The United State Department of Agriculture funds projects that focus on supporting maple syrup producers to increase production and consumption through the Acer Access and Development Program (https://www.ams.usda.gov/services/grants/acer). The project, Increasing Consumption and Production of Maple Syrup through an Integrated Marketing Strategy, will focus on increasing demand while improving production practices. An in-depth study will be conducted to look at both how much maple syrup is being produced and consumed in the state. The project has four objectives: 

 

1) Understand Indiana maple syrup supply and demand,  

2) Implement an integrated marketing strategy for maple syrup and its products,  

3) Increase maple syrup production capacity, and  

4) Improve networking throughout the maple syrup community. 

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In order to fulfill the goals of the project, the project team, which includes 12 maple syrup producers serving on the project’s advisory board, will focus their efforts on an educational campaign that will promote the benefits of maple syrup consumption and environmental services provided by natural forest systems.  

 

The timeline for the project is from October 2021 through September 2024. During that time period the project team will concentrate their efforts on creating an integrated marketing strategy, developing a webpage, obtaining a bird friendly certification, organizing field days at maple syrup farms across the state, promoting maple syrup and value-added products at festivals and events in the state, as well as creating networking opportunities for producers to share success stories.  

 

The overarching goal of this new project is to build community connections across the state among producers, consumers and other stakeholders to tap into the roots of our heritage of producing and consuming maple syrup.