02/24/21 - Who Says That Maple Syrup Can't Come From The West Coast?

Host and American Family Farmer, Doug Stephan www.eastleighfarm.com begins with Agriculture News that Thomas James Vilsack will become the new Secretary of Agriculture. He has served two previous terms in the same post, during the Obama Administration. He tends to favor the larger factory farms, rather than the smaller family farms. Tractor manufacturer John Deere and several others are receiving heat for not delivering on their promise to make it easier for farmers to service their own equipment. Next, we meet Devin Day, owner/operator of Neil's Bigleaf Maple Syrup. https://www.neilsbigleaf.com/ But, this operation is not in the state of Vermont, like you would expect. His 200-acre farm is located in the Acme Valley in Washington State, two hours north of Seattle. When they started telling people that they were going to tap West Coast trees for syrup, no one believed it could be done. Five years and many of gallons later, they can definitively state that you can indeed tap Bigleaf Maples, on the West Coast. Finally, Farmer Doug opines that we need to put pressure on the organizations we belong to put pressure on The Administration. Doug also suggests that you get your wishes on paper, before your demise.