Owens visits Lewis, Oneida agriculture areas

CROGHAN — Rep. William L. Owens conducted a barnstorming tour of Lewis and northern Oneida counties Tuesday to gain insight into a variety of agricultural and business issues.

"I'm here to learn and listen and, I suspect, answer questions," Mr. Owens, D-Plattsburgh, told about a dozen maple producers during a stop at the American Maple Museum on Main Street.

About half of the maple syrup produced in the state comes from north of the Thruway, said Michele E. Ledoux, executive director at Cornell Cooperative Extension of Lewis County. "That's most of your district," she said.

Maple producers told the congressman that as a whole, they aren't looking for heavy government intervention, especially if it means disclosing much information.

"They're a pretty hardy group," said Thomas R. Schneider, Croghan, president of the Northern New York Maple Producers Cooperative Inc.

However, one problem for many local producers is finding tin containers for their syrup that aren't too costly, Mr. Schneider said. While tin containers provide a much longer shelf life than plastic, issues with tin cans made in China a few years ago have made them nearly disappear, he said.

Lawrence J. Rudd, who owns Rudd's Maple Syrup in Mannsville, said the Maple Weekend program and other promotional efforts have been helpful in increasing the market for maple syrup.

However, he and other producers suggested New York has a long way to go to dispel the perception that Vermont is the place to get maple syrup.

"It was all promotion," Mr. Schneider said. "Now, you've got to try to break that."

People also spoke with Mr. Owens about efforts to allow tapping on state land.

"There are thousands of acres that can be done," Mr. Rudd said, noting that lease payments from producers would provide the state with a new revenue source.

As for this maple season, Maple Museum President Dale C. Moser said he has heard of producers making anywhere from a half crop to a full one.

"It depends on when you tapped this year," Mr. Schneider said. "It was a really early season."

Mr. Rudd agreed: "It started off like gangbusters, but then it was done."

After the meeting, Mr. Moser gave the congressman a quick tour and told him about the museum's ongoing campaign to make the building handicapped accessible.

Following his stop in Croghan, Mr. Owens had a private meeting with local bankers and other agricultural lenders in Lowville.

While the congressman has a lending background, "there were some things he wanted to understand about the current economic climate and how it relates to agricultural lending now," Frans J. Vokey, dairy management educator for Cornell Cooperative Extension in Lewis County, said afterward.

Issues discussed included laws affecting the U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Services Agency's ability to guarantee loans, income levels farmers need to repay debts and the difficulty of agricultural lending because of milk pricing volatility, Mr. Vokey said.

Mr. Owens also visited the Mercer's Dairy ice cream manufacturing plant in Boonville and the Potato Hill Farm Outdoor Education Center just south of Boonville, which offers students outdoor recreational and educational activities.

At Mercer's, the congressman toured the plant, tasted some ice cream and discussed several issues facing small businesses, according to the company's marketing director, Roxaina L. Hurlburt.