PRESIDENT’S COMMENTS

An excellent annual meeting was held on January 17 in Clare. Our guest speaker, Glenn Goodrich, overwhelmed the audience with his knowledge and expertise about installing tubing and the latest technology in tubing collections systems. Fortunately, Glenn was able to visit with many producers after the presentation.

The assistance of many Board members helped to make this meeting a success. Russ Kidd and his MSU Extension staff always mail an early registration and information packet. Joyce Ross handles membership and pre-registration. Craig Arnold handles walk-in registrations, which this year exceeded any prior year. Approximately 135 people pre-registered, but we had 189 people in attendance. Ron Kistler works with organizing the vendor area and Steve Youdes organizes the syrup contest.

Our new Board member this year is Dale Forrester from Colon, MI. Dale and his family have been making syrup in Michigan for five years. He has approximately 6,000 taps in Michigan, but when you see him you should inquire about his syrup operation in Maine. I also want to thank Ron Kistler, who left the Board this year, for his work and time over the past nine years on the Board. He assisted Steve Youdes with the syrup contest; organized the vendor display area, and  was chair of the Honorary Member award for 2003.

The 2004 officers and committee assignments are listed in the secretary’s minutes which followed the general membership meeting in Clare. If you are interested in serving on any of these committees, please do not hesitate to contact the chairperson of the committee.

As your delegate to the North American Maple Syrup Conference, the fall meeting provides many educational sessions relating to the production of syrup. In this issue of the Newsletter we have reprinted two topics from that meeting; “Understanding Sap Flow” and an excerpt from “Recommendation for Proper Filter press Operations”. Both of these topics were presented by Proctor Research, University of Vermont. I will share other topics in each newsletter this year.

Hopefully, by the time you read this newsletter, the cold weather will break and lots of syrup will be made. Our web-site can keep you posted on how the production is around the State.

Jean Maday, President