SCHUMER TOURS STATE-OF-THE-ART MAPLE FARM & PRODUCTION PLANT THAT’S LEADING INDUSTRY IN NORTH COUNTRY– PUSHES MAPLE TAP ACT TO BOOST SYRUP PRODUCTION AND HELP INDUSTRY GROW
New York Currently Taps Less Than 1% of States Maple Trees, Leaving Money And Sap Stuck In Trees Across The County – Plan Would Provide Grants to Increase Maple Tapping, Research & Education
Parker Family Farms Maple Tapping And Production Facility Already Taps 42,000 Trees, And Could Harvest Even More If We Can Grow And Expand NY’s Maple Industry
Schumer: This Farm Is Proof That Maple Syrup Has Huge, Untapped Potential In NY
On Monday, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer toured The Parker Family Farm in West Chazy, a state-of-the-art maple farm with 700 acres of land and a 42,000 maple tap operation and pushed federal funding to spur maple syrup production in Upstate New York. Specifically, Schumer pushed the Maple Tap Act, which would provide USDA grants of up to $20 million per year to states that create programs to encourage individual landowners to open up their trees to maple tapping. Schumer’s legislation would also provide grants to states to support market promotion, maple industry research and development, and education through leading institutions, like Cornell. Clinton County has 55 maple producers already, with the potential for more.
New York currently taps less than one percent of the state’s nearly 300 million maple trees, forcing the U.S. to import four times as much maple syrup as it produces. The state has failed to take full advantage of its maple resources in part because nearly three quarters of the tappable maple trees are on privately owned land, potentially leaving over $80 million worth of maple sap inside the trees. Despite having 200 million fewer maple trees than New York, the Canadian province of Quebec taps roughly a third of its maple trees and is able to put out over 40 million more maple trees every year, cementing its standing as the world’s leader in syrup production.
“Upstate New York stands ready and able to unleash the untapped potential of its maple syrup industry,” Schumer said. “Despite reports that tapping season has begun, hundreds of millions of untapped trees are just sitting there, full of a lucrative natural resource that could propel New York to the top of the maple industry, as well as provide a huge economic boost and new jobs to maple-rich Clinton County. The Parker Family Maple Farm is a perfect example of the huge potential that can be unleashed. That’s why I’ve introduced the new and improved Maple TAP Act, which provides grants to help open up private lands for tapping, and for research and education in syrup production, further bolstering our efforts to make sure that New York’s agricultural market can reap the benefits of its natural resources.
Schumer added, “They say money doesn’t grow on trees, but with millions of trees waiting to be tapped, there may be buckets full of dollars inside. The Maple TAP Act will help hardworking farmers in the North Country get their hands on a valuable product that will help them grow and expand their business.”
Schumer was joined by Mike Parker owner of Parker Family Maple Farm, and local agriculture, business and elected leaders. The Parker Family Maple Farm is a generations-old family owned and operated business. In 1884, Adolphus & Amelia Parker bought an acre of land and established their home in West Chazy. In 1889, they bought an adjoining 60 acres and started a dairy farm and maple sugaring operation. The operation has grown to include 700 acres of land, a 45-cow dairy farm, a 42,000 tap maple operation, a gift shop, and the fifth generation of Parkers.
Across New York State, there are over 280 million maple trees with syrup-tapping potential, with local upstate farmers relying on it as a lucrative pocket in the agriculture industry. However, despite the staggering number of trees across the state, less than one percent of them are currently used for maple tapping, forcing the U.S. to import four times as much maple syrup as it produces. By contrast, Canada currently produces 85 percent of the world’s maple product, tapping into over one-third of their maple trees. New York has about 1.8 million taps, while Quebec, the epicenter of the Canadian maple industry, has nearly 40 million.
To combat the lack of utilization of the state’s maple resources and unleash Upstate New York’s maple tapping and research potential, Schumer introduced legislation that would authorize USDA to make grants of up to $20 million per year to support maple syrup production to states like New York. These grants could be used to encourage owners and operators of privately held land to expand their tapping operations or voluntarily make their land available for maple tapping, to promote maple industry research and education at institutions like Cornell, and for market promotion for maple syrup and maple products. Schumer will fight to include the Maple TAP Act in the upcoming farm bill.