Posts

Maple & Popular Mechanics…???

by at

Maple for the masses – of course that’s our goal when we think about the tasty product we produce and the many millions of people who aren’t yet customers but should be!

Maple for the masses – from a researcher’s perspective, there’s always the goal for our work to be translated from research into applied guidance that can be adopted by producers all over the landscape.

Maple for the masses – from a general knowledge and curiosity perspective, producers love to tell others about the maple culture and practice that we love so dearly.

One could argue these elements leverage Curiosity into Consumption which eventually turns into Concern for the resource – a beautiful way to think about how our human curiosity can find engagement that ultimately leads to a stewardship ethic around an issue or topic or resource.

Very seldom does a single piece of media capture all of these perspectives and more so wonderfully.  Sticking with the personality of Aaron Wightman from Cornell (see last week’s post about the Sweet Talk Maple Podcast), I think you’ll agree this Popular Mechanics article is a real doozy.  Enjoy!

Freeman’s Maple Research Podcast

by at

Just a quick reminder that the Ohio Maple Days registration is live – we hope to see you in December!

A couple months ago, I had the opportunity to sit down virtually with Aaron Wightman from Cornell and talk about the 3 year’s worth of data we collected to investigate Freeman’s maple production potential in comparison to sugar maples.  The research was conducted at OSU-Mansfield in the University research sugarbush, and Aaron did a great job leading the Sweet Talk Maple Podcast and keeping the conversation on track.  Please enjoy!  The episode can be downloaded and heard anywhere you get your podcasts.

John Berry Maple Contest – Submissions Accepted

by at

As part of the Ohio Maple Days event, Ohio Maple Producers Association is hosting the John Berry Maple Contest.  Awards will be presented at the December 7th Ohio Maple Days event, and ribbons will be given out to the top three places in each class – Golden Delicate, Amber, Dark, Very Dark.  The best overall score in the Small Sugar Maker will receive a plaque as will the Best of Show producer by winning the Hilton Farley Contest.

Click here for your Entry form and additional details on syrup submission.

Contest participants can send entries to or drop them off at the 5 following locations:

  • OMPA Winter Banquet
  • OMPA Table at Lake Erie Maple Expo
  • Richards Maple Products (7955 Euclid Chardon Road, Kirtland, OH 44094)
  • Gortner Maple Syrup (1222 Township Road 13, West Salem, OH 44287)
  • Galen Smith (12860 Henry Road, Mount Vernon, OH 43050)

All entries must be received by November 22 to qualify for the John Berry Maple Contest.  For any questions or clarification, please contact Galen Smith 740-398-3373.

 

Registration is LIVE for Ohio Maple Days

by at

Friday December 6th we will be offering a Legacy Planning workshop on transition and estate planning featuring Ohio State University’s own David Marrison and Robert Moore.  While this workshop is a part of Ohio Maple Days, it is open to any landowner who wants to participate.  So please consider registering yourself, but also please share this great opportunity with family, friends, and neighbors regardless of whether they are a maple producer or not.  Registration is available here.

Saturday December 7th is a day for everything maple.  Topics this year include an expert panel on filtering, cost share programs, managing a timber sale, marketing for producers and a grading and tasting session to name a few.  Visit with vendors and enjoy a maple themed lunch.  It is always a grand time – Registration is available here.

Dealing with Storm Damage

by at

A big thanks to Kathy Smith, Program Director of Extension-Forestry, for putting together this great resource of how to cope with storm damage.  Unfortunately, it has been a reality for far too many maple producers in the past 3 years, and I’m sure for many more before then.

Click back into our archives to read a post after the 2022 derecho that ripped through north-central Ohio in mid June.

Lots of work went into creating this resource-rich PDF, so I’ll simply link it below for download and use.  Enjoy!

Storm Damage Article – Smith & Karns 2024

Ohio’s 2024 Drought & Next Year’s Maple Season

by at

Ohio is part of a severe drought that has affected many states east of the Mississippi and is experiencing what many Western states have had to live with for years.  This is all part of the seemingly endless series of weather events that stem from changing climate.  Of major concern to maple producers is the effect this drought will have on maple syrup production during the 2025 season.  Let’s look at the current U.S. Drought Monitor map.

As you can see the extreme and exceptional drought ratings are in southeastern Ohio, and an even larger portion of the state is categorized in the Abnormally Dry to Moderately dry conditions. One saving grace is that the one area currently unaffected is a portion of northeastern Ohio that includes Geauga County and most of its adjacent neighbors.  From experience in the 1988 drought, conditions can change very quickly; however, autumn is a bad time for a drought because you tend to go into winter with lower subsoil moisture reserves. How might all of this affect maple production?

Rather than paraphrasing a brief article by Dr. Timothy Perkins written at the time of the 2022 drought, I will simply quote his thoughts on how drought affects sap flow.

Sap flow is more dependent on soil moisture during the spring itself…so snowmelt and rain during the spring are quite important. However, there seems to be a couple of impacts on sap sugar content and tree growth. Think of leaves as the engine of the tree. The fuel is sunlight. But in order for that engine to run at peak levels, everything else needs to be operating correctly. If soil moisture is lacking, stomates in the leaves close, so carbon dioxide cannot enter the leaves and be “fixed” into sugars. So, drought reduces photosynthetic carbon gain (production of sugars), resulting in reduced growth and less storage or sugars in that ring of wood formed during that time. Fortunately, the sugar we collect as maple producers in sap comes from many tree rings (20-30 depending on tree growth rate and taphole depth), but the outermost tree rings tend to be the most productive (more sugar and higher hydraulic conductivity…meaning the younger pipes/vessels work better), so there can be some small reduction in sap sugar content due to drought. This is more apparent when we have several years of drought in a row.

From personal experience, I would be more concerned with this drought if it extends and expands into the winter. Winter snow accumulation has a major impact on recharging the subsoil and sap flow, and subsoil moisture is everything when it comes to sap production.


Photo courtesy of Bret Kaufmann

As Dr. Tim pointed out the greatest impact is from extended drought that lasts more than a few months or even multiple years.  What the producer is looking at is an above and below ground response to the drought.  During a drought the air temperatures increase, and winds also often increase.  This accelerates evapo-transpiration through the leaves, causing the leaves to dry out.  At the root level, the fibrous hairs on the roots are lost thereby reducing the amount of water flowing through the roots into the tree and up to the leaves.  One of the first things a producer will notice is the leaves drying out and in some cases dropping early.  This can also trigger dieback in the canopy, but many things can cause maple dieback.  In the first year of drought, this is normal and not a major concern.  If the event prolongs however, producers might want to cut back on tapping in multi-year droughts.  This could be nothing more than restricting tapping to one tap per tree, or in extreme cases, the producer might want to skip tapping a sugarbush in the spring of a drought’s second year.  An additional concern during any drought is heightened fire hazard risk.

In the near term, should producers consider not tapping a sugarbush that has been through some of the state’s most severe drought?  This will depend on how long the dry condition lasts and what the soil moisture looks like as we go into spring.  A lot can happen between now and the tapping season.  Heavy rains could change everything, and everything depends on the next several months’ weather going into next season.  One thing to consider is that our maple seasons are coming earlier than the historic norm; another earlier season will cut down on the amount of time the trees will have to recover from this most recent drought – if and when it breaks.  At this point, it is likely a wait and see situation.

Succession Planning

by at

Hanging on the walls of the Geauga County Extension Office are photographs of the Geauga County Maple Hall of Fame inductees.  Many are producers who have passed on.  The sad truth is that very few of those sugarbushes are still operating today.  There are stories to tell but no one to tell them. The maple heritage is slowly being lost.  What will happen to your maple sugaring operation when you are no longer able to run the operation?  For many the answer is simple – one of my family members is waiting in the wings to take over.  For others it is far more complex.  Will the operation be viable enough for someone outside the family to take over?  Whoever steps in to fill empty shoes, is there someone to guide that person along the way?  Succession planning can help smooth the road for a successful transition.

Economic viability is one of the biggest challenges a sugaring operator faces.  Today, the economics of agricultural production seems to be working against the small producer.  At one time, this was a statement that really did not apply to maple production.  Maple seemed to be isolated from the production and marketing pressures of other crops.  It was highly specialized and for the most part produced on a small scale of family farms.  Today, even though the retail price and the demand for maple products is on the upswing, it is getting increasingly difficult to cover expenses and make a profit.

My concern, is for the new producer, trying to break into the business.  When you look at the risks involved in running a maple operation, they are increasing with every passing year.  Based on UVM Benchmark Studies, the best chance for success starting out should be with 5000 taps and up.  The average investment for a 5000-tap operation is 36.00 per tap (UVM Benchmark study, 2020); that includes tubing and processing equipment and the sugarhouse.  If you assume the operator has done his homework, and his operation is running efficiently, the average yield per tap will be approximately 1/2 gallon of syrup per tap on a good year.  Unfortunately, not every year is a good year.  Again, with increasing input costs, can a new producer survive in today’s economy?

The maple industry, just like the rest of agriculture, is aging.  Older agricultural producers are dropping out because they can no longer run the business and no one in their family who wants to take over.  Farms are rented or sold to larger corporate farming operations.  One thing I have noticed that is different in maple syrup production – there are a significant number of young folks who have a strong desire to make syrup, especially if given an opportunity to work into an existing operation.  Assuming these connections can be made, the question the existing owner needs to ask is this – is it better to give up partial control today or watch the business disappear forever tomorrow?  Sooner or later, it will be time to let the next generation take over and pass the operation on to someone who will value it as much as you have.  I know young producers who have done well with the transitional challenges of stepping into an existing operation; however, I can also point to examples where the spark fizzled and the operation’s fate was only temporarily delayed.

Again, I would reiterate that very few sugarmakers want to deal with or accept the reality of transition, but it is inevitable as the clock winds.  Ask yourself these questions?  How long do I want to continue sugaring?  How long can I continue sugaring?  Am I setting up whoever is next in line for success?  Am I making a good reputation for small and local producers?  What can I do to get young producers involved in maple sugaring?  Do I have a plan for what’s next?  Is my plan in writing or just in my head?  If your desire is to keep your sugarbush operating, now is the time to sit down and plan a transition to the next generation and cement your legacy.

For more information on Succession Planning, contact your local Extension office to learn more or look for an OSU Succession Planning Workshop near you.

Upcoming Events

by at

There’s an incoming wave of maple- and maple-adjacent events.

First up, Carri Jagger and and Kathy Smith are giving a seminar on hobby maple as part of Morrow County Extension’s programming next Saturday, July 6th at Lowe-Volk Park (2401 State Route 598) at 1 PM.  If you have access to a few maple trees, whether growing in your yard or in a woodland, you can produce your own maple syrup and perhaps even have enough to use as gifts for friends and family!

The following Friday, July 12th, we are excited to introduce a spiced up, live-from-the-field version of the annual Woodland, Water, and Wildlife Conference that is hosted in early March.  This July event is not replacing the normal WWW Conference by any means, but it is designed to be a complimentary field-based twist on the same great programming attendees have come to expect.  A full agenda is available online of the 12 different sessions of the day.  Register HERE.

Finally, the Ohio Maple Producers Association has helped to plan an exciting free family day at the OSU-Mansfield campus on Saturday, August 10th.  We will be giving sugarbush tours in the AM, leading different walks in the afternoon to other demonstration areas on campus, having maple treats and a food truck on site for lunchtime nourishment, and even showcasing some ambassador birds from the Ohio Bird Sanctuary and creepy crawlies from the OSU Bug Zoo.  As an added bonus, if you want to throw down your cash for a entry into our cribbage tournament, bring your A game early and enjoy some friendly competition with fellow attendees before the 3rd annual One Sweet Gathering event officially kicks off.  Don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions about this event or the others mentioned in this post.

An early Happy 4th of July to everyone!!

We’re Back!! NASS Maple Survey

by at

Several weeks ago, I received a phone call from a USDA Crop Survey NASS representative; NASS standing for the National Agricultural Statistics Service.  During the conversation, he asked if I made maple syrup.  I was very surprised to find out that NASS was once again conducting the annual Maple Syrup Production survey in Ohio.  We have not been included in the maple survey since 2019.  At the time, it was the opinion of the USDA that Ohio did not produce enough syrup to be included in the survey, in addition to 6 additional states that got lopped.  However, 5 years later we are back on the survey agenda.

Why did this happen?  I think it was due to the Buckeye State’s good showing in the 2022 Census of Agriculture.  I want to thank our producers who took the time to fill out the Census Survey.  I think the information that our producers sent to NASS was the number one reason that Ohio is back on the list of NASS-recognized maple producing states.  We showed improvement in almost all categories.  Over the last 5 years, Ohio has also been the recipient of two ACER Grants with a good majority of the research being done at the OSU-Mansfield Maple Research Facility.  The Ohio State University is now one of the few universities where maple syrup research is being conducted.  This may also have played a role in the decision.

Why is this important for those working in maple research and education?  A good source of statistical data is vital when presenting programs and writing articles about the Ohio Maple Industry.  Without numbers, we are just making educated guesses that rest on assumptions or making the leap of using data from other states and hoping that they also apply to our state.  Both approaches can be problematic.  That is not good enough when you are writing educational articles or doing research.

The International Maple Syrup Institute’s special NASS Survey Committee worked hard to improve the USDA NASS Annual survey and make it easier for producers to fill out.  The Committee was made up of representatives from many of the northeastern maple producing states and the USDA.  Ohio was the western most state on the committee.  They listened to what we had to say and that helped immensely.  My parting request to Ohio producers is to continue filling out the maple surveys.  We need your cooperation to stay in the system.  As always, the information you send is private and will not be given out to any other group or agency.  Thank you once again for your support!

~ Les Ober

Out of the Woods Seminar

by at

The Out of the Woods series from Future Generations University in West Virginia hit an important topic several weeks ago, and the recording of “Two Seasons – Sanitation & Tubing“ is now available as a Recording.

The Talk Title “Two Seasons” is a play on this quote from Garnet Whetzel.

“There are only two seasons in a year.  Maple season and getting ready for maple season.”

I am quite sure that every single maple producer exists in this shared reality – the list of things to do is almost certainly greater than the amount of time you have for working on your list.  But there a few things on your annual list that you just cannot afford to ignore!  Keep in mind that a good chunk of this presentation assumes a 3/16th tubing system, but there are lots of great lessons to be learned from the talk.  Chiefly this, compelling evidence is shared on the benefits of sanitation (using the Krueger method with calcium hypochlorite) from a nice experiment out of the Mountain State.  Results from this experiment are followed by a great discussion on the bacteria, yeast, and mold challenges that maple producers face in the woods and in the sugarhouse.