Lewis eyes untapped potential

LOWVILLE — While Lewis County already is the state's leading producer of maple syrup, a recent study suggests there's plenty of room for improvement through increased use of technology.

"Our producers are doing a great job, but there's an opportunity to do an even better, more efficient job," said Michele E. Ledoux, executive director at Cornell Cooperative Extension of Lewis County. "Other parts of the state are getting more from their taps and more from their sugarbushes."

As part of a $47,339 maple supply study conducted on the county's behalf by Cornell University, Ithaca, surveys were completed by 628 in-state maple producers, including 46 from St. Lawrence County, 32 from Lewis County and 10 from Jefferson County. The 628 respondents represent one-third to one-half of all producers in the state, the study report states.

Producers in most regions — including St. Lawrence County — have a vast majority of their taps on vacuum tubing and many others on gravity-based tubing, according to the study.

The exception is Lewis County, where only about a quarter of the taps are on vacuum tubing and about half use the traditional bucket method for collecting sap.

"Although this adds to the unique character of the region and preserves the agricultural heritage, producers in Lewis County who forgo the use of vacuum tubing to keep their bucket tradition alive are missing out on substantial yield increases," according to the report.

Vacuum tubing systems, which draw sap from the trees into gathering tanks, can achieve two to three times the per-tap yield of a bucket or gravity tube setup, it states.

Only half of producers with more than 2,000 taps use reverse osmosis, a process that saves time and energy by removing water from the sap prior to boiling, the report adds.

The study, which also included a survey of landowners with more than 25 acres, recommends more education on the availability of agriculture-use tax exemptions on land — whether owned or leased — that is used for maple production.

"Reducing property taxes is one of the greatest incentives to get involved with maple production," the report states.

The study also indicates that only one in every 200 maple trees in the state is tapped and that red maples, in particular, are underutilized for syrup.

While sugar maples tend to be the tree variety of choice for producers, quality syrup also may be produced from the sap of red maples, Michael L. Farrell, director of Cornell's Uihlein Sugar Maple Research and Extension Field Station in Lake Placid, told Lewis County legislators last week.

The supply study was part of a county initiative — also including a $39,450 study conducted by Development Services Associates, Auburn — to determine the feasibility of a maple packing facility in Lewis County.

Both studies indicate that a bottling plant for New York state syrup appears unfeasible due to relative lack of supply.

However, by ramping up maple syrup production, that may not always be the case, Mr. Farrell said.

"We think there is possibility for the future, especially if there is more education and outreach," he said.

The Development Services Associates study suggested some alternatives to a full-blown plant, including the establishment of a small-scale bottling line for syrup and a kitchen facility for development and production of value-added products, like sugar cakes and maple cream.

A task force, including a handful of local producers, recently was established to determine that idea's practicality, Mrs. Ledoux said. Such a facility could be partly funded through a $100,000 grant the county was awarded last year through state Sen. Joseph A. Griffo, R-Rome, she said.