Special "health spouts"?

[Andy VT]

I looked at the bottle of some "organic" syrup today, and there were a few claims on the bottle.
The one that caught my attention most was:
"We support the use of "health spouts" for tree-friendly tapping.
I've never heard of these, but seeing it on a bottle has increased my angst about this organic maple syrup movement which seems to be mainly about charging more for syrup for no good reason and keeping the public in the dark about it. There are laws against saying syrup doesn't have this or that because it suggests other syrup has or doesn't have it, falsely. Just like the organic claim, but that one is legal and encouraged. I do wish to be re-educated on this, so do chime in!
But back to the question: Can anyone explain what a "health spout" is and what it does for the tree?
Thanks!
Andy
P.S., I'm not saying that if you are organic certified you're necessarily trying to deceive the public. Business is business! Do make what they want. But hopefully, either way, you're part of educating the public on what organic is and what it isn't....?

[maple flats]

A health spout is simply a 5/16 spout (or 19/64) rather than a 7/16 spout. Called a health spout because the tap hole heals over much faster than the old 7/16 spouts.

[Andy VT]

Ah, case in point then. Is anyone selling any significant quantities of syrup on anything larger than 5/16" spouts, organic or not?

[Andy VT]

I think I figured out how to make peace with it. Obviously this producer would have no reason to use anything but "health spouts" but perhaps they would say they're spreading the word to hobbyists to use them too, even if on buckets (I do, and for that exact reason... tree health. I tap suburban yard trees, so really need to tread lightly). They didn't actually link it to the organic cert.

[TapTapTap]

Hi Andy

Here's my take on organic certification, which I am:

It is a type of 3rd party verification that your operations meet certain health, environment, and sustainability standards. And the goal is to provide your customers with the confidence that your product is made to those standards. The option could be that you let the government into your sugar house and let them inspect (no thanks). I'm looking to get the VT Sugarmakers Association certification for sugarhouse next. I'm already Audubon Bird Friendly.

Packers pay a slight premium for organic syrup but a non-organic producer could often play the market by holding on to their product until later in the year and get more per pound than I typically get. At a retail level (which is a small percentage of my production) it only seems to help justify my reasonable $50 per gallon price.

Ken

[Andy VT]

Ken, that's helpful perspective!
I definitely like peer accountability, and good point about government inspections. I would be 110% for VT Sugarmakers Association cert (or similar for other states) to make sure everyone is doing what ought to be done. I should mention... I'm all for charging what the market will bear... anyone making maple products is not making enough for their hard work at any reasonable price. Wish the accountability could have a less deceiving name than "organic" though. But maybe it's just what we're stuck with.

Part of the angst is that it seems quality sugarmakers and good sugarbush are being left out because of the organic movement. Am I imagining this? I am hoping that I am!

[TapTapTap]

Andy,
I don't think anyone is being left out from the "organic movement". Any size producers can be certified organic so long as they follow the guidelines. The primary limitation for most very small producers like yourself is that you need a forestry management plan (FMP) and management control over your sugarbush. I am fortunate to own a 87 acres with a good sugarbush . I lease another little sugarbush adjacent to my property and they too have a FMP. I have the lease written to give me management control over anything required of me for the organic certification. FMP are common on lots over 25 acres since that size makes the lot eligible for the current use property tax program. Under current use, one gets taxed at a special rate as forest or ag. Forest lots require an FMP.
Ken

[Andy VT]

Admittedly the topic is entirely theoretical, hypothetical, and philosophical! I don't even have a forest to manage and there is nothing on the horizon to suggest I ever will (though you never know!).

The only anecdotal little left-out story I have is an acquaintance with maybe 600 taps on someone else's land with some sort of agreement. I have reason to believe he sugars it sustainably, but that it is not feasible to certify organic with the agreement he obtained. Some years he finds time to boil and other years he sells sap. This year for the first time he was unable to find a sap buyer who would take non-organic. This was sad to me. Don't know the whole story though. He boiled some and then ended the season early. This being the closest organic story to me, this story is the 2023 organic taste in my mouth. But I already knew that was just one story, and your comments have been most helpful! I will remain very interested in where organic goes from here. Still hoping to stop by! The sugaring season turned out to be a handful, but a fun one!

[TapTapTap]

Andy,
I feel for the guy with no sap buyer. I have a good relationship with our syrup buyer and a big part of that is because we sell to them exclusively and they buy all our bulk product. It might sometimes feel like I could get a little more by holding out for a later opportunity but I value the consistency more than the top dollar. So I can see how someone without a consistently available product might loose out, particularly with the very limited shelf life of raw sap. At least with syrup you can hold out until the holiday season when many packers are eager for more product.

As for a visit, please stop by next time you're in the south end of Williston. And I hope all the construction over in the city isn't too disruptive.

Ken