From the North Country, here's a 'sappy' story about a sweet program for kids, community |
On Board Online • December 15, 2014
By Cathy Woodruff
Senior Writer
All around New York, high school students are diving more deeply into academic programs and activities that reflect economic development priorities set by their communities. Several - such as semiconductor manufacturing, computer information technology and architecture - may sound familiar as focus areas designated for the new P-TECH high schools.
But at the Brushton-Moira school district in rural Franklin County, the student members of the Future Farmers of America are tapping a distinctive sweet spot for potential economic growth in the North Country.
Maple syrup.
In just over five years, the Brushton-Moira students have grown their maple syrup operation to a scale that involves the collection of sap from more than 2,500 taps inserted into trees on school district property each year. The sap is gathered in buckets and boiled using a state-of-the-art, fuel oil-powered evaporator in the FFA's own sugar house.
The students now produce up to 250 gallons of syrup in a season - a monumental amount, considering that it takes, on average, 40 gallons of sap to produce each gallon of syrup. That volume, stoked by the popularity of the product, has turned maple syrup into the FFA's signature enterprise in a diversified business portfolio that also includes an active recycling operation and a greenhouse.
"We are self-funding. We raise our own money," club President Jenna Dufrane explained shortly before leading a visitor on a tour of the FFA maple facilities and sugar bush. "We just purchased a tractor for our program, which was a big chunk of money for us."
"This program is paid for by the kids," added FFA advisor and technology teacher John St. Mary. "The kids have all the ownership."
The FFA's maple syrup business earns kudos from leaders of the Northern New York Maple Project, a regional collaborative formed to cultivate maple production as a larger player in the Adirondack area economy. By introducing maple sugaring and woodland conservation techniques to a new generation, the program can play a major role in bolstering that effort, according to local experts.
For many years, making maple syrup has been a minor source of income for a few North Country farms, said Brian McDonnell, director of the Visitor Interpretive Center at Paul Smith's College near Saranac Lake. But as production technology improves and hobbyists hone their skills, syrup is emerging as a bona fide regional industry on the rise with plenty of room for more growth.
McDonnell points to research sponsored by Cornell Cooperative Extension, which found that in Franklin County, less than one-half percent of the potentially tap-able maple trees are used for syrup projection.
Michael Farrell, director of Cornell's Uihlein Sugar Maple field station in Lake Placid, estimates that the annual economic impact of maple syrup easily could rise to $4 million if the county's production and consumption levels were to match Vermont's.
"It's good that they have such a strong program where the students can get some real skills and experience," Farrell said. "One of the challenges of the maple syrup economy is just having good, experienced labor that knows what they are doing and enjoys it."
Even at a hobby level, maple syrup production can help preserve family farms and sustain a vibrant agricultural sector in rural parts of the state, McDonnell said. That means the FFA program serves the community, as well as students.
"Through this program, John St. Mary is exposing kids to an opportunity to stay in their home town and work a farm and find another source of revenue to keep the land in the family," McDonnell said. "It's another way for families and people interested in agriculture and forestry to tap into what's in their own back yard - pardon the pun."
Want a taste? Brushton-Moira students will serve up some 25 gallons of their syrup at an annual breakfast and open house fundraiser in April. Syrup will be poured on pancakes and used to flavor ice cream and cotton candy that the FFA members make using their own equipment. Hint: Free samples may be available during tours of the sugar bush and sugar house.
The students bottle a portion of each year's crop for local sale and use, and in a good year, the group also will sell many gallons to a Vermont bottler for wider distribution.
"I think it's invaluable for our students to have this opportunity," Superintendent Donna Andre said of the maple business. While students hone the skills and diligence important for running a business, they also develop understanding and respect for the natural environment, she noted.
For much of the fall, FFA members were focused on woodlot stewardship.
"We're doing selective harvesting to maintain the sugar bush," FFA Treasurer Victoria Vaughan explained as she pointed out various tree species on a cold, rainy November afternoon.
That work plays a critical role in protecting the school property's syrup production potential, Vaughn said. While they strive to maintain a healthy diversity of hardwoods, students remove trees that could endanger the maples through overcrowding or show signs of disease or pest infestation.
At the same time, woodlot management provides a spin-off business opportunity for the FFA through the sale of firewood, and the forest conservation efforts dovetail with environmental science and wood technology curriculum. Color-coded ribbons encircling several trunks offer evidence of a tree identification assignment in progress.
The maple syrup business is even linked to some projects in the school metal shop, where students fabricate tree spouts used for tapping in the spring.
And, as in any business, the FFA members need to keep a close eye on their financial affairs, regardless of the season.
Last year, district officials say, the FFA took in about $30,000 in revenue and paid about $25,000 in expenses - which typically include purchases of equipment, materials, fuel and miscellaneous operating expenses.
Beth-Ann Haynes, a treasurer for the district, helps FFA officers manage the club's finances. She offers guidance on budgeting and bookkeeping, Roberts Rules of Order, sales tax regulations, banking procedures and many other tasks.
"It's basically showing them how to run a small business," she said.