Hands-on maple syrup harvest is a sweet success
“Depending on the weather, you can find sap flowing from maple trees in late winter to early spring in Minnesota,” said Katie Hagen, Extension educator in Pine County.
Hagen provided an educational opportunity for local participants to take part in an active syrup harvest, learn about the tools and see processing methods at Osprey Wilds Environmental Learning Center. After a presentation and group discussion, the participants headed out to the forest to tap trees, collect sap and see the boiling house.
An educator from Osprey Wilds and Hagen demonstrated how to identify a sugar maple tree and the proper way to tap a tree to keep it healthy while yielding sap. Then the participants took a turn on their own. After collecting sap, the group went into the smokehouse to see the boiling process and taste the finished maple syrup sold at the center.
Highlights
- RSDP impact: With support from a CERTs Seed Grant, the 40 Acre Cooperative was able to complete the installation of solar equipment to provide power to the farm’s research and development hoop house, extend the growing season and protect crops.
- Extension’s equine team delivered education on mud management, emerging diseases and horse property risk in Pine City.
- 4-H filmmaking, an online course, will teach 4-H’ers in Pine County how to get the best angles while focusing on storyboarding, mobile filmmaking with a cell phone and the basics of editing. It will also introduce them to other youth filmmakers across the state.
- 4-H’ers in Pine County show their entrepreneurial spirit, helping raise funds for their activities by selling cheese and fruit.
- U of M Farm Family of the Year: The Harth Family focuses on rotational grazing, pollinator plantings, maple syrup, gardens, orchards and honey, all while keeping conservation at the heart of their business.
- Pine County American Rescue Act Dollars supported a multi-level mental wellbeing education program. Extension staff brought the community, parents and caregivers, and youth together to support youth mental health at Vision School.
- Residents across Pine County used the Climate Adaptation Partnership’s climate mapping and data tool, MN CliMAT, to access local climate projections for their communities.
Pine County office
Extension has 14 regional offices supporting all 87 counties in Minnesota.
Pine County partners with Extension to deliver practical education and research you can use at home, at work and in your community. More about Extension in our county.
About the Minnesota 87 project
Spend time in any Minnesota county, and you will almost certainly encounter University of Minnesota Extension. Our faculty and staff, volunteers, participants, alumni and partners are woven into the fabric of rural, urban and suburban Minnesota life. This project showcases Extension in action through photos, stories and a sampling of the many ways Extension has touched the lives of people in every county.