ct. told The Maple News on March 24. “The last two days we were getting that not so nice smell in the sugarhouse, when you stop getting that nice vanilla smell and it changes.” [ MORE ]
Flatlander hitting heights
Peter Gregg | February 2017
They call him the hardest working flatlander in Vermont.
Eric Sorkin is a lawyer by training and hails from New Jersey, but he’s becoming one of the kingpins of the Vermont maple industry, with 81,000 taps on the back side of Mt. Mansfield and an innovative retail business that’s taking maple into a new culinary realm, far beyond the jugs and tin.
“We’re shouting from the rooftops that you can do a lot more with this stuff,” he said. “It’s so unique. It’s so special.” [ MORE ]
Another reset coming this week, hopes to extend season
Peter Gregg | March 13, 2017
Another big reset is happening across the Maple Belt, freezing trees.
“We’ve had so many highs and lows in temperatures this season,” said Mark Spence of Spence’s Sugar Bush in Spring Valley, Wisc., where he and his three sons have made 13 barrels so far. [ MORE ]
Research explores birch syrup production
Northern New York Agricultural Development Program | February 8, 2017
The farmer-driven Northern New York Agricultural Development Program has posted the results of a project exploring opportunities for regional maple sugarmakers to produce birch syrup. Four sugarhouses participated in the 2015-2016 birch syrup project; one each in Clinton, Essex, Franklin and Jefferson counties. [ MORE ]
Sugarmaker launches permeate beverage
Peter Gregg | February 2017
Leave it to a sugarmaker to find an innovative way to make money from R/O permeate water. They call it Asarasi. [ MORE ]
New quotas are finally here
| Oct. 27, 2016
On October 7, 2016, the Federation of Quebec Maple Syrup drew lots to allocate 1.1 million new taps in the young entrepreneur and startup categories. The public draw was held at the Centrexpo in Drummondville and live streamed on the Federation’s Facebook page. A video of the draw and the list of winners can be viewed at fpaq.ca.
[ MORE ]
CDL opens another superstore in Maine
Peter Gregg | CDL opens another superstore in Maine
CDL today opened its eleventh superstore in the U.S., along busy Route 2 in central Maine.
Maine Gov. Paul LaPage, state Rep. Russell Black and other dignitaries were on hand for a "tubing cutting" opening ceremony. [ MORE ]
Farrell to resign from Cornell's Uihlein maple program
| Oct. 6, 2016
A letter to the maple industry from Michael Farrell, Director of Cornell University Uihlein Forest Maple Research Center in Lake Placid, N.Y: [ MORE ]
5 million new taps to be let in Quebec on Friday
| Oct. 4, 2016
The Federation of Quebec Maple Syrup Producers will be auctioning 5 million new taps for the 2017 season, and all upcoming seasons, during a lottery to be held on Friday, October 7. [ MORE ]
FDA to maple: Drop dead
Peter Gregg |
The food and drug administration this week told the industry it will not be enforcing any mislabeling of fake maple products. [ MORE ]
Bulk prices to remain stable, but low
Peter Gregg |
Despite what many are calling a record-breaking barn buster of a crop, bulk prices should largely hold from where they were before the season started. [ MORE ]
Quebec company offers drone mapping services
Peter Gregg |
One of Quebec’s leading technology innovators is offering drone services to sugarmakers, helping producers map out their sugarbush with real arial photos and 3D graphic images of sugarhouses. [ MORE ]
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