Transportation and Marketing

Acer Access and Development Program

Fiscal Year 2018 Description of Funded Projects

Number of Grants Awarded: 6

Amount of Funds Awarded: $2,671,804.00

For more information, please visit the grant program's website:

https://www.ams.usda.gov/services/grants/acer

NOTE: The below project descriptions were provided by the grant recipients.

Michigan

Recipient: Michigan State University, Ingram, MI

Project Type: Producer and Landowner Education

Award Amount: $249,747.27 

Moving the Maple Syrup Producers Manual into the Modern World with an Online Module Based 

Platform of Accessible, Updateable Videos and Trainings that Replaces the Currently Out of Date 

Manual 

The Maple industry across the nation has undergone substantial transformations in all aspects of 

production in the last 15-20 years. The trend toward greater production capacity per acre though 

efficiencies and the focus on food safety and modernization has left most printed materials out of date. 

New producers are turning to the web in increasing numbers and The Maple Syrup Producers Manual is 

out of print and no longer reflects the educational delivery mode desired by most of the maple 

producers surveyed. The technology shift away from print towards online, video content that can be 

updated within days not years was the impetus for this grant. Michigan State University will work with 

the former editors as well as the University of Vermont to assist during initial chapter reviews, updates, 

and creation of new content. This will be completed on a platform that is more responsive to market 

and technology shifts, and sugar maker demographic changes. The video content modules will be 

informative, professionally edited, and represent regional differences across the U.S. maple states. It will 

incorporate industry research and development advances, university research findings, as well as

nationally identified specialists appropriate for the chapter topics. This will all be done in “sprints” so 

that the first chapter updates will be available in the first 3-8 months with chapters being rendered and 

disseminated consistently across the three years. It will enable the work to be reviewed and updated on 

a continuous basis.
New York

Recipient: Cornell University, Ithaca, NY

Project Type: Producer and Landowner Education

Award Amount: $474,258.00

Efficient, Profitable and Sustainable Maple Production through Applied Research, Education and 

Innovative Technologies 

The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell University will extend research and education 

efforts of the Cornell Maple Program to increase maple syrup production per tap, improve sap collection 

and processing efficiency, and promote productive and sustainable sugarbush management practices 

through applied research, the development of innovative technologies and educational outreach. Areas 

of focus will include: 1) Development of sugarbush management guidelines for optimal sugar 

production, sustainable forest regeneration and enhanced ecological function; 2) Increased sap yield 

and quality through advances in tap-hole sanitation, vacuum efficiency, filtration and sap handling 

technologies; 3) Increased syrup quality, flavor and processing energy efficiency through advances in 

concentration technology; and 4) Improved profitability and sustainability of maple businesses through 

the efficient production of high quality value-added maple products and the development of new valueadded maple products. Project staff will increase producer knowledge and adoption of improved 

technologies and processes in each of these focus areas through a three-part educational outreach 

effort including extension through workshops, maple schools, the publication of technical guidelines in 

print and digital formats, and the development of online, multimedia resources all conducted in 

collaboration with maple programs in Ohio and Pennsylvania.

Rhode Island

Recipient: University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI

Project Type: Market Development and Promotion

Award Amount: $499,427.00

Collaborative to Communicate Maple Benefits to Help Producers Promote Maple Products to 

Consumers 

Maple (syrup, sugar, sap/water), a sustainable North American agricultural crop, has a unique chemical 

composition with micronutrients and phytonutrients that have potential health benefits. However, 

consumers choose other sweeteners 99% of the time. Therefore, the newly formed Collaborative to 

Communicate Maple Benefits (C2MB) at the University of Rhode Island will encourage consumers to 

switch to maple, the ‘smarter sweetener,’ by increasing consumer awareness of maple benefits, 

including its sustainability, versatility, and potential health benefits. Specifically, the C2MB will: 1) 

Translate the latest maple research into curated content on a mobile-friendly web portal so it is easier 

for health-conscious consumers and journalists to find, understand, and share; 2) Promote maple as a 

‘natural, versatile, and sustainable functional food’ through an integrated campaign, which includes 

targeted social media and point of sale materials; 3) Create a Maple Promotion League that utilizes 

student ambassadors for grassroots engagement at festivals and farmers markets, collaborates with 

stakeholders, the International Maple Syrup Institute, North America Maple Syrup Council, and the 
Federation of Maple Syrup Producers of Quebec; and 4) Provide marketing tools to help producers, 

entrepreneurs, and hobbyists position and sell maple products to consumers. By inviting stakeholders to 

join the League, C2MB will amplify the campaign’s reach - maximizing its immediate and long-term 

impact on consumer awareness of maple benefits and subsequent demand for maple products. As the 

hub for information about maple benefits, and creator of marketing tools for coordinated promotion of 

benefits by stakeholders, C2MB will increase primary demand and sales of maple products.

Vermont

Recipient: The University of Vermont and State Agricultural College, Burlington, VT

Project Type: Producer and Landowner Education

Award Amount: $499,757.00

Maple Forest Business Development 

The University of Vermont and State Agricultural College will develop and disseminate new educational 

materials to landowners, maple operators, and key land management decision-makers to increase 

informed development of forest parcels into maple production. An interdisciplinary project team and 

collaborators will investigate and advance knowledge enabling these key stakeholders to integrate 

current silviculture findings and applied business analysis related to high yield maple production systems 

into sustainable cost-benefit decision-making. This audience includes maple producers, foresters, capital 

providers, appraisers, and land management companies. Forest management focus areas will include: 

sap yield, tree growth, species composition, forest stand attributes and forest management planning. 

This program will assist the target audience to achieve healthy, diverse and productive sugarbushes by 

utilizing up to date knowledge of potential sap yields across a range of tree sizes and accepted modern 

silvicultural prescriptions. Maple business analysis topics will include: annual financial performance, 

return on investment analysis, access to capital, business entity formations and transitions (legal), and 

supply-chain specialization opportunities that include both sap and syrup production. This project will 

develop and deliver a suite of outreach and extension resources with an emphasis on rigorous content 

and accessible formats. Project content will be geared to situations in Northeastern maple states (New 

York, New Hampshire, Maine, and Vermont) that account for 80 percent of U.S. maple production. 

Project outreach will not only reach Northeast stakeholders but maple stakeholders throughout the U.S. 

This will include online decision tools, technical reports, industry publications, online webinar 

presentations, small group presentations and large conference appearances.

Recipient: The University of Vermont and State Agricultural College, Burlington, VT

Project Type: Producer and Landowner Education 

Award Amount: $448,702.73

The North American Maple Syrup Producers Manual: A Comprehensive Resource for Maple Sugar 

Makers 

The North American Maple Syrup Producers Manual (NAMP Manual) and its forerunners have served as

the primary educational and instructional resource for maple producers throughout the U.S. since 1963.

The current version, the 2nd Edition (Heiligmann, Koelling, Perkins Eds.), was produced in 2006 and has

sold nearly 12,000 copies, but is no longer in print. There is no recent comparable compendium of
maple-related information currently available. The University of Vermont and State Agricultural College 

will collaborate with Michigan State University to update several key chapters of the NAMP Manual to 

include the many technological advances in sap collection practices, maple syrup production equipment 

and techniques, the internationally-harmonized maple syrup grading system, and economic 

considerations. New chapters will focus on food safety regulations and practices and tapping guidelines 

and sustainability. Chapters will be written by research, regulatory, and industry experts and reviewed 

by maple industry professionals. The editors of the proposed 3rd Edition of the NAMP Manual are 

leading maple industry researchers and educators and have formerly served as editor and/or coauthors 

of several chapters in the 2nd edition. This resource will be available as a free pdf download suitable for 

use on computers or for printing. The 3rd Edition of the NAMP Manual will thus provide maple 

producers across the entire maple-producing region of the U.S. access to current maple industry 

information and best management practices, which will ultimately increase net profits for maple 

producers and encourage expansion of maple production.

Recipient: Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets, Montpelier, VT

Project Type: Market Development and Promotion 

Award Amount: $499,912.00

Developing Markets and Increasing Awareness for Vermont and U.S. Produced Maple 

The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food, and Markets (VAAFM) will address some of the most pressing

concerns for maple producers: consumer awareness and consumption domestically and abroad. The

objectives outlined take a multi-faceted approach to develop knowledge and interest in maple for two

primary consumer groups – the conscious consumer and food service professionals – and include

directed marketing campaigns, agritourism, and international market growth. VAAFM will be able to

leverage those results to create strong, research-based consumer outreach materials and programs.

With a diverse array of supporting partners from within the maple industry and technical assistance

providers who are committed to this proposal’s success, the objectives will lead to results that directly

impact the sales and marketing potential of Vermont and U.S. produced maple sugar products.