The Official U.S. Maple Syrup Almanac 2014 2nd Edition | Page 56

VERMONT MAPLE SUGAR MAKERS ASSOCIATION 491 East Barnard Road, South Royalton, VT 05068, [phone], [email protected], www.vermontmaple.org SUMMARY OF SEASON OFFICERS UPCOMING EVENTS he 2014 season was a challenging one for many, dating back to the end of 2013. In December 2013, some regions of northwestern Vermont suffered significant ice damage while eastern portions of the state suffered from wind damage during summer thunderstorms in 2013. The year began cold, with both January and February being colder than average though sap flowed on several February days and some producers were able to make syrup. March came in even colder, with temperatures well below average, including low temperatures over 10 degrees below average. Little syrup was made in March until the last week, most of which happening in the southern portion of the state. Snowfall was plentiful in March, making conditions in the woods difficult. The season in Vermont was, for many, a three-week window over the last few days of March to mid-April. Reports vary widely as to what the season was like. As of this writing on June 10, some sugar makers report only half a normal crop while others report something close to a full crop, with most falling somewhere in the 65-75% of a crop. The sap flow was steady over the short season and some folks reported records for syrup made in a day. Not surprisingly, producers with vacuum tended to report better seasons while those relying on gravity had a more difficult season. While the cold weather slowed down the season, it did allow for some producers to continue tapping trees, leading to the speculation that total production in Vermont for 2014 may be on par with 2013. Yield per tap will be decreased, as many more taps were used in comparison to last year. — Matthew Gordon, Executive Director Sam Cutting, Chair [email protected] 2015 Vermont Maplerama Hosted by Caledonia County Maple Producers Association T 56 Pam Green, Vice-Chair [email protected] Stephen Tetreault, Treasurer [email protected] The Vermont Maple Festival St. Albans, Vt. April 24-26, 2015 Emma Marvin, Secretary [email protected] AWARDS Award winners from the 2014 Vermont Farm Show Maple Product Awards: Fancy — Thomas Levesque, Richmond, Class Winner; Medium Amber — Glenn & Ruth Goodrich, Cabot, Class Winner & Best of Show; Dark Amber — Paul & Colleen Palmer, Jeffersonville, Class Winner; Indian Sugar — Taft’s Milk & Maple Farm, Huntington, Class Winner; Cream — Grandpa’s Stuff Maple Cream, Pawlet, Class Winner & Best of Show; Sugar Cakes — Julia Hoogasian, Morrisville, Class Winner; Fudge — Kevin Companion, Huntington, Class Winner; Maple Specialty — Diane Nijensohn, Sheffield, Class Winner Sen.Patrick Leahy, a longtime friend of the industry, was named the recipient of the Sumner Hill Williams Memorial Award. Sen. Leahy has been a champion of the maple industry for many years. His commitment to the industry has been evident in the funding of research projects, his leadership on legislation to bolster protections for pure maple syrup, and a willingness to bring the “Flavor of Vermont” to the forefront. He has been a leader in working to help pass the Farm Bill in Congress and ensure that it includes strong provisions for Vermont maple. The Sumner Hill Williams Memorial Award is named for Sumner Williams, who served as the assistant director of the University of Vermont Proctor Maple Research Center. Emma Marvin was named the Maple Person of the Year. Marvin serves as secretary of VMSMA and was an active participant on the executive committee. Marvin was instrumental in helping to lead the merger of three separate Vermont maple organizations into one group, and has also been a vocal supporter in helping the industry move toward the adoption of the new maple grading standards. Outside of the VMSMA, she represents maple on the Working Lands Enterprise Board. She works at Butternut Mountain F \