How is the Maple Syrup Producer of the Year selected and by whom?
First of all they have to be a member of the association in good standing. They have to keep their registration with WMSPA current, be active in its activities, not just by attending meetings but also by helping. Some of the past producers of the year have been delegates or officers, but that is not a requirement. WMSPA does like to have you participate in things like helping with the fall tour when it is in your district, help put the institute together by volunteering with a round table, getting speakers lined up, etc.; help with the syrup judging, work at the state fair booth in August and really just volunteering whenever it may be needed. This shows that you really are interested in our association for what we are and what we stand for and not just to use your membership in the association to promote your own business.
Next, who chooses our Syrup Maker of the Year? There is a committee which consists of the past three producers of the year. Like this year, we have Pat and Chuck Seago, who received the award in 2003, Allen and Linda Hustad who received the award in 2004 and Eugene and Marion Voelz who received the award in 2005. You notice there was no mention of one for 2006 and that is because we hosted the convention in Green Bay and did not choose a producer of the year. Next year the committee will consist of Hustads, Voelzs and this year's recipient, who are the Adamskis.
You, as a member of the association, also have the right to send a name of who you feel you would think deserves this award to anyone of these people on the new committee. They then review the names and make the choice. If no names are submitted they will choose one amongst themselves. I hope that this clarifies this for everyone.
Some years it is very easy for me to write something about the candidates or candidates. Some I do not have a lot of information on and really have to dig to get it. By knowing so many of you, it makes this job a little easier. Two years ago when we did this, I was asked by the maple queen if she could read it, as you may remember we gave the award to her grandparents.
This year's recipients have been making maple syrup for as far as I know for three generations. This particular person, as many of us, was taught how to make maple syrup from their father.
This family started small like the majority of us did. They tapped the trees and not having a sugar house and evaporator, sold their maple sap. Then after they had children, they started making the maple syrup themselves, because like many, their children were involved in 4H and FFA and this was one of the projects for them. They made enough for their family and to give to friends. In 1984, they started their own business with tapping about 25 trees and cooking syrup on a triple flat pan evaporator this father and son made. Now I am getting into where the recipients may start to think it may be them. They increased their taps every year as so many of us did and maybe still do.
Okay now I have no way of keeping it to where they will be sure it is them, but they now tap about 4,000 trees, have a 4x16 foot evaporator with the use of a pre-heater and a reverse osmosis machine. This reverse osmosis machine, for those of you who may not know what it is, cuts their boiling time down considerably. It takes a lot of the water out of the sap before it even goes into their evaporator. In their case, the use of this machine is very beneficial to them, as they all work full time jobs and cannot start their syrup making process until about 4:30 each afternoon. This means gathering as well as boiling. If they have a good year, they can produce around 1,200 gallons of maple syrup.
In March of 2000, they hosted the First Tapping and in October of the same year sponsored the Fall Tour. During the time that a well known dealership went out of business in their area, they decided to start their equipment business as well as making maple syrup. Here again, father and son work together. Even though at the beginning of their marriage, it was father and daughter, as this person's father taught her how to make maple syrup and she continued it with her husband and family. Father and son also give demonstrations and help syrup producers who want to install tubing into their woods.
Now, I have a feeling that they will be bursting at the seams to teach their first grandchild all about maple syrup. Jacob James was born into the Adamski Family Sugar Bush on December 22, 2006 to Jim and Sara. Proud grandparents are Vicki and Gary. Will the Adamski family please come forward?
Submitted by Gretchen Grape, Executive Director of the WMSPA
(note: due to NAMSC being held in Green Bay in 2006, no producer of the year was chosen)
page updated Nov. 6 2007