Lewis County Maple Producers Association || Our Story

Our Story

The history of

Lewis County Maple Producers Association

goes back almost 60 years.

With the insight of Gilbert Lehman this is a short overview of how the association came to be what it is today:

In about 1950, a maple association was formed, but membership was low and it soon fizzled out. Then sometime around 1956, a local maple tour was held here in Lewis Co., it was small, but showed potential.

Over the next ten years or so, there wasn't much publicized activity within the maple community, but things had been set into motion

Then, in 1967, Neil Handy, the County Agent, was actively promoting the county's maple industry. As a result, the state approached and requested Lewis County to host the New York State Maple Tour that year. With the undisputed status of being the largest maple product-producing county in the state and the host for that year's up-coming state maple tour, Neil believed that the county ought to form an official association. A few of the producers met together with the County Agent to discuses the idea of an association and as the story goes, he [Neil] pulled a five-dollar bill from his pocket and said, "Here is the money for the first membership. The others followed suit and the official association was born. As interest spread and membership grew, a Board of Directors was elected. I [Gilbert] was one of the directors and I think Dave Lum was the first president. Shortly after, another meeting was held with a lawyer in Lowville and someone from Albany to help us incorporate and draw up by-laws. A new board was elected and we have been going ever since.
Jefferson, Oswego, and Oneida counties did not have enough maple producers for a viable organization and eventually joined ours with the association retaining the name of Lewis County Maple Producers Association.

Today, the organization has over 80 members and is still growing.

Our Statement of Vision

Purpose

Provide a support network to the sugar makers within the four counties of Lewis, Jefferson, Oswego, and Oneida.

Vision

__		Assist with marketing the maple syrup supply
__		Working together to obtain a fair market value for quality maple products
__		Provide maple industry education opportunities
__		Promote good stewardship of our trees, lands, and waters
__		All members of the association dedicated to producing high quality products
__		Encourage the maple industry to be passed from generation to generation

Mission

To be an active and productive organization furthering, while at the same time preserving the skills, knowledge, and interest of the maple industry.

LCMPA has meetings twice a year to offer its members an opportunity to get together and learn of recent events and news within the local, state and national maple community, along with just having a good time together.