The Adirondack Daily Enterprise and The Lake Placid News recently featured articles about Mike Farrell and his work at the Cornell University Uihlein Forest Sugar Maple Research and Extension Field Station in Lake Placid. Noelle Short '05 wrote both articles. In the article Farrell discusses his recent record breaking day and his expectations for the rest of the Maple Syrup season.
Tuesday March 28, 2005 was a record-breaking day for Farrell and his co-workers at the Uihlein Sugar Maple Station. With temperatures below freezing the night of Monday March 27, followed by highs in the 50s on Tuesday March 28, Uihlein Station had collected 5,000 gallons of sap. "It's the most ever," said Farrell of the day's collection. "It takes about 40 gallons of sap to make one gallon of syrup, so that averages out to about 125 gallons for us."
The record breaking day provided Farrell a much needed boost. The season had been a little slow until then. Uihlein was at one fourth of their output goal of 1,500 gallons. The success of the rest of the season will depend on the weather. Farrell said of the rest of the season "As long as it stays cold enough, we won't have to worry. Warm weather ends the season because bacteria grow and the tap holes will dry up." With two to three weeks left in the season Farrell hopes to reach his goal and finish the year on a positive note.
For more information visit Cornell's Website, The Adirondack Daily Enterprise, or The Lake Placid News.
http://maple.dnr.cornell.edu
http://www.adirondackdailyenterprise.com/include/articles.asp?articleID=2177
http://www.lakeplacidnews.com/news.asp#1
