Testimony Presenting LD 109

Today was the Public Hearing for my bill, L.D. 109 Resolve, To Establish the Commission To Study the Promotion and Expansion of the Maine Maple Sugar Industry. This bill was referred to the Joint Standing Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry. Below is my testimony presenting LD 109.

Good afternoon, Senator Sherman, Representative Edgecomb and distinguished members of the Joint Standing Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry. I am Matt Peterson and I represent District 92, which includes the Oxford County towns of Andover, Byron, Roxbury, and Rumford, as well as the Franklin County communities of Weld and plantations of Rangeley and Sandy River plus the unorganized territories of West Central Franklin and Madrid Township. I am here today to present L.D. 109 Resolve, To Establish the Commission To Study the Promotion and Expansion of the Maine Maple Sugar Industry.

It is a real privilege for me to present this bill. Last year, I met with a constituent in Rangeley Plantation who has a small commercial maple sugaring operation. He had one question for me -- Why isn’t the State of Maine during more to promote Maine Maple products on a regional, national and international basis? I didn’t have a good answer, so I did a little research -- and as a result, I am proposing this study commission to investigate what appears to be a very promising development and job creation opportunity for Maine’s woods.

I make no special claim to knowledge about forestry of woodlot management, no expertise on food production, nor any depth understanding of agricultural economics or product marketing. I’m just a guy from the Western Maine woods, whose family has worked in the woods for generations and who likes maple syrup on my pancakes on those special occasions that I get them.

Following my conversation, I did start doing some research and here’s what jumped out at me --

• Maine is one of the nation’s top three producers of maple syrup, ranking well behind Vermont and just a little behind New York State.
• Although Vermont is the recognized leader among United State maple producers with a very strong brand identity and annual production that is more than double what Maine markets, Maine forests contain 50% more hard maple trees than Vermont forests based on US Forest Service inventories.
• Far and away the largest producer in North America is the Province of Quebec, Maine’s neighbor for much of our northern and western borders.

It looked like an opportunity, but left me with this question -- Given our forest resources, a growing export market for maple products, and our relatively low production in relationship to the total inventory of hard maple trees, what could we do to better utilize this resource to create jobs and revenues for Maine people?

You know better than I what success other Maine producers -- potato farmers, blueberry growers, lobstermen -- have enjoyed as a result of superior product branding and some thoughtful assistance from the state in marketing and product development. I wondered if maple products would not offer another such opportunity for our state.

There were too many questions that I couldn’t answer, but the idea seemed too promising to just leave alone. As a result, I decided to propose a short-term study commission that would look at the information and determine if there was some value in making a major effort in this area. Specifically, I think we need someone that will report back to us about:

• Potential for expanding both the harvesting and processing of maple sap for sugar;
• Obstacles to expanded production;
• Opportunities for enhancing a Maine Maple brand;
• Value Added Processing potential and its economic implications;
• Increased export marketing potential and its economic implications;
• Structures or network associations that could increase sustainable production;
• Potential competitive or collaborative opportunities with North America’s largest producer, Quebec, and;
• Investment or actions that could be taken by the state that would produce a tangible economic return.

We need jobs in Maine -- and in my part of Maine, where the woods have provided an important livelihood for many families, we are really hurting. Anything we can do to help us grow a sustainable resource-based industry that could employ people in a variety of areas -- is something we should take a hard look at.

I understand that there are obstacles to this bill. To start with, we don’t have any money -- and we certainly don’t have money to spend on studies or schemes if they won’t produce results. That is why we have included language that makes the study dependent upon outside funding for the initiative. Should this initiative be approved, I will begin immediately looking for funds to support the effort -- because I think more Maine jobs are possible by expanding our maple products industry.

I’ve also encountered some questions from a few maple producers. I understand the concern from people who spend a good bit of their time working in the woods and the rest of their time thinking about working in the woods. My father works in the woods -- he harvests timber and doesn’t run tap lines, but he has a healthy distrust of most things connected with the government trying to help. I understand the fear that government engagement could mean new forest management standards, new regulations on food processing or labeling or any number of other things. If this market grows and expands as it might, creating new opportunities for workers and entrepreneurs, increased competition may mean changes in the way business is done now -- and that can be uncomfortable for people who have a comfortable niche and want to hold on to it. I get it. The concerns are legitimate.

The results speak for themselves. Few would argue that some of our most important agricultural products -- whether it is potatoes or blueberries or others -- have suffered as a result of the state’s investment of time and resources in marketing and market supports. The purpose of the study commission is not to foster new regulations or new controls or to waste money -- it is just the opposite. I want this commission to look for ways to make it possible to make our forests to be even more productive through the renewable activity of tapping and harvesting the sap.

Someone has to say this today -- so I might as well be the one. Maine’s maples may well be an “untapped resource” for sustainable growth in jobs, business revenues and tax revenues. The best way to find out is to get the right people around the table to talk about that. The study commission I am proposing would have six members of the Legislature -- two from the Senate and four from the House; five members appointed by the Governor to represent the maple industry, large landowners, small woodlot owners and other interested parties, as well as; representatives from the appropriate state agencies -- at the least -- Conservation, Agriculture, and the Finance Authority of Maine, but might involve other agencies like Economic and Community Development or Tourism or the International Trade Center for other components that should be considered.

At the end of the process, this study group will report back to the Legislature and if warranted -- we can come back together to work on a bill to support initiatives identified by the study commission.

I hope you will support this idea and send it to the floor with a unanimous recommendation. I’m happy to try to answer any questions you might have now or later and I will be available when you schedule a work session on the bill. Thank you for your attention and interest.