2017 Ohio Maple Days Are Jan. 19-21

WOOSTER, Ohio — The 2017 Ohio Maple Days are set for Jan. 19 in Morrow County, Jan. 20 in Wayne County — the location is a stone’s throw from Holmes County, too — and Jan. 21 in Geauga County.

The events offer educational sessions on maple syrup production. They’ll cover topics such as pricing, food safety, tap timing and quality control. The topics and speakers will be the same at all three locations.

Both hobby and commercial producers are welcome.

Ohio’s maple syrup season typically starts sometime in February. The timing depends on the weather.

Prep for the coming season

The events are meant to help producers get ready for the coming season, said Gary Graham, state maple specialist with Ohio State University Extension and one of the events’ speakers.

OSU Extension is the outreach arm of the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences at The Ohio State University. The college is the sponsor of the events.

The events’ three locations will be:

• Jan. 19, Morrow County, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Lutheran Memorial Camp, 2790 State Route 61, Fulton.
• Jan. 20, Wayne and Holmes counties, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Mennonite Christian Assembly Church, 10664 Fryburg Road, Fredericksburg.
• Jan. 21, Geauga County, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Joe J.S. Miller’s Window Shop, 15020 Shedd Road, Burton.

The topics and speakers will include:

• “Food Safety Act and Ohio Department of Ag Updates” by Dan Milo, food safety supervisor with the Ohio Department of Agriculture’s Division of Food Safety. 
• “Why Production Numbers Matter” by Graham and Cheryl Turner, deputy director of the Ohio Field Office of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service.
• “Timing of When to Tap” by Graham.
• “Bulk Syrup Prices and Quality Control” by Joe Polak, owner-operator of the Maple Hollow packing company in Merrill, Wisconsin.

Trade show and more

There also will be a trade show; reports by OSU Extension and the Ohio Maple Producers Association; free testing of hydrometers, refractometers and Vermont Temporary Maple Syrup Grading Kits — participants are encouraged to bring them along; and a session called “Maple Nuggets” for sharing questions, ideas and information.

Save $5 by Jan. 12

Preregistration — which includes lunch, refreshments and handouts — costs $30 and is due by Jan. 12. Registration after that date and at the door is $35 and doesn’t include lunch.

To preregister, send your name, contact information, date you wish to attend, and check or money order (payable to OSU Extension) to OSU Extension, Holmes County, 75 E. Clinton St., Millersburg, OH 44654.

Or, complete and mail the registration form available at go.osu.edu/2017MapleDays. Further details on the topics and speakers are also at that link.

For more information on the events and preregistration, call Ashley Gerber of OSU Extension’s Holmes County office, 330-674-3015.