A heated discussion erupted in the House Agriculture Committee yesterday as it took testimony on S.93 that would change the way Vermont sugar makers classify maple syrup.
Several Vermont maple producers are angry that they were not involved in any of the plans to bring the state more in line with the International Maple Syrup Institute’s grading system, (IMSI). Letter grades – Grade A Fancy, Grade A Medium Amber, Grade A Dark Amber and Grade B — are used on containers of maple syrup made in Vermont. If the bill passes, they would be replaced by the IMSI grades of Golden, Amber, Dark and Very Dark.
“Why? My question is why,” Ed Merrow, a Vermont maple producer, said loudly and angrily to himself early on in the hearing.
Merrow, who has a 3,000-tap sugarbush in Danby, told the committee that the first he had heard talk of changing grading standards was in fall 2010, but he didn’t hear of a decision until he read the minutes of the annual meeting of the Vermont Maple Sugar Makers’ Association (VMSA) in January.
“I again asked if we had a chance to vote on grade changes. We didn’t. I was told by Bill Clark [president of VMSA] that the changes had been made and that’s that,” he said.
Jacques Couture, chair the VMSA board of directors, said his organization has the support of its members.
“[We] voted to instruct the maple industry committee to begin this process in January,” Couture said. “Members voted in support of this. We didn’t go to every member to straw poll vote; I don’t think that was ever considered.”
Couture, who has 7,500 taps on his farm in Westfield, said he spends a lot of time explaining the current grading system to customers, and likes the more self-explanatory labels.
“Not that I mind describing the grades to people, [but] the fact that there’s a flavor descriptor along with a classification is a very positive thing,” he said. “Would you ever go in a store and buy Grade B meat? So why would you go in and buy Grade B syrup?”
Merrow however, isn’t against one half of the bill – a voluntary certification program to ensure health and safety standards, that will allow producers to charge a higher premium for their maple syrup.
What it seemed producers like Merrow and other opponents of the new grading system don’t like is that standardizing the grading system will detract from the Vermont brand. Customers might think that Golden Amber from Vermont is the same as Golden Amber from Quebec or New Hampshire, whereas to producers, they are distinct.
“The current Vermont grades are part of the Vermont agricultural brand,” said Ken Bushee, a maple producer in Danby and the former director of the VMSA. “They speak of higher quality expected by the public because of higher than average quality produced by Vermont.”
Vermont maple syrup is a quarter of a degree heavier in density than other varieties, Bushee noted. .
“It’s hard to be involved in a discussion if the discussion takes place before you know about it,” Bushee said. “IMSI wants this change, but it actually isn’t in the best interest of the producers of this state [to] be lowering of our high standards to meet the rest.”
However, Rep. John Bartholomew, D-Windsor, observed that that a standardized grading system is necessary as Vermont produces more maple syrup.
“We heard testimony a few years ago that Vermont had one million taps now have three million. [That’s] something can’t market all within the state. It’s hard to exist in an export market without a standardized labelling system,” he said.
Bill Clark, the president of the VMSA, also thinks the new labeling system will help producer market outside of the state.
“In this day and age, in a global economy, in a global market, there are some [producers] selling more internationally than we do. If consumers travel other places, and they have a common understanding – it’s a lot easier for them to know what they’re getting,” Clark said.
“This is something that really needs to go forward — it’s a marketing tool. It will be of advantage to producers in Vermont,” he said.
But Bushee and Merrow ship out of state and say the Vermont grading system hasn’t detracted from their sales. Bushee says his customers have come to understand the state’s current grading system.
“I’ve educated people in the state for 30 years and they know what I sell,” Bushee told the committee, adding later, “I advertise with sign besides the road in the fall. People stop and buy from me; they take my card and reorder. It’s taken me 30 years to build my business, and people finally know what medium amber is.”
