MIDDELBURY, Vt.—The maple school season in Vermont kicks off this weekend, with a big show in Middlebury this Saturday, Jan. 11.

The 2020 Addison County Maple Seminar will be held at the Middlebury Union High School and will feature a day-long slate of classes and demonstrations for the small and big producer alike.

Walk-in registrations are welcome and the fee will be $35 for the day, including lunch (or only $20 without the lunch).

The high school is located on 73 Charles Ave. in Middlebury.  The show begins at 8:00 a.m. and runs to 3:45.

The program is run by the Addison County Maple Sugar Makers Association in conjunction with the UVM Proctor Maple Research Center and UVM Extension. 

Sponsors of the show include CDL USA, Co-operative Insurance Companies, F.W. Webb Company, National Bank of Middlebury, Vermont Economic Development Authority (VEDA). 

Here are the classes for the day:

SUGARMAKING FOR BEGINNERS – CLASSROOM #1 

Beginning Sugarmakers (Part 1)

Bill Scott, Future Farmers of America Emeritus 

In this two-part session, Bill leads beginning sugarmakers from the tree to the sugarhouse, discussing tapping, tubing, filtering basics and other techniques. 

Beginning Sugarmakers (Part 2)

Bill Scott, Future Farmers of America Emeritus 

Part 2 reviews boiling techniques, and best practices when it comes to drawing syrup off, filtering, grading and canning. 

Tapping Tips

Wade Bosley, UVM Proctor Maple Research Center 

Learn the do’s and don’ts of tapping to get the best possible product. Hole depth and placement, size of tree and tubing size all play a role in getting good sap flow. Wade will discuss things that work ... and also what doesn’t. 

Got Trees, But No Sugarhouse?

Mark Cannella, UVM Extension 

Mark will have a discussion and analysis of the financial and time commitments regarding “sap only” compared with a complete sugarhouse operation. With maple operations sinking greater than $50 per tap, when does it make more sense just to sell sap? 

Research and Extension Update from UVM

Abby van den Berg, UVM Proctor Maple Research Center 

For decades, Proctor Maple Research Center has provided valuable information to sugarmakers and led the way in new technology within the industry. Abby will discuss current studies as well as provide updates on ongoing research. 

Controlling and Releasing Fluid By-Products 

Jason Bradley, Vermont Agency of Natural Resources 

Jason will follow-up on Patrick Fry’s work and research. This pre- sentation will continue to discuss easy (and inexpensive) solutions to mitigate most concerns the Vermont Agencies of Agriculture, Food and Markets (VAAFM) and Natural Resources (ANR) may have. 

Sugarhouse Certification

Jason Gagne, Gagne Maple, Franklin County VMSMA Director 

VMSMA has been working on protocols for sugarhouse and sugaring operations to meet the new FDA food Food Safety Mod- ernization Act (FSMA) safety regulations. Learn the timetable for implementation as well as what you can do to bring your operation into compliance. 

Identifying Effective Organic Defoamer - Session 3 

Abby van den Berg, UVM Proctor Maple Research Center 

Salt pork hanging over the rig doesn’t cut it as organic, and canola oil is not as effective as other non-organic defoamers. Abby will go in-depth, exploring defoamers that really work and are still accepted as organic for all producers. 

Handling Large Sap Flows

JR Sloan, Cabot 

Every sugarmaker dreams of a large sap flows, but dreams can be nightmares! JR will discuss how to handle large sap flows with the equipment that you have. Learn how to set up and use tanks, tubing and R/O to handle high flows. 

Sugarhouse Design for the Future 

JR Sloan, Cabot 

JR will comment on creating efficient sugarhouse designs for the new decade. Extended seasons – tapping in December and finally quitting in April. 

Training and Retaining Employees

Dean Parent, Operations Manager, Runamok Maple 

Hiring, training and retaining employees in any business is ex- tremely difficult. Dean lends insight into how Runamok Maple finds, trains and keeps employees. Sugarmakers need to rely on both part-time and full-time employees, no matter the size of their business. 

Introduction to the Game of Logging

David Birdsall, Northern Woodlands 

David will introduce the basics of chainsaw usage, help attendees identify trees with hang-ups, and share overall best practices for woods safety. This class is only scheduled to be offered once, please indicate on the registration form if you would like to take the class. 

Using the Best Containers for Retail Sales

Brendan Haynes, UVM Proctor Maple Research Center 

Whether you choose to use glass or plastic containers, selling the best quality syrup is the end goal. Brendan will present research results that may or may not confirm (or deny) your suspicions. 

Ticks, Ticks and More Ticks

Roundtable Discussion 

Ticks and Lyme Disease on the rise, and the little critters are around all year long. Whether you are tapping, gathering, working in the woods, or checking lines it’s easy to be covered! This roundtable discussion will cover best practices and useful information on keeping you safe for many seasons to come.