VMSMA Membership Newsletter
Greetings,
At our past September board meeting a discussion arose among directors on how the leadership of this organization could help its membership gain a better understanding of today's maple industry, which in turn would help our members make wiser decisions and get a more profitable return on their investment. As a result from this discussion it was decided to develop a newsletter that would be sent to each of our members along with their copy of the minutes from each of the quarterly VMSMA Board of Directors meetings. In the past while writing my "VMSMA Report" for the Farming Magazine each month I began to realize though this may be a great way to inform the entire maple world on what VMSMA had been involved with, it may not be the best way to pass along important information to our valued members. I believe one of the main focuses for the Vermont Maple Sugar Makers' Association is to help create a better and more profitable environment for its membership, by doing so sugarmakers who have not joined in the past will hopefully find it worthwhile and decide to now join our organization. As we all know there is strength in numbers, so the more Vermont sugarmakers and industry supporters we get to join VMSMA the easier it will be to make this happen. If you know a sugarmaker or someone with a passion for our Vermont maple industry that is not a member of VMSMA, I ask you to please take the time to go talk with them and explain all the great benefits they will receive when becoming a member and how by having them join our organization will help strengthen our voice in the Vermont maple industry. If you or someone you know would like to receive a VMSMA Membership Brochure you can do so by going online to www.vtmaple.org and clicking on "Sugarmaker Resources" or by calling Mary Croft at 802-763-7435.
At the present time it's predicted there will be a shortage of maple syrup in the coming year, even if all of the maple producing regions have a good production year there still could be a shortfall. At the beginning of the maple season last year industry leaders estimated there was a 50 – 52 million pound surplus still being held in storage north of the border in Quebec, even though for the past several years maple producers in Quebec have only been allowed to produce 75% of their normal crop because of the quota system that was put in place 3 years ago. Then came last spring, where nearly every region produced a below normal crop, this along with a growing demand around the world for pure maple products allowed the surplus to be consumed much sooner than we all expected. As many of you will remember in the past bulk prices that were paid each spring for our Vermont maple syrup would be the benchmark used to set prices for maple syrup produced in other regions, but now with nearly 80% of the maple syrup produced each year coming from Quebec the prices paid for their syrup is now being used as the benchmark for pricing of other maple syrup including Vermont's. This coupled with the shrinking value of the U.S. dollar compared to the Canadian dollar and a surplus no longer hanging over our heads should mean higher bulk prices this coming spring for your maple syrup. Just since the end of the last sugaring season bulk maple syrup prices here in Vermont have risen .50 cents per lb. or more on most grades. You may not want to be in a rush to sell your syrup this coming spring, it may be a benefit for you to shop around a bit first.
Other things you can do to possibly increase the value of your maple syrup is to become "Certified Organic" or participate in the new "Seal of Quality" program. Even though most of us believe pure maple syrup is naturally organic you will not receive a bonus for your product until you have become certified. The certifying agency here in Vermont is the Northeast Organic Farming Association (NOFA) located in Richmond, VT. For more information on how you can become certified organic and what the cost will be please call 802-434-4122 or go online to www.nofavt.org. The federal government also has a rebate program in place that will pay back a portion of your yearly registration cost to become certified organic if applied for. For more information on this program contact your local USDA Farm Service Agency office. The demand for "certified organic" maple products have been rapidly growing over the past several years. This past spring a group of sugarmakers in northern Maine that were "Certified Organic" joined together to sell their bulk maple syrup and received $2.65 per lb. for each of their top three grades. That's an average of about .70 cents per lb. more than the average price paid for the same top three grades of maple syrup here in Vermont last year. It may not seem like much, but it relates to an extra $7.70 per gallon. Another possible way to increase the value of your maple syrup is to produce it under the new "Seal of Quality" program, which is now in the process of being re-designed for the coming maple season by the Vermont Agency of Agriculture. When this program was first developed in the 1970's it was a big hit with retailers and consumers, but then over the years there were changes made to this program that some felt caused it to lose the integrity it was first designed to protect. A representative from the VT Agency of Agriculture reported at our director's meeting in early December that pure VT maple products would be the only product allowed to use this seal in the beginning. The cost for participating in this program has not been decided at the time of writing this article, but we are being told it will be "very affordable". Anyone interested in learning more about this program should contact the Vermont Agency of Agriculture at 802-828-2416.
The Vermont Maple Sugar Makers' Association will be celebrating its 115th anniversary at this year's Annual Business Meeting being held Tuesday January 29, 2008 at the Vermont Farm Show in the Barre Auditorium. Anyone interested in joining us at our luncheon to celebrate this special occasion may do so by purchasing a ticket from Mary Croft at our booth during this year's Maple Conferences or at our booth during the Vermont Farm Show in Barre. While enjoying a delicious meal you can also join us in congratulating this year's winners for the best entries in maple products and the recipients of this year's "Outstanding Sugar Maker Award" given by the VMSMA and the "Maple Person of the Year Award" given by the Vermont Maple Industry Council. The "Sumner H. Williams Award" is also presented to someone who has dedicated their life to the Vermont maple industry, the recipient of this award is chosen by the president of both the VMSMA and the VMIC. So please don't miss this great opportunity to come checkout the new products at this year's Farm Show and visit with old friends before the start of another sugaring season!
On behalf of VMSMA I would like to wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Best wishes,
Rick Marsh
President, VMSMA
802-644-2935
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