Congressman Owens visited the Cornell Uihlein Maple Research Field Station yesterday to learn more about the maple research and findings that are coming from the facility. During the visit, he and Dr. Michael Farrell gave an interview to WNBZ about the findings. Here are some highlights from the interview: - Maple producers have wrestled for years with the question of whether to reuse or install new taps in their maple trees every year. Based on field work, Dr. Farrell called this a no-brainer. When combined with new vacuum technology, a new tap can yield as much as double the quantity of sap, all for the cost of a $0.20-0.40 tap. - U.S. maple syrup production has doubled over the past 5-6 years due to both a higher number of taps and greater production per tap. Growth in this industry produces a lot of rural economic development in the form of seasonal jobs, manufacturing of equipment and building of maple houses, marketing opportunities and agri-tourism like Maple Weekend. - Approximately 75% of the worlds maple syrup comes from Quebec, not because they have the most trees but because of their utilization. They tap around 1 of every 3 tap-able trees for production. In New York the figure is much lower, closer to 1 out of every 40 or 50 that could be tapped. Some areas of the state, e.g. Clinton County, are seeing booming growth in the industry but there are many other parts of the state that are not utilizing this resource. - New York State is one of only two states that offers an Agriculture assessment to property owners that can significantly reduce property taxes. If you have a sufficient number of maple trees on your land, you can lease the land to a maple producer and get a tax break (and possibly some free syrup!). Interested? Check out the FAQ on page 2 of this Cornell/NNY Ag Development flyer: bit.ly/1vf74bD Clear demand allows this local industry to grow, increasingly through international sales made over the internet. From Bill: This shows that there are valid investments that the federal government can make that can help economic development, do something that is ecologically good. This has all the benefits you like to see from a government program. A final word from Dr. Farrell: We have this product that is the most healthy, delicious, sustainably produced sweetener in the world, only made here in the eastern U.S. and Canada.
Posted on: Fri, 16 May 2014 15:42:46 +0000
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