 |
 |
|
|
|
New York Ag News Headlines |
 |
NYS Maple Industry in Spotlight in March
New York Ag Connection - 03/22/2023
Gov. Kathy Hochul last week encouraged New Yorkers to support their local maple producers. She highlighted New York’s upcoming Maple Weekend events and activities, which continue March 25-26, along with other special events and promotions throughout the month.
New York maple producers experienced a record-breaking year in 2022, producing 845,000 gallons of maple syrup. New York state continues to rank second in the nation in maple production.
“Maple production in New York is thriving as the industry continues to set records and ranks second in the nation in this sweet crop,” Hochul said. “I thank our producers who work hard to make the delicious, innovative, and unique maple products we all enjoy, and encourage all New Yorkers to take part in Maple Weekends this month to sample some of the world-class items that local vendors have to offer.”
In addition to its ranking for maple production, New York also is home to the largest resource of tappable maple trees within the United States and more than 2,000 maple sugar makers. In 2022, New York’s maple industry used 2.9 million taps, tying 2021’s record for the largest number of taps used in a single year. The New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets supports the maple industry through the New York State Budget — which includes funding for promotion and educational programs — as well as through investments in research projects, such as Cornell University’s Maple Program’s Arnot Teaching Forest, and through its NYS Grown & Certified and Taste NY marketing programs.
Maple weekends
Throughout March each year, and, in particular, during the weekends of March 18-19 and 25-26, maple farms across the state open their doors to the public to provide a chance to taste pure maple syrup, right from the source, and experience the unique family tradition of making maple syrup in NYS. Producers, including many of those that are NYS Grown & Certified, offer tours and pancake breakfasts, sell maple products, and demonstrate the syrup-making process, which includes the traditional system of hanging buckets on trees or more modern methods of production using vacuum systems to increase the yield of sap per tree. Maple Weekends in 2023 are taking place at nearly 150 maple sugarmakers’ farms, boosting agri-tourism across New York. A searchable list of Maple Weekend events is available at https://mapleweekend.nysmaple.com/.
More than 80 maple producers participate in NYS Grown & Certified, which verifies New York’s agricultural producers and growers who adhere to food safety and environmental sustainability standards. Find a current list of maple producers who are a part of the NYS Grown & Certified program at https://certified.ny.gov/wheretobuy.
Source: fltimes.com
|
 |
|
 |
|
Copyright © 2024 - Farms.com. All Rights Reserved. |
 |
|
