If you wait to get ready when the conditions are prime, you can miss one of the best and sweetest sap runs of the season. – Gary Graham
In a county where maple sugaring is an annual celebration, at the forefront of producers’ minds is Mother Nature’s ruling on what this upcoming sweet season will bring.
“Producers need to have everything ready but drilling the hole in the tree earlier these days in order to tap when the conditions are ready to start,” said Gary Graham, state maple syrup specialist for The Ohio State University Extension. “If you wait to get ready when the conditions are prime, you can miss one of the best and sweetest sap runs of the season.”
Maple producers and enthusiasts gathered Saturday for the “2017 Ohio Maple Days” program, sponsored by Graham and The OSU Extension and Ohio Agriculture and Research Center and held at Joe Miller’s Window Shop in Burton.
“I think there is resurgence for natural products and you can’t get more natural than maple syrup,” said Les Ober, of OSU Extension, who is considered by many to be the county’s leading authority in maple production. “It fits a good niche.”
The final stop for the statewide program — which kicked off in Morrow County, then hit Wayne and Holmes counties before Geauga — included a trade show.
Unseasonably warm temperatures greeted people gathered inside for updates on the Food Safety Modernization Act and Ohio Department of Agriculture. They also learned why production numbers matter and when to tap, and learned about bulk syrup prices and quality control, registration and why it has helped Wisconsin maple industry, and the testing of hydrometers.
Graham highlighted the differences between bucket producers versus tubing.
“Buckets producers have had it the worst the last few years as the conditions were not conducive for good strong sap runs,” Graham said. “Folks who used tubing and good vacuum systems and that tapped early last year did okay. Bucket or bag producers who taped in late did not have a very good season.”
Sara and Chris Cervenka, of Troy Township, started their own sugaring operation in 2015 with an 18-inch-by-24-inch evaporator and about 100 taps on bags. This year, they bought a much larger evaporator, are building a new sugarhouse and plan to tap around 300 trees on buckets and expand to around 1,800 taps with tubing.
“The Maple Days class has been really important in designing, planning and building the system,” Sara said. “The maple community is always eager to help and answer questions when needed.”
Graham continued on about the weather’s impact on production.
“I cannot predict what the season will be like as I do not know the weather patterns for the next two months … no one does as it changes too much to make that prediction,” Graham said. “Just like how crop (corn and bean) farmers’ crops are dependent on the weather, so are maple products.”
He added, “Some (tappers) stick to a calendar date as that is the way it was done in the past. You can’t do that anymore as the weather should drive when to tap, not a date on the calendar. People who tap off a traditional date often have a very short season or no season at all in some years.”
Generally in the spring, temperatures fluctuate between freezing at night and above freezing during the day, and maple trees send sap from root to bud to assure there will be energy for leaves to open.
But the allover warmer temperatures have created a faux spring.
“It’s the earliest I ever seen it,” said Ober. “It’s got to be some unofficial record.”
Inside the doors of a section of the trade show, Jennifer Freeman represented Richard’s Maple Products in Chardon, which will celebrate its 107th year this year. She said she enjoyed the camaraderie of the day.
“You see a lot of great folks, we sell a lot of the equipment and we learn what’s going on in the maple world,” Freeman added.
Even for hobbyists like Parkman Township’s Ryan Jacobson, who hoped for a better season than last, the networking and educational gains were noteworthy.
“I am more excited about this year’s season because I feel like I have more knowledge about how to produce than I did last year, am more organized and know exactly what I need,” said Jacobson, who brought a list of questions for Graham.
Dan Milo, food safety supervisor at the ODA, talked about the food safety act that will be phased in over the next several years.
“As a hobby maple myself, I want the producers that attended to know that the ODA Food Safety will continually work to explain to producers their legal requirements,” Milo said. “Additionally, for maple producers who look to become inspected by ODA, we will meet with them to explain all of the regulations for them to comply.”
James Miller, owner of award-winning Sugar Valley Maple and one of the largest producers in the county, already started tapping and is looking for a frost at night.
Miller explained the desired temperatures for tapping is 25 degrees at night and 45 degrees during the day with a little snow, rain and mud.
“Can’t stick to a calendar date anymore,” Miller said. “It’s all weather dependent. If we get that in February, we’re done. That’s why we have to make hay when the sun shines.”
Graham keeps his eyes on all of the maples, using the red maples as his guide because once they break bud, sugars will not be too far behind.
“I pray for everyone who makes maple that we get that freeze on Thursday night. If we don’t, we will be in trouble,” Graham said.
