Kyle and Gordon Tibbitts of New Hartford, NY, are fifth generation maple producers. I joined them to address the Oneida County Board of Legislators meeting on March 13 on maple season in Oneida County.
“What we are here for is to explain that maple is the very first crop of the 2024 year and to promote the maple sugar season,” I told the legislators.
The 2022 Ag Census said that Oneida County has 35 registered producers who have 33,770 taps and produce 8,600 gallons of syrup worth $500,000 – which does not include the extra sales of maple candies and other value-added products that have a direct economic impact in Oneida County and the agricultural community. We all know there are a lot of backyard maple producers too.
(L – R) Kyle Tibbitts, Gordon Tibbitts and Ben Simons. Photo by Rob Maciol
Gordon and Kyle Tibbitts said that the Tibbitts family has been making maple syrup and maple products at their current facility on Tibbitts Road since 1984, and that the family’s maple business goes back five generations and a total of 100 years.
Gordon explained in detail the process of collecting and making syrup while Kyle displayed a full body suit of the nutritional value of maple syrup. At the end of the presentation something that rarely happens happened – the Board of Legislators gave a round of applause.
“We are so blessed that County Executive Anthony J. Picente Jr. and the Oneida County Legislators truly do recognize and support agriculture in Oneida County,” I noted.
by Ben Simons
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