A Flurry of Maple Events/Initiatives

Happy January and perhaps – depending on your locale/conditions – happy maple season!  We are not tapped in yet but are anxiously awaiting the clear signal to GO!

Some events to be aware of.  This year’s Maple Madness Tour is planned and tour stops will host visitors March 1 & 2 and March 8 & 9.  It seems reasonable to think most producers will be hosting Madness guests in the heart of the season, not after the best of the season is in the rear-view mirror.  The Ohio State Mansfield sugarbush will be participating on Saturday, March 8th, so please consider stopping by see the operation, eat some pancakes, and talk with us!

We are also excited to announce a Save the Date July 17-19 for this year’s Maple Boot Camp which will be hosted in northeast Ohio.  This multi-day workshop is designed for beginner and intermediate sugarmakers looking to improve and grow their current operations, though everyone is certain to learn a lot – myself included!  Boot Camp was a hit the last time Ohio was responsible for hosting, and I am sure this year will be no different.  Lots more to come on this exciting offering, so stay tuned.

For a quick research report, producers across the state in and near spotted lanternfly infestations are again collecting Brix data on maples to better understand the species’ impact on our industry.  Please, if you received prepaid postcards, collect that data and send them back to me at season’s end.  While I certainly do not wish spotted lanternflies on anyone, this research could be particularly insightful if and when we get data from the same producer before and AFTER they deal with this forest invasive insect pest.  Only time will tell.

Another citizen-science led project is focused on the blame game for wildlife-tubing damage.  Yes, we know squirrels and other rodents are indeed pesky little creatures in a tubing system.  It’s the catastrophic tubing damage, the damage that if it occurred on a truly regular basis, many of us would be put out of business that is the mystery.  For some, it might be one of Ohio’s uncommon black bears, for others – coyotes or raccoons.  It’s fun to guess but it’s hard to know.  Using a methodology of saliva-DNA verification, we will hopefully have better answers to this mystery soon.  Some of you have already received sampling kits in your mailbox; for others, ask your local maple dealer for a DNA swab kit to participate this season – most of them have a box of kits to hand out.  Please participate!

Talks from Ohio Maple Days 2024

To meet the requests of many Ohio Maple Days attendees, we asked Keith Libben and Zach Smith for their presentation slide decks.  And we received.  Thanks to the both of them for tying a ribbon on their talks and making that content available for us.  For a full Recap of our 2024 Ohio Maple Days, check out last week’s post here.

Keith Libben from Ohio Department of Agriculture (you can find his contact information here) talked about NRCS cost-/technical-assistance programs revolving around energy efficiency and maple operations.  Best of all, his talk featured some fantastic success stories of real Ohio maple producers tapping into the program and upgrading their sugarhouse by leaps and bounds.  Click Here to View Keith’s OMD 2024 Slides.

Zachary Smith from University of Vermont spoke about marketing strategies on the producer side of the maple enterprise equation.  I point out the producer side because Vermont will be returning in 2025 to focus more on the consumer side of the marketing equation.  You can view Zach’s slides HERE.  And of course, if you have questions to follow-up with Zach and his team, I guarantee that they would love to hear from you.

Additionally, here is a QR code that will take you to a survey being conducted through UVM currently – tell them all about your perspective on the human and social aspects of life as it is flavored by your experience as a maple producer.  We all know maple is about more than just maple – this survey is an attempt to capture just what we mean when we say that.

Ohio Maple Days – 2024 Recap

Maple Days was a great success again this early December with a wonderful slate of speakers, and we matched last year’s attendance despite landing on the weekend of Ohio’s deer gun season to which reason we lacked a score or more of regular attendees.

On Friday afternoon, Ohio State’s David Marrison (Farm Management Field Specialist) and Robert Moore (OSU Agricultural and Resource Law Program Attorney) hosted 42 people in an Estate Planning workshop.  Attendees were coached through the challenging but necessary process of planning for the future.  Intentionally planning one’s own legacy can be a daunting task, but the workshop is designed around just that process – actively planning for the future of one’s farm, or for many peoples’ cases – one’s sugarhouse.  The event received enthusiast reviews from both participants and hosts alike.

December 7th was the Saturday main event.  Things kicked off with a talk from Keith Libben from Ohio’s Department of Agriculture.  Much ado has been made of the Natural Resource Conservation Service’s technical and cost-share assistance for sugarmakers, but this year’s talk from Keith featured some fantastic success stories that producers could easily connect with.  A big thanks to Jen Freeman for assembling an all-star panel that discussed all things filtering, sap storage, and syrup bottling…and I mean all things.  The amount of depth and breadth that was covered in that hour was astounding, and the steady flow of questions and comments from the audience was a great indicator of a great session.  A series of maple-related wildlife updates reminded the audience that wildlife are a true Jekyll and Hyde of the sugarbush.

Bridging the morning session into the afternoon announcements of the John Berry Maple Syrup Contest was a talk on USDA syrup standards and grading.  The interactive elements of that session were a clear testament to the fact that while the basics of grading are well understood, practice makes perfect even for the most experienced of maple producers.  And speaking of maple syrup contests, here’s a rundown of the deserving 2024 winners!

Delicate: No entries qualified, there’s your chance for next year folks!
Amber: 1st – Bruce Kavanaugh, 2nd – Aggie Sojka-Sperry
Dark: 1st – Ohio State University-Mansfield, 2nd – Bonhomie Acres, 3rd – Aggie Sojka-Sperry
Very Dark: 1st – Charles Hammer, 2nd – Bonhomie Acres, and 3rd – Ohio State University-Mansfield

The Dick Schoor Small Producer Award went to Bruce Kavanaugh, and Dan and Kelly Brown from Bonhomie Acres took the Hilton Farley Best-of-Show Award.  A People’s Choice contest was well worth the extra effort to set up, and lots of folks participated.  The Browns with Bonhomie Acres claimed the Delicate category, Dave and Christina Remy won by popular vote in the Amber and Dark grades, and Gay & Galen Smith with Double G Maple took the Very Dark category.  We hope participation in the John Berry Maple Syrup Contest continues to grow as the competition grading now incorporates a phenomenal opportunity to glean feedback on your syrup’s grade, color, clarity, density, and flavor thanks to a new form crafted by Jake Nicholson and adapted from forms used in syrup contests elsewhere.

Zac Smith from University of Vermont anchored the afternoon session with a presentation on marketing strategies for maple producers.  We look forward to hosting the UVM team back in 2025 to talk more about the consumer part of the marketing equation.  Always good to have our friends visit from the north woods.

The afternoon session split led part of the audience through a couple of talks focused on managing a timber sale and safe chainsaw operation and maintenance.  Paul Helser from Helser Woodland Management and Lee Beers of OSU Extension – thank you for a great afternoon session.  The other room explored solar as not only a green alternative option to conventional electricity but also as a way to get power into tough-to-reach areas of the woods.  Les Ober also shared a great talk on handling sap from the logical point of origin – the tree! – all the way to the evaporator.  This talk was similar to the panel session from the morning in that there was at least one tip or trick to be gleaned for even the most experienced maple producer in the room.

It would be crazy not to acknowledge the excellent menu presented by the Ashland University culinary team – from dark beer braised beef to maple candied brussel sprouts and a line-up of desserts to drool over, lunch remains a highlight of the overall Ohio Maple Days experience for all.  As much as we’ve come to count on delicious eats at the conference, we are also glad to offer free hydrometer testing as a mainstay of the event as well.  Almost 20% of attendees brought hydrometers to be tested with many producers bringing upwards of a half dozen instruments.

As a tip of the hat to the next generation, we also want to recognize Ms. Elizabeth Franz who came back to this year’s conference to present her research poster on nitrate and phosphate occurrence in maple syrup.  A big thanks to the maple producers who stepped up to the plate as collaborators in her work last year.  As great as events like Maple Days are, they won’t guarantee a vibrant future for the maple industry in Ohio, but continued involvement of and investment in the next generation will!

January Backyard Maple Workshop

Please check out this January 24th workshop for Backyard Maple Production hosted by our very own Jake Nicholson and Jim Downs.  Beginning at 12:30 and running through the afternoon, attendees will be introduced to the backyard basics of tapping maple trees and boiling sap into delicious maple syrup.  The workshop will be hosted down at Canter’s Cave 4H Camp in Jackson County, Ohio.

Registration is required and attendees can sign up anytime from now until January 20th through the Woodland Stewards website.

 

We also wanted to share this Sustainability-focused survey for maple producers from the good folks at University of Vermont.  Please scan the QR code below to participate.

Here’s a bit more information from Mark Cannella.

Maple producers are invited to join a first-of-it’s kind study exploring the human side of maple production. This new survey asks producers to share their personal experiences and community interactions related to maple sap and syrup activity. It includes topics on community connections, trust, cultural significance, tradition, health and well being. 

This research is part of a larger project that is exploring all the ways that the maple sector represents or works towards “sustainability”. The larger project is identifying measurements that best reflect maple sustainability in relation to people, communities, forest health, economics and environmental impact. Once established, these sustainability indicators can be monitored over time to assess how the people and systems touched by maple are doing.

Maple & Popular Mechanics…???

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!

Upcoming Events

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!!

Out of the Woods Seminar

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.

Maple as STEM – PAST Party

We had an opportunity to table as an Experience Partner at the PAST Foundation‘s STEM of Spirits event this past Friday evening.  What a wonderful event and chance to showcase maple as a local food that supports local communities and is full of elegant and interesting science!

We chose a couple engaging angles to highlight the STEM of maple syrup to our guests.  Attendees learned about the differences in cancer fighting properties between early season Golden Delicate syrup as compared to later season Dark Robust profiles.  An informal poll of taste preference ended in a dead heat with the exact same number of people preferring Golden Delicate as Dark Robust.  Each syrup has its own medical benefits (Read more in our September ’23 Maple REVIEW article), and participants decided the only rationale response was to consume copious amounts of both!  Smart folks.

Another activity invited guests to use a sap hydrometer, digital refractometer, and traditional refractometer to calculate Brix of “sap” from 3 different maple trees.  One tree was a healthy full-crowned sugar maple.  The second was a stressed sugar maple.  A healthy “rilver” represented tree number 3.  A graduated cylinder varied sap output volume, and sap Brix varied by tree species and tree health.  A dry erase marker to record data on the tree canopies and some quick calculations to estimate final syrup output, and we transformed the evening’s guests into researchers.  The quick study’s results suggested that while maple species does matter, managing for healthy trees and forests is the highest priority for maple producers – regardless of maple species composition.

A bit of information about spotted lanternfly and some visuals to help showcase Jones Rule and the boiling process rounded out the display.  We’re excited to see Ohio State Maple continue to build momentum as we continue to expand our maple education and outreach footprint.

Mini Maple Arboretum

The new additions just keep coming at the OSU-Mansfield sugarbush.  12 trees were planted for a miniature arboretum right off the corner of the new maple pavilion.  With a collection of all the common maple species in Ohio, we are now better equipped than ever to teach tree identification workshops.  Sugar maple, boxelder, silver maple, black maple, red maple, “rilver” maple, Norway maple – single trees of some, multiple representatives of others.

A summer watering schedule, some mulch around their bases, and protection from the local deer herd should give these a great shot at surviving and playing a role in many maple workshops in the future.