![As Vermont Maple Fest kicks off, local sugar makers reflect on an unusual tapping season [Video]](https://usanewsvideo.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/mp_1438974_0_08ff4ad0e24943a493be378bcdd041d2jpg.jpg)
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
Vermont Life
![Vermont farmers demand action as extreme weather becomes more frequent [Video]](https://usanewsvideo.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/mp_1424451_0_d7be52bdb20e4398abb279a11afc2897jpg.jpg)
HERE AT HOME… WE’VE SEEN THE EFFECTS OF CHANGING WEATHER PATTERNS FIRST- HAND. HISTORIC FLOOD DAMAGE LAST JULY… LEFT INDIVIDUAL FARMERS WITH AN ESTIMATED 61 THOUSAND DOLLARS IN DAMAGE AND CROP LOSSES. AND NEIGHBORS QUICKLY ROLLED UP THEIR SLEEVES TO HELP. MULTIPLE AGENCIES PARTNERED TO LAUNCH “DIG DEEP VERMONT”. A CAMPAIGN TO PROVIDE MICRO- GRANTS AND INTEREST-FREE LOANS…TO FAMILY-OWNED FARMS… RECOVERING FROM THE DAMAGE. THE AGENCY OF AGRICULTURE JUST ANNOUNCED THE FIRST RECIPIENTS LAST WEEK. NOW… WE’RE CHECKING IN WITH LOCAL GROWERS ON EARTH DAY. AND JUST ABOUT THREE MONTHS SHY… OF THE FIRST ANNIVERSARY OF THE FLOOD. NBC5’S ANNA GUBER JOINS US LIVE FROM COLCHESTER… WITH MORE ON WHAT THEY SAY… THE FUTURE LOOKS LIKE. LAUREN, WE’RE HERE AT SAM MAZZAS FARM IN COLCHESTER. THE OWNER TELLS ME THEY FAIRED BETTER THAN OTHERS AFTER JULY’S HISTORIC FLOODING. BUT AFTER DECADES IN THIS BUSINESS…SHE’S WATCHING THESE MAJOR WEATHER EVENTS HAPPEN MORE FREQUENTLY. AND MAKING UNCERTAINTY JUST ONE OF MANY CHALLENGES VERMONT FARMERS ARE LEFT FACING. 7;35;08;04 CONDITIONS. ASK LAURIE BOMBARD… AT MAZZA’S FARM IN COLCHESTER. 17;36;13;06 SEEM TO GET A LOT MORE RAIN AND EVEN IN THE WINTERTIME, I REMEMBER THERE WERE TWO OR THREE FEET OF SNOW MOST OF THE WINTER.”> NEARLY 50 YEARS AGO. NOW… THE OWNER AND MANAGER OF THE BUSINESS SAYS SHE’S EXPERIENCING A VERY DIFFERENT REALITY. 17;36;22;16 AND HER CROPS ARE PAYING THE PRICE. ESPECIALLY LAST SUMMER. AFTER A LATE FROST… FOLLOWED BY HISTORIC FLOODING. 17;32;21;02 BUT SHE’S GRATEFUL THE DAMAGE WASN’T WORSE. OTHER FARMERS WEREN’T SO LUCKY. SOME…LOSING ENTIRE FIELDS AFTER YOU PUT ALL YOUR EXPENSE OF THE SEED AND THE LABOR AND YOUR CROP IS RUINED.”> THAT’S WHY SHE SAYS VERMONT FARMERS NEED LOCAL SUPPORT MORE THAN EVER. AS STRONGER, MORE FREQUENT STORMS… CONTINUE TO CREATE CHALLENGES… IN THIS CRITICAL ECONOMIC SECTOR. 17;34;23;14 AND IF YOUR LOOKING FOR A WAY TO SUPPORT OUR LOCAL FARMERS… DIG DEEP VERMONT HAS ORGANIZED A FUND TO SUPPORT FARMERS IMPACTED BY EXTREME WEATHER LIKE THE JULY FLOODS. AND IF INTERESTE
![NBC5 First Warning Weather [Video]](https://usanewsvideo.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/mp_1409369_0_wptzvideoforecast6571076f91c39png.png)
IN THE STUDIO, ADRIAN PASTOR NBC5 NEWS
![Farmers receive first round of much-needed grants and financial relief through Dig Deep VT [Video]](https://usanewsvideo.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/mp_1408768_0_1e1ea7d607a340f98de817be51e8d83djpg.jpg)
All across the state, people continue to recover from last years historical floods which decimated cities and towns as well as farmland. On Wednesday, a round of checks from the Dig Deep Vermont initiative were handed to farmers to help with that recovery. “Last year is one of the worst years for farmers on record. They experienced a flood, persistent rain all summer, a frost, and also had damaging winds,” said Anson Tebbetts, the secretary of the Agency of Agriculture. The micro-grants range from $200-$1,800. “Were just looking at it as starting fresh. I think its just a little boost heading into this season. We ended as you know on much lower profits last year then we anticipated, so it just helps us get to a better spot as we start this new year,” said Olivia Heltzel, from Inch by Inch Permaculture in Wheelock.The Heltzels grow flowers, fruits and vegetables at their farm, which they said really struggled due to the oversaturation. “Just kind of general yellowing of any greens; what we were able to seed we couldnt harvest, and the root crops we got in the ground rotted before they were ready to harvest,” said Heltzel. Over 50 farms have requested help through the program. One of those farmers is Saxon Valley Goat Farm owner Jeremy Leather of Albany, VT. Leather runs a goat farm that provides goat milk to Vermont Creamery and said he lost much of their livestock bedding from the constant rain.”When July came it started raining and didnt stop. In the rain we lost bedding we had stored pretty close to the river that got washed away, and what didnt get washed away was too saturated to use,” he said.He said he plans to use their check to buy new hay to replenish their goats’ bedding.These checks arent enough to help solve all of the farmers issues, but are being used to help them as prime crop season approaches. Wednesday’s grant money served as the first round one check distributions, with more to come in the near future.
![Vermont’s largest energy fair draws hundreds to see new green technology [Video]](https://usanewsvideo.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/mp_1395359_0_3de29509b3b9461ca8bc6796364e60e2jpg.jpg)
For 17 years the Waterbury Local Energy Action Partnership has hosted the biggest energy fair in the state to showcase the latest technology for a more sustainable future. “A lot of people in Vermont are looking to save energy and save money, and a lot of people are curious about green energy options and this is the place to come to learn all about the latest technologies and opportunities to save,” said Duncan McDougall, the event organizer. Roughly 700 hundred people attend every year from every corner of the state, and as more people start paying attention to carbon emissions and their own personal contributions to climate change, the event continues to grow. “17 years ago it was a lot of early adopters, now basically everyone is interested in it they have neighbors they have friends who are interested in solar heat pumps power walls or electric vehicles and they want to find out more and thats why we bring all the experts together,” said McDougall. Vermont Senator Peter Welch was also there. “Its letting people know what incentives are out there so they can save money by making their homes more energy efficient and energy efficient appliances,” said Welch. He added the time to switch is now. “Theres a lot of state savings and with federal legislation a lot of federal savings and that means families that have high grocery bills and food bills can find affordable ways to save on their energy bill,” said Welch. The event also comes during earth month with earth day not far away on April 22nd.
![Significant emissions progress reported in Burlington [Video]](https://usanewsvideo.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/mp_1310729_0_6a97100a4a0844b7849516ed8eeffb40jpg.jpg)
An updated report on energy use in Burlington shows a significant overall decline in greenhouse gas emissions between 2018 and 2023. According to Burlington Electric, ground transportation and thermal sectors reduced emissions by 18.2%, marking the second largest year-over-year drop in that period. The greatest change was in the building sector, with a 19% reduction in fossil fuel use since 2018.In 2022, the city saw a post-pandemic rebound in fossil fuel use.City leaders say the 2023 update marks a continuation of the broader trend toward emissions reduction. This update also included an analysis of emissions through the end of 2023 but does not include impacts from Burlingtons recently enacted Carbon Pollution Impact Fee Ordinance. “This proves that real climate progress is achievable for our City and State, and I look forward to seeing the positive impacts that the programs we are announcing today will have for Burlington in the future,” Mayor Miro Weinberger said. Burlington has also made significant progress on installing heat pumps, with over 2,300 installed in the city since September 2019. Since launching its EV rebate program in 2017, Burlington Electric has also helped 721 people switch to electric or plug-in hybrid vehicles. Weinberger also announced a significant set of new incentives and programs to accelerate progress. New actions targeted at reducing emissions include the new incentives, improved electric vehicle charging, and electric bus rebates. Other projects include the “Switch and Save” program and “Heat Pump Bill Credit Pilot,” which are aimed at reducing thermal sector emissions in the future.More information on updated emissions policies and incentives for 2024 can be found on the city’s website. The Net-Zero Energy roadmap can be accessed here.
![Jericho Maple Producer shares the pros and cons of having a warm winter [Video]](https://usanewsvideo.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/mp_1235927_0_adbd5c9eaae54b159466b5cc7b1960e7jpg.jpg)
Tuesday’s warm temperatures led many people to line up for a sweet treat.There were lines of people at Palmer Lane Maple in Jericho, with many getting their first maple creemees of the season. These are the best creemees in Vermont! said Emily Listowich, who lives in Jericho.Alexis McDonald, also of Jericho, said she’s been waiting for warmer weather so she could return to one of her favorite Vermont spots.Knowing that the Maple flavor is made just right here. Its true Vermont Maple Syrup,” said McDonald.Owner Paul Palmer said it’s exciting to welcome customers back.Thats the first thing they say- Thank you for being open!’ said Palmer.They opened last Thursday. Palmer said it’s the earliest they’ve ever opened, as they’ve always opened in mid-March. While Palmer appreciates the early business, he said the warmer winter has made production more difficult than usual.It could potentially be a shorten season this year,” said Palmer.He said the snow on the ground helps keep the temperatures of trees low.Once trees bud, it typically means ending the sugaring season early.Palmer says warmer weather will force the sugaring season to end early. You really need those freeze cycles to get those trees to recharge with sap and keep producing,” said Palmer.Palmer said that for the last few years, he’s been heading to the woods months earlier than normal.Anson Tebbetts, Vermont’s Secretary of Agriculture, said Palmer isn’t alone.Many sugar makers are in the woods in December and January tapping those trees for days like this,” said Tebbetts.Tebbetts said sugar markers are committed to starting earlier because Vermont is one of the lead maple distributors in the country.He said they produce 2 million gallons a year, covering nearly half the United States’ maple products.”Our climate is different, but its our quality. Our sugar makers are really focused on quality,” said Tebbetts.Palmer wants to continue setting the bar, which will in turn, put more smiles on people’s faces. Without a doubt, Vermonters love their creemees, said Palmer.Palmer said they will stay open and continue serving creemees for the rest of the season.