New York Farm Viability Institute Website Press Releases 

PRESS RELEASE: February 1, 2007

Contact: Rebecca Schuelke, NYFVI public relations specialist
(315) 453-3823 ext. 103, (315) 427-2714, rschuelke@nyfarmviability.org

NY Farm Viability recognizes innovation at annual luncheon

By Rebecca Schuelke
NYFVI Public Relations Specialist

A willingness to try new methods and equipment, as well as the generosity to share his findings with others, has helped reap sweet rewards for one Western New York maple syrup producer.

Lyle Merle of Merle Maples in Attica saw his annual sales grow by $100,000 after expanding his syrup line to include a host a value-added products, including maple cream, jelly and candy, maple mustards and maple salad dressings.

Merle was one of dozens of maple producers throughout New York State who was inspired to improve his maple confectionary recipes after working closely with Cornell University Maple Specialist Stephen Childs through a project funded by the New York Farm Viability Institute.

Merle was named the 2006 Producer of the Year by the New York Farm Viability Institute at the nonprofit group’s annual recognition luncheon on Feb. 1 in Syracuse.

“Lyle Merle is an outstanding example of how New York farmers can work with the production and business information made available through Cornell University, the State University of New York colleges and others to increase a farm’s profitability and to strengthen that farm’s role in keeping New York agriculture thriving,’’ said John Lincoln, chair of the board of directors for the Farm Viability Institute. ``We are proud to recognize Lyle Merle for his ingenuity, leadership and success.”

Merle was selected for the award by the Farm Viability Institute’s farmer-producer board of directors. The organization directs and grants financial assistance to research projects that result in farm-level profits. Project leaders include farmers, university researchers, Cooperative Extension educators and others in the agriculture support industry that are working to develop value-added products, improve soil quality, reduce pesticide use, provide production and economic benchmarking data, create business plans, manage manure and more.

Also honored at the luncheon were Julie R. Kikkert, a Cornell University vegetable specialist who was named Project Leader of the Year, and state Sen. Catharine M. Young (R – Olean), named New York Farm Viability Institute Friend of the Year.

Merle worked with Childs to lengthen the shelf life and improve quality and consistency of the maple value-added products. Merle also worked with the food processing team at Cornell’s New York State Agricultural Experiment Station at Geneva to fine-tune his process for making maple cream, a spreadable desert topping with the consistency of peanut butter and a rich, creamy maple taste.

Those trials led Merle and his neighbor and fellow maple producer Gary Zimpfler to develop a machine to manufacture a smooth maple cream that is not as prone to separating as some varieties.

“I want to thank the Institute for recognizing the vastness of agriculture in New York with its projects and I am honored to be recognized for the value-added maple project,’’ Merle said as he accepted the award. ``Value-added production has definitely had a positive impact on my farm business.

``I want to thank Steve Childs for his help as Cornell’s Maple Specialist. In New York State now, less than fifty percent of our maple syrup is sold in 30-gallon drums, while in Vermont more than ninety-seven percent is sold in drums. Vermont is no longer the leader in the maple industry.”

Merle Maple collects sap from more than 16,000 taps and 70 miles of tubing. Merle turns approximately one-third of his annual syrup production into value-added confections. New techniques prompted Merle to increase maple cream production, from approximately 10 gallons per day to 45 gallons per day during the sugaring season. He has also developed flavored maple creams, including cinnamon-maple and peanut butter-maple.

Sales of value-added products now represent more than half of the Merle Maple’s total sales each year. Products are sold at the farm and stores from Buffalo to Syracuse, as well as through the farm’s website, www.merlemaple.com.

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