Reported by Mary Douglass

Yes, it's an attention-grabbing headline. And no, it's not from the National Inquirer. I know it's a strange headline for Michigan--considered by most to have had a disaster maple crop this year--but recently released crop statistics from Quebec confirm suspicions that the 2000 maple crop was the largest ever produced. Quebec estimates have come in at 80-82 million pounds of syrup produced in 2000. That's over 50% more than a typical Quebec crop of around 50 M lbs. Add an additional 25 M lbs. from the U.S. and the other Canadian provinces, and you have a whopping crop of over 100 M lbs. And that doesn't take into account the estimated 20 M lb. carryover from 1999 stocks.

Considering the world market is currently about 74 M lbs., we've all got our work cut out for us to get demand for our product up to current production levels. Certainly the size of the world crop, prices and competition will be big topics at the IMSI table for several years to come. It may prove to be a challenging time for our industry. Fortunately, Michigan's distance from the largest producing areas keeps us somewhat insulated from the drastic price changes that come along with production variations. But what it should tell us is that competition will surely rise as more and more desperate producers look for markets for their excess syrup.

Other IMSI News: We continue to dedicate funds to testing for adulteration in maple syrup markets around the world. I've just learned that initial testing on a random sample from Japan shows enough discrepancies that further testing is likely needed. I'll keep you posted on that. The IMSI is committed to protecting a pure maple product worldwide. Finally, the IMSI recently committed funds for some promotions products to help smaller producers in their marketing efforts. We are currently designing a generic poster that will be available to all members. We're hoping that project will be completed by the annual meeting in October.