Farm Life

IT’S THE WEEKEND VERMONT SUGAR MAKERS LOOK FORWARD TO ALL YEAR. TODAY THE 57TH ANNUAL MAPLE FEST STARTS. THE THREE-DAY EVENT IS KNOWN TO BRING THOUSANDS TO VERMONT… TO CELEBRATE OUR LOCAL MAPLE SYRUP PRODUCERS. NBC5S ANNA GUBER SPOKE WITH ONE OF THEM WHO’S SPENT DECADES IN THE INDUSTRY. SHE’S LIVE IN THE NEWSROOM. ANNA IT WAS AN UNUSUAL TAPPING SEASON. HOW ARE PRODUCERS FEELING AS IT WRAPS UP? LAUREN, RELIEF IS A WORD THAT COMES TO MIND FOR MANY SUGAR MAKERS THIS YEAR. INCLUDING CECILE BRANON, WHO’S BEEN IN THE BUSINESS FOR 4 DECADES. SHE SAYS LAST YEAR’S SEASON LEFT MANY FEELING CONCERNED ABOUT THE IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE. AND THE FUTURE OF THE INDUSTRY. BUT NOW AS THE SEASON COMES TO CLOSE…SHE SAYS IT WAS ALL ABOUT PLANNING AHEAD. MAPLE SYRUP PRACTICALLY RUNS THROUGH CECILE AND TOM BRANON’S BLOOD. THE COUPLE COMES FROM A LONG LINE OF MAKERS. BUT BRANON SAYS IT WAS A PRETTY SMALL OPERATION WHEN THEY BOUGHT THE BUSINESS 40 YEARS AGO. NOW THEY’RE TEAM HAND-TAPS AROUND 90 THOUSAND MAPLE TREES EACH YEAR. BUT SHE SAYS THE GROWTH HAS YEAR NOBODY WANTED TO TAPPING SEASON. IT USUALLY STARTS AROUND FEBRUARY…AND EVEN MARCH FOR SOME. BRANON SAYS THIS YEAR…THEY MADE SURE TO BE READY TO TAP EARLY. AND NOW AS THE SEASON WRAPS UP…SHE SAYS PLANNING HAS PAID OFF. VERMONT SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE SAYS… MANY MAPLE SYRUP MAKERS AROUND THE STATE HAD SIMILAR EXPERIENCES. FINDING MORE SUCCESS THIS YEAR BY STARTING EARLY. ANOTHER CONTRIBUTION — A FEW SURPRISE SNOWSTORMS… AFTER ANOTHER RELATIVELY MILD WINTER. BUT IN THE WAKE OF IT ALL…BRANON SAYS SHE’LL TAKE MOTHER NATURE’S HELP WHENEVER SHE CAN GET IT. AS FOR THIS YEAR SHE SAYS… AND WHILE THE TAPPING SEASON MAY BE WINDING DOWN… CELEBRATIONS ARE JUST GETTING STARTED. IF YOU’RE INTERESTED IN JOINING THE MAPLE FESTIVAL… IT RUNS UNTIL SUNDAY IN SAINT ALBANS. AND WE’LL BE BRINGING YOU LIVE ON AIR COVERAGE FROM TH