GREETINGS FROM YOUR PRESIDENT

The Fall Tour this year was a great success. I would like to extend a big thank you for a job well done in coordinating the day's events to Tim Boonstra, our Host, and to Terry Coleman, our Fall Tour Coordinator, along with the many others involved in the tour. The women of the Comins Mennonite Church did an excellent job in preparing a delicious meal. Everyone enjoyed the train ride on the Michigan AuSable Valley Railroad. There was a rumor that one of the train rides had difficulty making the trip back up the hill with all those sugar producers aboard. We learned from Russ Kidd about the Kirkland Warbler Habitat on a brief stop at one of the management areas.

Leaf peepers in our area of the state did not get a very good show this year as most of the brilliant colors were not to be found and if they were, it was for a very brief period. Hopefully color was better north of us. Autumn is a good time of the year for Maple sales in our state and held true for us at various local fall festivals.

As winter is approaching very quickly, it is time again to start preparing for the next sugaring season. I am hoping with the very early cold spell and much needed precipitation that we have a good season. With the holidays coming upon us we are getting busy bottling and filling Christmas orders. By now I hope everyone’s wood shed is full or oil tanks are filled and ready for firing the evaporator in the spring.

Your Board of Directors have been busy attending meetings and putting together all the necessary items to make the Winter Meeting a learning experience for everyone. We are very excited about the speakers and their presentation topics. Enclosed in this newsletter is the Registration Form for the Meeting and a 2006 Membership Application. If you cannot attend, please use the application to renew your membership to continue taking advantage of what the association has to offer you. Your membership runs from January thru December.

This year at the Winter Meeting we are dropping the breakout sessions due to the amount of time required by our featured speakers. Our feature speaker will be Dr. Randy Heiligmann from Ohio State. Randy coauthored the Maple Syrup Producers Manual that has been the main reference book on Maple for many years. Along with Randy, Dr. Gary Graham, also with Ohio State, with give a most tasteful presentation on Pure Maple Syrup off flavors and stuff you don’t want in your syrup. This presentation should be on everybody's must attend list.

Dr. Graham will also provide a seminar about the presentation you put on to your customers at your sugar house. He will explain how the appearance of your sugar shack and that first impression is so very important. Enclosed in this newsletter is the full agenda of the meeting.

Steve Youdes will again be hosting the Maple Syrup, Cream and Candy Contest. Steve has included in the newsletter all the requirements for your entries. I encourage all to enter a sample of your products.

Have a Very Merry Christmas and I hope to see you all at the Winter Meeting in January!

Tom Cook, President