General announcement below.

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Maple Producer’s Winter Conference
Verona, New York

Dear maple enthusiast: October 20, 2011

On behalf of the Vernon-Verona-Sherrill FFA, I cordially invite you to the 17th Annual Maple Producer’s Winter Conference. The conference is scheduled for January 6th and 7th, 2012 at the Vernon-Verona-Sherrill (V.V.S.) High School, Verona, New York.

More than ever before! Last year, more than 800 people attend the show with 35 of the top maple presenters in North America, 32 workshops, and 35 of the industry’s best manufactures, dealers, and vendors with 65 tables of maple supplies and equipment!

Great time to be a Maple Producer! – With a growing maple industry and emphasis on maple production, many producers are experiencing record production and increased sales of maple syrup. This conference is formatted with you in mind and is dedicated exclusively to maple.

Friday Night format awesome! – Nearly 350 people attended again last year at the Friday Night Trade Show and guest speaker; this year’s presentation will be at 6:00 PM with the Maple Trade Show open from 5:00 PM until 9:00 PM. Continued This Year – Friday Night Maple Auction!
More than $2,500 of equipment and supplies were sold at last year’s auction! We plan to start the auction right after the Friday night speaker. Bring your used or even new maple equipment and place it in Friday night’s auction. To register maple items for the auction, write out a description of the equipment and return to us by December 15th. Information on auction items will be made available via email request after December 28th. Auction service fee will be 15% of auction price paid by seller. You MUST BE REGISTERED FOR FRIDAY NIGHT CONFERENCE IN ORDER TO BE ADMITTED TO THE AUCTION! Please consider selling a piece of equipment in this year’s auction.

For individuals requiring lodging, reservations for overnight accommodations may be made at Hotel at Vernon Downs, Route 31, Vernon (315) 829-3400. (WHEN REGISTERING AT THE HOTEL, PLEASE MENTION THE MAPLE CONFERENCE TO RECEIVE A SPECIAL CONFERENCE RATE OF ONLY $79!) The V.V.S. High School is located between Utica and Syracuse on State Route 31. From State Route 5 in Vernon, take State Route 31 West. From Oneida or Rome, take State Route 365 to State Route 31 East. Just two minutes from NYS Thruway Exit 33, the ideal central location of the school is easily accessible.

Plan Now to Attend –Pre-registration deadline is December 15th
Advanced registration is $15 for Friday night only, $30 for Saturday only, or $40 for both Friday and Saturday. At-the-door registration is $20 for Friday and $40 for Saturday. Registration includes admittance to trade show and all workshops and light meal Friday evening and Saturday continental breakfast, and all-you-can-eat luncheon buffet. No confirmation will be mailed and no refunds of pre-registrations. Receipts are available at conference registration. Please make checks payable to: “V.V.S. FFA”. We look forward to another great maple conference.