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Maple syrup called common bond for Geauga
(by Joseph Koziol Jr. - May 20, 2010)
Maple syrup called common bond for Geauga
By JOSEPH KOZIOL JR.
If there's one thing that characterizes the reputation of Geauga County, it is the love of the maple tree and the sweet sap that runs from its bark every spring.
And, because of that bond, Geauga County should do every thing it can to promote and protect that resource, according to Jen Freeman, of Chardon, who is president of the Ohio Maple Producers Association. She delivered that message to Geauga County Commissioners last week when she asked for the county's help in keeping alive the maple tradition.
"The tradition of sugaring each spring spans generations of farm families living and working in Geauga County," Ms. Freeman said. "Maple-syrup production is the one thing that unites the county as a whole. Sugaring is done in every township. It is a common bond that connects both Amish and Yankee farmers. It has come to symbolize Geauga agricultural heritage and our cherished rural way of life."
Ms. Freeman represents a statewide, nonprofit organization that educates, promotes and works with producers to improve the quality of the product and brings producers and consumers together.
And while most would assume that maple sugaring is simply a "historic footnote" that has people survived into the 21st century, Ms. Freeman said, it is vibrant and growing agricultural industry that attracts thousands of visitors each spring. And that, she said, adds millions of dollars into the local and state economies.
"There is no other place in Ohio where maple is such a driving force in the economy and for tourism as it is here in Geauga County," Ms. Freeman said.
Geauga County produces more than a quarter of the total maple syrup in the state, she said. According to a 2007 U.S. Department of Agriculture census, 600 producers reported having 320,000 taps that produced 62,141 gallons of maple syrup in Ohio, she said.
"Maple production plays an important role in Ohio, which ranks from fourth to fifth in production of the 15 maple producing states," Ms. Freeman said. "Maple's greater than $6 million gross receipts create an excellent outlook for producers where up to 70 percent of the produce is sold on a retail basis."
In 2008, she said, Ohio reached a new level, producing an estimated 100,000 gallons, ranking it just behind Vermont, Maine and New York.
She said a recent study by Cornell University estimated that Ohio producers currently use only 40 percent of the tapable maple trees, meaning there is plenty of room for expanding the industry.
Ms. Freeman said the production side is just one part of the equation and what it means to the county's economy. She said related maple syrup events and pancake breakfasts all add to the county's economy.
"What may seem to some as a simple springtime tradition is a valuable asset to the economy of Geauga County," she said.
Burton, known as Pancake Town USA, hosts several pancakes breakfasts each March that benefit the Burton Fire Department, the Burton-Middlefield Rotary, Century Village and the Atwood Mauck American Legion Post. Ms. Freeman said the Rotary Club served 6,200 people in March.
"Once tummies are full, many walk around historic Burton Village, visiting the shops and making purchases," she said. "January and February are slow retail months so these customers are welcomed and help make March a very good retail month."
Ms. Freeman said Chester, Bainbridge and the Chardon Veterans of Foreign Wars also provide another chance to taste Geauga County's maple syrup.
The Geauga County Maple Festival was started in 1926 as a way to increase awareness of the county's maple syrup. She said it remains one of the oldest and largest maple festival in the country.
With every visitor, the chance increases for use of local accommodations and more dollars to the county's coffers in the way of a bed tax, Ms. Freeman said.
Other attractions, she said, include the March Maple Madness Driving Tour, the Geauga Park District's programs at the Swine Creek Reservation, the log cabin in Burton Park, Richards Maple Products in Chardon and courses in maple production at the Ohio State University Extension in Burton. A sugarhouse was added to the Geauga County Fairgrounds in 2004 and attracted 12,000 visitors in 2009.
"People love to come to Geauga County for a sweet maple syrup experience," Ms. Freeman said. "While March is the prime time to do it, maple still plays a vital part of year-round tourism. Toss in the beautiful Geauga County countryside, and this is a very special destination where people can have a great experience."
Ms. Freeman said agritourism, a joining of agriculture and tourism, is on the rise in the country.
"People enjoy doing this because of the scenery, they can visit family and friends or have them join them on the tour, participate in hands-on activities and buy a product that they have seen firsthand where it came from. It shows people something they never see in the city -- agricultural activities have a lot to offer."
Ms. Freeman said there is much the county can do to help make a successful venture even more profitable.
First, she said, the county must work to preserve the heritage by preserving the resource, the maple tree. She said most landowners that are non-producers do not know the value of what they have. "An effort should be made to protect maple groves not in production, strive to save them," she said.
She also called on the commissioners to make the maple tree the official tree of the county. "This would bring increased awareness to the value of the tree, encouraging more maple tree planting and protection of existing groves," she said.
And, last, she said, the county should work to find a home in the county for the Ohio Maple Museum and Ohio Maple Producers Association's Ohio Maple Hall of Fame. She museum had been planned for Century Village in Burton, but a working agreement could not be reached between the two organizations.
She said the museum and hall of fame will become a "major tourist attraction."
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