2008

Congrats to Fred and Bonnie Hedmark ... this year's WMSPA Producer of the Year!!!

Every year at this time we present the Syrup Maker of the Year Award. It is getting harder and harder to make this interesting, as we all do the same type of work and it is getting difficult as to how to phrase the highlights.

This year the couple who will be receiving this award has started with our association very quiet and worked up through the ranks. As you all know, that working up in this industry takes a lot of manual labor. Only those who really love making maple syrup and being a member of our association know what I am talking about.

As for many of us, this couple's maple operation started way back before they were born. See what I mean about working up through the ranks! Generations upon generations of syrup makers.

In the early 1900's their ancestors wanted to get out of the big city and go someplace where it was quiet and peaceful. And of course, the place that they purchased had maple trees on it. As all of our families have done, maple syrup was made for their own use and of course for friends and those who helped them out, it was used as a payment.

As time went on, and maple syrup became more of a necessity, both for a larger family and other means, they got into really producing it. Around the late 1950's they even purchased a 3 x 12 foot King evaporator. Well as long as they had that, it was decided to produce maple syrup commercially. We are now up from producing for family and other necessities to deciding to go bigger, 700 taps. Like the rest of us, each year taps were increased and work did too. Many of us used tractors in the woods and some of us even used horses to gather the sap.

Around 1995 tubing was experimented with in the sugar bush. There was a steep ridge along the property, which made an ideal setup for gravity tubing. The tubing ran to the bottom of the hill and emptied into a large storage tank. The next year more taps were put in on tubing and was also the last year that horses were used to gather sap. In 1997 more taps were added on tubing in this father and son operation. Thus comes the name for this maple operation.

In 1998 the operation was turned over to his son because of the fathers failing health.

In 2000, a new sap house was built at the bottom of this hill where the tubing is and a 4x18 foot evaporator was installed. 2001 running water was put in and a canning kitchen was built. In 2008 a vacuum system was installed to the tubing.

Remember I said earlier that this steep ridge into which the gravity tubing flowed was the name of this operation. I forgot to tell you it is called Hedmark's Maple Ridge.

Wisconsin Maple Syrup Producer of the Year

Wisconsin Maple Syrup Producers Association (WMSPA) announced their 2008 Maple Syrup Producer of the year at the annual fall Maple tour in Wittenberg , Wisconsin on October 4, 2008 . This year's recipients are Fred and Bonnie Hedmark of Florence County . The Hedmark's own and operate Hedmark's Maple Ridge in the Town of Fence .

Hedmark's Maple Ridge is nearly a century (91 years) old family hobby. Fred and Bonnie Hedmark are the third generation to make syrup. It all started in 1917 when Fred's grandparents grew weary of city life in Chicago . They traded two lakeside apartment buildings for 240 acres in the town of Fence , sight unseen. They moved to the North woods and lived in a tent that summer until a log cabin was built to live in. They made maple syrup for their own consumption and bartered the rest for other necessities.

Fred's parents, Milan and Vita farmed and made maple syrup for their own use. They also raised three sons; Bob, Mike ( Milan ) and Fred. In 1958 they purchased a 3' x 12' King evaporator and put out 700 taps and started producing syrup commercially. Through the years they modestly increased the number of taps, totaling as high as 1600 taps. The unique aspect was Milan always used a team of horses to gather the sap.

In 1995 Milan urged Fred to try installing tubing on his property close to the family farm. The property has a very steep ridge running north-south across it, making it a perfect setup for gravity tubing, thus the name Hedmark's Maple Ridge. In 1996 Fred and Bonnie installed 500 taps and went into partnership with Milan . 1996 was also the last year of using the horses for gathering, because in 1997 they installed another 400+ taps for a total of 900+ on tubing. Because the tubing ran to the bottom of the hill and emptied into a large storage tank, the horses were no longer needed to gather the sap. Because of failing health, in 1998 Milan turned the operation over to Fred and Bonnie.

In the fall of 2000, Fred built a new sap house at the bottom of the hill where the tubing is and installed a used 4' x 18' evaporator, the official start of the third generation. Since 2001 running water and a canning kitchen has been added. For the 2009 season; vacuum will be added to the tubing and more taps added. Every first weekend in April Fred and Bonnie host an open house serving breakfast with Bonnie's made from scratch buttermilk pancakes. They offer tours of their facility and are pleased to show people how pure maple syrup is made at their open house.

Fred has been a member of the Wisconsin Maple Syrup Producers Association for the past 20 years and the district 2 director since 1998. He has served as the Vice President and is the current President of the WMSPA.

On March 15, 2006 , Hedmark's Maple Ridge had the honor of hosting Wisconsin 's First Tree Tapping ceremony at their operation. Dignitaries attending included State Representative Jeff Mursau, Alice in Dairyland Geena Cooper and Wisconsin Maple Queen Cynthia Voelz. Alice in Dairyland read a proclamation from Governor Jim Doyle declaring March 15 th to April 15 th as Maple Month in the State of Wisconsin .

Wisconsin is one of the top maple syrup producing states in the nation, ranking in the top five for production in the United States .

page updated Nov. 7, 2008