The Rural Voice, 2005-03, Page 21ready to tap you needed snow shoes
to get around."
The time required for tapping
varies greatly according to the
amount of help available. "Last year
we had lots of help and we were only
three days drilling all the holes."
That mammoth job was
accomplished so quickly
because there were 11-12
people available to help. During the
season there are four
or five people working. Having a
local Amish population makes it
possible to find seasonal help, he
says.
There are some very large Quebec
producers who run 100,000 taps with
four or five people and start the
tapping process in January, he says.
"They work at it every day. It doesn't
matter what the weather is they have
to go to the bush to get it done."
As Targe as the Robinsons are by
Ontario standards, Bill
says Ontario is a minor
player in the maple
syrup business
compared to Quebec.
Perhaps that's because,
while maple syrup was
a small part of many of
the mixed farms that
used to be the mainstay
of Ontario agriculture,
as agriculture changed Maple sugar candies are
Ontario farmers turned just one of the products they
to other parts of their sell.
farms to specialize and
expand. In Quebec more people
chose to specialize in maple syrup
production, making it into their full-
time occupation.
The Robinson's decided that
syrup production was the area of
farming they wanted to specialize in.
"The advantage I see is that it's
like market gardening: selling syrup
you still sell your own product.
There's no marketing board. It's one
of the few products where you can
sort of set your own price. You don't
take what they're going to give you
— that's what most of farming is."
The Robinsons work hard to get
the price they want, wholesaling two-
thirds to three-quarters of their
production to retailers, selling the
rest in bulk. "['II sell it any way as
long as I can get money," he
chuckles.
There is competition for the
Ontario market with Quebec
wholesalers packing and importing
product into Ontario and trying to
sell to retailers here against Ontario's
own producers.
The marketing end of the business
is looked after by Susanne who
delivers Robinson's Maple Products
across southwestern Ontario and into
Detroit where they've had one
account for 20 years. She spends
about four days a month on the road
doing deliveries and another four or
five days a month making sugar
candies, maple beanut brittle, maple
butter, maple jelly, maple -flavoured
mustard, maple-taragon sauce and
other products to take to retailers.
The reward is a full-time job at
home for both of them. Although Bill
does a little farming (his cattle are
not a great money-maker he admits),
their main income comes from the
syrup operation.
Bill's the Ontario
delegate to the North
American Maple Syrup
Council and enjoys the
opportunity to to make
contacts across North
America and hear about
the ideas in packaging
or production
technologies others are
trying. As an Ontario
delegate he also reports
these innovations back
to other producers
through the Maple
Syrup Producers Association.
Bill's a supporter of the Seal of
Quality program of the Ontario
Maple Syrup Producers Association.
It's a voluntary program providing
producers with a number of ways to
improve their operation and
rewarding producers who follow the
program with the Seal of Quality to
put on their products, but not every
producer was in favour of it. "I've
got friends who are still very much
opposed," he says. "Some people just
don't like anybody telling them how
to do anything.
"As far as I'm concerned, it's
voluntary. You don't have to do it. If
you want to improve your operation
this is one way you can do it, which I
thought was a good thing. They
weren't shoving it down anybody's
throat."
Being involved in association
8th
Annual
Cane and Celehate 38 yea
with ua at the annual
BELMORE MAPLE SYRUP FESTIVAL
Thursday, April 7, 2005 9:30 - 4.00
(on Thursday we cater to Seniors
but ALL are Welcome!)
Saturday, April 9, 2005 8:30 - 7:00
Belmore Community Centre
( No admission charges
All the MAPLE SYRUP
and PANCAKES you can eat.
Homemade sausage, applesauce and a
beverage are included with your meal.
All are served with a SMILE and Country Hospitality '
MEAL PRICE
Adults - S8.00
Children (6 - 1 1 r - $5.00
Children 5 & under - FREE
For your further enjoyment..
• Entertainment for young and old • Local Talent
• Step Dancing' Vocals' Vocal Groups
' Instrumental Acts • Craft Show
• Souvenirs• Local Pork Products
• Homemade Baking • Food Booth
Kids Room (Sat. only)
SATURDAY EVENING - DANCE
"The Carpet Frogs"
9.00 pm to 1 00 am
All events/facilities are indoors - Handicap Accessible
For further Festival info call 357-2147 or 335-6204
LIQUID STORAGE
TANKS
Tanks for storage, sprayers
or transport. Tank fittings,
valves, hose and pumps.
§ 11067W NC
�i
FOR ALL YOUR TANK NEEDS
Alliston 1-877-458-3276
Hensel) 1-866-476-2424
1-1
EQUIPMENT LIMITED
MARCH 2005 17