It’s gonna be sticky and sweet!

May 30, 2023

Annual summer tour of maple syrup producers to gather in Perth, Ontario this July 19-23, 2023.

By Andrew Joseph, Farms.com; Image by diapicard from Pixabay

Large and small maple syrup producers and industry stakeholders are set to gather in Perth, Ontario, on July 19-23 for the Ontario Maple Syrup Producers’ Association’s (OMSPA) annual Summer Tour. OMSPA represents approximately 600 maple syrup producers from across the province.

The Summer Tour is an educational conference focused on supporting the maple syrup industry in Ontario and consists of two days of tours to a range of sugar camps in the area and one day of technical presentations at the Algonquin College campus in Perth.

The theme for this year’s event is “From Here Forward” and will feature topics relating to improving woodlots, production operations, marketing, and continuing education in a changing industry.

“We invite maple syrup producers of all sizes—from backyard to large sugarbushes—to attend and gain more knowledge about maple syrup production in Ontario while networking with other producers and industry leaders,” said Dave Branson, Chair of the event.

The Summer Tour is open to both OMSPA members and non-members, and the program includes banquet guest speaker Robert Hocking, who is a business and brand strategist specializing in consumer behaviour and innovation.

Conference sessions will include topics such as woodlot management, operations, forest stewardship, and ways to optimize yields and sustainability.

Exhibits from industry manufacturers will be on display throughout the conference.

Stops on the sugar camp tours will be spread across the region and will include Adam’s Maple, Wheelers Pancake House, Sugar Camp & Museum, Canis Valley Maple, Century Maple, McEwen Acres, Golden Moment Farm, Gunnnebrooke Farms, and Blair’s Maple.

This event is sponsored by a range of industry leaders, including CDL, Dominion & Grimm, Lapierre, Hartington Equipment, and Farm Credit Canada, among others.

Registration for the conference can be customized for the full three-day package or for individual days or activities. To register, visit www.omspasummertour.ca.

For more information, contact Dave Branson at dave@bransonmaples.ca.

Video: Learning to Wrench From Dad the Hard Way

Harvest is a week out and the farm picked this week to fall apart. The truck needs a battery, the barn curtain's got a problem, and the corn and beans are telling us we're out of time to get it all fixed.

So it's a full day of wrenching. Tork supervises while I get the truck back running, then we're out at the hog barn where one rusted up part has the whole curtain system hung up. Ladder work, cable work, and a little dad-and-son disagreement about the right way to do it. We close it out walking the fields, shelling beans and checking corn, because whether everything's fixed or not, harvest starts when harvest starts.

Chapters: 00:00 Everything breaks the week before harvest 01:00 Tork supervises while I fix the truck 12:30 Out to the barn to find the curtain problem 14:30 One rusty part hung up the whole curtain 20:00 Running the curtain cable from the ladder 24:00 Walking the beans and corn before harvest 26:30 Wrapping up

We're a 6th generation family farm in southeast Iowa showing the real ups and downs of pig farming and row crop farming. No script, just the work. Subscribe and follow along.

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