Not So Sweet Proposal

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Created on Wednesday, 20 March 2013 17:18
Written by Julianne Walshaw

jerryomearaVERMONT- Better marketing and a focus in energy efficiency were the driving forces behind two bills introduced by Representative Peter Welch.

One local maple producer based in Lyndonville does not believe one of these proposals will benefit him or his fellow maple sugarers across the state.


Jerry O'Meara, operator of O' Maple Services of Vermont, believes that Welch's Maple Tapping Access Program, the bill that would allow the U.S. Department of Agriculture to give out grants to maple farmers in hopes of promoting the maple syrup industry, would end up benefiting the wrong side of the industry. "The program that Peter Welch is looking to pass should make sure that it allows for equal participation between big and small producers, not just people that have the time to get involved," he said, "History has proven that what usually happens when you have these programs, is it sometimes discriminates against the smaller people that could use the benefit."
O'Meara has been in the industry over 30 years and currently operates over 10,000 taps, and with his own capital is able to fund up-to-date technology that's used to produce maple at an effective cost. He believes efficiency is curtail to the industry not only for the benefit of using less energy, but for keeping costs low to keep consumers happy. O'Meara says the industry here is doing just fine, having produced over a million gallons in 2011 and pointing out the millions of dollars already being invested in Vermont's maple industry alone.

However, O'Meara does recognize that not all other local producers can afford the kind of technology he has to keep production efficient. "The people that could use it that don't have, say, the capital to invest in some of these technologies that are out there to reduce energy consumption are basically left by the wayside," he explained, "and its the people who have the time, take the time, yet dont really need the assistance that end up with these grants, again, it's to help the industry but a lot of the time it's the wrong people that get the benifits of the program."

If done right, "the maple industry should be able to stand on it's own two legs," according to O'Meara, and the government should stop looking to spend on special interest groups, and focus more on pulling the country out of the depths its plummeted into already. O'Meara understands the intent of a bill of this nature is to help the industry, "but again, the end result isn't necessarily what you'd expect."

Both bills are currently only in their proposal stage, with Welch planning to present them to Congress in the coming weeks.