Lake Placid, New York; January 15, 2026.  The potential for warmer spring temperatures during maple season causes concern for how to keep sap cool. With a grant from the Northern New York Agricultural Development Program, Uihlein Maple Research Forest Director Adam Wild successfully built do-it-yourself (DIY) sap cooling systems. Wild has published the results of the proof-of-concept project in a “Chilling Maple Sap” information bulletin and a “How to Build a Maple Sap Chiller” guide.

“This project has value for maple producers statewide. The flavor and quality of maple syrup is directly related to sap quality. The ability to chill and hold maple sap prevents spoilage and adds flexibility for producers to boil sap at their convenience, particularly for those producers who also operate dairy farms or have off-farm jobs,” Wild said.

To build the chillers (see photos below), Wild adapted window-size air conditioning units and connected plastic picnic coolers holding a food-grade glycol solution. The units were tested in combination with a submersible wine chilling plate in a stainless steel tank, a 20-plate heat exchanger used with a reverse osmosis pump and a 1,500-gallon, insulated dairy tank with its own cooling plates and supply and return lines. The Upper Hudson Maple Producers Association provided the dairy tank for the testing.

“The use of glycol chilling can be a less expensive alternative to refrigeration for keeping sap cool. The chillers built for this project were extremely effective, providing efficiency in processing the sap at Uihlein with 40 percent less boiling and saving more than 24 hours of labor for post-boil cleanup,” Wild said.

Wild estimates the cost to build the individual chiller units at $300 to $1400.

The “Chilling Maple Sap” information bulletin by Wild includes information on the cooling efficiency of food-grade glycol, freezing points, and how to size a DIY or a purchased chilling system to fit different maple operations.

The “How to Build a Maple Sap Chiller” DIY step-by-step guide includes safety tips, a parts list, cost estimates, photos, and optional add-ons. An added convenience option noted in the how-to guide is the use of Wi-Fi access for remotely monitoring and controlling the sap chilling system.

Wild, who is co-director of the Cornell Maple Program, is continuing use of the DIY units at the Uihlein Maple Forest in the 2026 maple season. The information bulletin and DIY guide are posted on nnyagdev.org (https://nnyagdev.org/index.php/mapleforest/maple/) and available from the Cornell Maple Program (https://blogs.cornell.edu/cornellmaple/).

Funding for the Northern New York Agricultural Development Program is supported by the New York State Legislature through the New York State Assembly and administrated by the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets. Learn more at nnyagdev.org.

Photos: An an NNYADP proof-of-concept project, Uihlein Maple Research Forest Director Adam Wild built DIY food-grade glycol chilling systems for use with maple sap holding tanks large and small. Photos: Adam Wild

The following January events include updates on NNYADP-funded research. See the links with each listing for more information and registration details. Call ahead for weather updates.

 

January 9-10, 2026
New York State Maple Conference
SUNY Cobleskill
Saturday sessions include Northern NY Maple Specialist Adam Wild
Workshops, trade show, networking.
More info: www.nysjanuarymapleconference.com/

 

2026 Northern NY Tri-County Crop Congresses
January 28, 2026, 9:45AM-3:00PM, Canton Fire Dept.
January 29, 9:45AM-3:00 PM, Carthage Elks Lodge

NNYADP Value of Manure project update by Quirine M. Ketterings, Ph.D., Cornell Nutrient Management Spear Program among presentations on crop, nutrient, and crop pres management. Click on dates for speakers agenda, cost, registration.

August 26, 2025.  The Northern New York Agricultural Development Program has announced a call for 2026 research project proposals. The NNYADP was established by the New York State Legislature to grow the farm and foods economy across the state’s northernmost region of Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Jefferson, Lewis, and St. Lawrence counties. Application forms and guidelines are posted at nnyagdev.org under the About: Projects by Year tab. The deadline to apply is October 31, 2025.

The farmer-driven small grants program supports projects that help the diverse agricultural sectors of northern New York to adapt to changing market conditions and weather extremes, overcome emerging crop pests, and enhance farm sustainability and environmental stewardship. NNYADP project results have benefited farms statewide and nationally, and have provided foundational research data needed for larger funders to continue the research on a broader scale.

More than 80 members on the NNYADP Farmer Committee, representing the dairy, crops, local foods, maple and forest sectors, review and priority-rank research proposals for small grant awards. The results of recent NNYADP-funded projects are publicly accessible under the About: Projects by Year header on this website (nnyagdev.org).

Funding for the Northern New York Agricultural Development Program is supported by the New York State Legislature through the New York State Assembly and administrated by the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets.

Northern New York; July 2, 2025. The latest results of local foods research funded by the farmer-driven Northern New York Agricultural Development Program (NNYADP) provide growers with data and insight into the production and economic factors that influence the opportunity to profitably produce cantaloupe in a high tunnel environment.

Increasing consumer interest in local foods availability and the proliferation of high tunnels – heated and unheated – across northern New York combine to generate local produce sales earlier in the year and extend income opportunities through year-end.

In 2023-2024, Cornell University Regional Vegetable Specialist Elisabeth Hodgdon, Ph.D., and Regional Agriculture Business Specialist Lindsey Pashow conducted production trials of three different growing systems with two different varieties of cantaloupe melons. They additionally developed economic budgets for each variety, each system, and each year. The complete project report is posted at nnyagdev.org.

“In both years, each melon production system in the trials: untrellised, vertical mesh, and double leader resulted in a net profit; however, growers need to carefully consider factors such as the labor and expenses of each type of growing system,” said Hodgdon.

Enterprise budgets were extrapolated for full production load in a 30x 96-foot high tunnel. Net income by variety in the 2024 trials ranged from $1,451.78 for the mesh-grown Tasty Bites (200 plants per tunnel) to $3,473.78 for the mesh grown Sugar Cube (200 plants per tunnel).

The two-year average net income ranged from $1,690.11 for the mesh-grown Tasty Bites (200 plants per tunnel) to $2,624.67 for the untrellised Sugar Cube (160 plants per tunnel).

“We often compare the net income opportunities of the crops we trial for high tunnel production with that for consumer-popular and profitable high tunnel-grown tomatoes. A skilled high tunnel tomato grower with strong markets and pricing may prefer to continue with that crop; however, if a grower has multiple tunnels, an interest in diversifying crop offerings, and local marketing potential for melons, melons may be a profitable option,” Pashow commented.

The enterprise budget calculations include fixed costs for land and equipment and 30 variable costs that include labor, crop preparation, fertilizer, beneficial insects, materials and other factors.

In 2024 the highest yielding system was the untrellised “Sugar Cube” variety producing 13.3 lbs. of marketable fruit per plant versus 9.63 lbs. per plant for untrellised “Tasty Bites” as the highest yielding system in 2023.

The total number of marketable melons per plant ranged from 4 to 6, with the mesh-trellised and untrellised treatments of the “Sugar Cube” variety producing six melons on average per plant.

NNYADP high tunnel production research to help market growers overcome the challenges of northern New York’s short growing season and weather extremes has evaluated more than a dozen crops, including tomatoes, miniature cabbages, sprouting broccoli, winter season greens, summer lettuce, fall-bearing berry crops, cut flowers, and crops not traditionally grown in high tunnels at the time, including seedless cucumbers, fresh ginger, turmeric, basil, zucchini, and green beans.

NNYADP year-to-year research results are posted under the Horticulture/Local Foods tab at nnyagdev.org.

Funding for the Northern New York Agricultural Development Program is supported by the New York State Legislature through the New York State Assembly and administrated by the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets.

June 24, 2025  The Northern New York Agricultural Development Program (NNYADP) has thirteen on-farm research projects now underway at sites across the six northernmost counties of New York State, i.e., in Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence counties. An 80-plus volunteer member NNYADP Farmer Committee prioritized the research in support of northern New York’s dairy, maple, local foods, agricultural environmental conservation, farm sustainability, and regional farm-based economy. The projects are made possible by funding from the New York State Legislature through the New York State Assembly. The program most recently received $300,000 in the 2025-2026 New York State Budget.

New York State Assemblymen Billy Jones and Ken Blankenbush serve on the NYS Assembly Agriculture Committee chaired by Assemblymember Donna Lupardo.

“The leadership of Assemblyman Billy Jones, New York State Assembly Agriculture Chair Donna Lupardo, Assemblyman Ken Blankenbush and their Ag Committee colleagues provide the funding that drives our shared mission to continue to grow northern New York’s unique resources as a farm-based economic powerhouse for New York State,” said NNYADP Co-Chair Joseph Giroux, Plattsburgh, New York.

“Having grown up on my family’s dairy farm, I understand the challenges our farms face on a daily basis,” said Assemblyman Billy Jones. “This is why I’m proud to stand up for farmers and secure funding in the budget every year to help continue the great work being done through the Northern New York Agricultural Development Program. Agriculture is a big part of the fabric that makes up the North Country, and these NNYADP grants will help bring the industry in our region to the next level.”

“The Northern New York Agricultural Development Program is a model for strategic investment in cutting-edge research, focusing on farm sustainability, local foods, and more. I’d like to thank my colleagues Assemblymen Billy Jones and Ken Blankenbush for their continued advocacy for the NNYADP’s funding request. The North Country is a vitally important part of the state’s agricultural economy and certainly merits this type of investment,” said Assembly Agriculture Committee Chair Donna Lupardo.

“As a proud representative of the North Country and a member of the Assembly Agricultural Committee, I understand just how vital programs like the Northern New York Agricultural Development Program are to the success of our local farm economy. From research that improves herd health and crop resilience to innovations that protect our natural resources and expand market opportunities, this funding delivers real value to the farmers who feed our communities and fuel our economy. I will continue to advocate for strong investment in agricultural research that helps preserve our way of life, supports, farm families, and strengthens the long-term sustainability of agriculture in northern New York,” said Assemblyman Ken Blankenbush.

NNYADP projects have a proven record of providing data and insight that help farmers adapt to the challenges of northern New York’s weather extremes and emerging pests as well as to the agricultural industry’s environmental stewardship and farm income goals. NNYADP project results are posted at nnyagdev.org.

Jon Greenwood of Canton and Jon Rulfs of Peru, New York, serve as Co-Chairs of the NNYADP with Joe Giroux. Funding for the NNYADP is administrated by the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets.