NH Governors Tapping Kicks Off Maple Season

New Hampshire Maple Producers to Host 2025 Governor’s Tapping Ceremony

PITTSFIELD, NH – The New Hampshire Maple Producers Association is excited to announce the 2025 Governor’s Tapping, marking the official start of the maple sugaring season in the Granite State. Governor Kelly Ayotte will take part in this time-honored tradition at Marty and Amy Boisvert’s sugar house. 

  • Date: Friday, March 14, 2025
  • Time: 3:30 p.m.
  • Location: Journey’s End Maple, 295 Loudon Road, Pittsfield, NH 03263
  • Owners: Marty and Amy Boisvert

Each year, the Governor’s Tapping event highlights the rich tradition of maple sugaring in New Hampshire, celebrating the hard work of the state’s dedicated maple producers. This event serves as a symbolic kickoff to Maple Month.

The event will feature remarks from Governor Kelly Ayotte and representatives of the New Hampshire Maple Producers Association, as well as a demonstration of the first ceremonial tree tapping of the season. Attendees will have the opportunity to learn more about the maple sugaring process, sample fresh maple products, and tour Journey’s End Maple house. 

New Hampshire boasts a thriving maple industry, with over 350 producers crafting high-quality maple syrup each spring. The state’s annual maple season contributes significantly to the local economy, attracting tourists and maple enthusiasts from near and far.

The public and media are invited to attend this special occasion to celebrate the start of the 2025 maple season.

For more information about the Governor’s Tapping and New Hampshire’s maple industry, visit https://nhmapleproducers.com/ or contact [email protected]. 

Carlisle Award Winners

2025 Carlisle Award Winners


First Place:
Jennifer Mercer & Jason Weale, Black Dog Bees & Maple Trees, Lebanon, NH


Second Place:
James Gove,  Will -A-Way Maples, Newbury, NH


Third Place:
Shawn & Kathy Atkins, Atkins Family Sugarhouse, Washington, NH


Fourth Place:
Jeff and Paula Babel, Babel’s Sugar Shack, LLC, Mason, NH


Fifth Place:
Amy & Marty Boisvert, Journey’s End Maple, Pittsfield, NH

Thank you to Steve Roberage, Extension Forestry Specialist & Professor at UNH, for judging the Carlisle annually. Your continued participation is greatly appreciated.

Tapping into Tradition: Join Us for the 2025 NH Maple Producers Annual Meeting!

Vendor registration starts at 7 AM.
Attendee registration starts at 8 AM with coffee and pastries.
The 2025 NHMPA Annual Meeting will start at 9 AM.
The annual meeting with conclude at 3:30 PM.

REGISTER HERE!

CONCORD, N.H. —The New Hampshire Maple Producers Association is excited to announce that the Annual Meeting will take place on Saturday, January 25, 2025, at the beautiful Grappone Conference Center in Concord, NH! This new venue offers expanded space, modern amenities, and a convenient, centralized location to accommodate more members and guests.

This highly anticipated event is a highlight of the year for maple producers across the state. Attendees will enjoy a day packed with informative sessions, engaging activities, and delicious food. The event includes a buffet meal sure to satisfy and presentations from guest speakers who will share insights and trends in the maple industry. A hydrometer clinic will provide hands-on learning, and the event will culminate with the prestigious Carlisle Award presentation, honoring excellence in the Maple community.

Whether you’re a seasoned producer or new to the maple world, the Annual Meeting offers incredible opportunities to expand your knowledge, connect with industry experts, and network with fellow association members. It’s a celebration of the craft and the community that makes New Hampshire’s maple industry thrive.

Tickets for the Annual Meeting are just $10 per person and can be purchased here. Don’t miss this opportunity to join us for a day dedicated to learning, camaraderie, and the sweet tradition of maple syrup.

Mark your calendar and join us in Concord on January 25th! We can’t wait to see you there.

NH’s Best Maple Syrup

NH’s Best Maple Syrup
by Barbara Mills Lassonde

Plymouth, NH––February 16, 2024––Where can you find the best maple syrup in New Hampshire? According to the New Hampshire Maple Producers Association, it’s Will-A-Way Maples in South Newbury. James Gove and Melissa Storrs, proprietors of Will-A-Way Maples recently took first place in the Carlisle Competition at the Association’s annual meeting in Plymouth.

In order to compete for the Carlisle trophy, each maple syrup sample must place first, second or third at a county fair. Gove and Storrs won ribbons at Hopkinton, Hillsborough and Deerfield fairs in 2023. Judging is based on clarity of the syrup, density and flavor. Winning the Carlisle award is difficult, because all of the entries are outstanding.

I visited Will-A-Way Maples to see what all the fuss was about. As I drove into the yard, steam billowed from the roof of the sugar house, telling me this year’s maple season has already begun and syrup is being made. Inside the sugar house, a cloud of maple-scented steam filled the building, giving a warm, cozy feeling. In the shiny, open evaporator pans, sap boiled furiously, steam rising up through the roof. Gove’s friend, Jim Westgate, pushed 30-inch logs into the fire of the 4×12-foot evaporator.

“We make about 1500 gallons of syrup and burn 17 to18 cords of wood each season,” Gove said.

I asked what makes his syrup better than the others. “The trees and the soil we have affect the flavor of the syrup,” Gove replied. “I’m also a perfectionist. My syrup is exactly the right density before it goes into the filter press, I taste each batch to be sure the flavor is right, and I keep everything clean. The evaporator pans are cleaned at the end of the day, which, I think, makes a higher quality syrup and keeps the sugar sand from accumulating.”

Sugar sand, or niter is a naturally-occurring substance which forms as maple sap is boiled. Filtering the syrup removes the niter, leaving a clear, golden product.

Gove’s interest in making maple syrup began when he helped Arnold (Andy) Anderson of Bradford for several years at Anderson’s sugar house. Gove has been making his own syrup in Newbury for the past 20 years. As his operation expanded, he needed more help, so his brother, Tim and friend Jim Westgate joined in. Now, with over 4,000 taps to collect sap from, Gove receives help from many more friends.

What does one do with 1500 gallons of syrup? “We make some of it into candy, cream, granulated sugar, maple mustard, vinegar, maple-coated nuts, maple jelly, cinnamon syrup and bourbon barrel-aged syrup,” Gove said. “We sell our products from our sugar house, at Spring Ledge Farm in New London, in local stores, through social media, and to wholesale buyers.”

What future plans does Gove have for his maple operation? “I’d like to add another 200-300 taps this year,” he said. “This is a labor of love, and I enjoy doing it. I call it my expensive hobby that just keeps on going.”

Will-A-Way Maples is located at 585 Gillingham Drive, which is at the intersection of Sutton Road and Gillingham Drive in South Newbury, about one mile off Route 103. “If you see steam rising from the sugar house, we’re boiling, and any time we’re boiling, folks can stop in,” Gove said. “We’ll be open for maple weekend, offering free samples of our products, maple ice cream and other treats.”

Runners-up for the Carlisle award were: Second place: Babel’s Sugar Shack in Mason; Third place: Sugarmomma’s Maple in Northwood; Fourth place: Journey’s End Maple in Pittsfield; and 5th place: Black Dog Bees & Maple Trees in Lebanon.

The maple sugaring season occurs only in the Northeastern United States and Southeastern Canada for about 4-6 weeks during February and March. New Hampshire Maple Weekend is March 16 and 17, when sugar houses around the state will be open to visitors, and the NH Maple Producers Association encourages everyone to visit a sugar house to learn how this healthy sweetener is made.

2024 Walter A. Felker Memorial Award Program

2024 Walter A. Felker Memorial Award Program

The New Hampshire Maple Producers Association is proud to sponsor the annual Walter A. Felker Memorial Award Program. Commonly referred to as the Felker Award, the program and the monetary prize, aim to encourage interest by New Hampshire youth in the Granite State’s great maple sugaring tradition.

Open to NH residents, age 16 and younger, entrants are tasked with creating a project focused on any aspect of NH maple sugaring. This is purposely broad to allow youth to think outside of the box. Science projects, art projects, historical projects or any other projects are all welcome.

To participate in Felker Award competition, each entrant must

1. Be under the age of 16 years old and a NH resident
2. Complete the submission form and include it with their project
3. Create a project on anything NH maple-related
4. Write an essay about their project
a. If submitting a maple syrup entry, a written summary of the process used
to create the entry must be included

The winners were:
1st Place -Trevor Gaudet
2nd Place – Josiah Hannu

Attached is a picture (Josiah Hannu, Trevor Gaudet, Andrew Chisholm and Dale Smith).
Watch Trevor’s YouTube video here.

Lawrence A. Carlisle Memorial was awarded to the best NH maple syrup in 2024

The Lawrence A. Carlisle Memorial was awarded to the best NH maple syrup in 2024!

This award is presented annually by the NH Maple Producers Association for excellence in production of maple syrup. Any NHMPA member can enter, and participation from novice to advanced sugarmakers is encouraged.

Commonly referred to as the Carlisle Award, the award is named for Lawrence A. Carlisle, a commissioner of Agriculture in the 1920s and 1930s, devoted to the development of the maple industry in New Hampshire and best known for introducing the maple grading system.

In a field of 9 competitors, James Gove and Melissa Storrs from Will-A-Way Maples took home the Carlisle Award.

5th place: Jason and Jennifer Weale, Black Dog Bees & Maple Trees

4th place: Marty and Amy Boisvert, Journey’s End Maple

3rd place: Debra Locke, Sugarmomma’s Maple

2nd place: Jeff and Paula Babel, Babel’s Sugar Shack

1st place: James Gove and Melissa Storrs, Will-A-Way Maples

Andrew Chisholm, President NHMPA, James Gove and Melissa Storrs from
Will-A-Way Maples, and Steven Roberge.

    2nd place: Jeff and Paula Babel, Babel’s Sugar Shack


3rd place: Debra Locke, Sugarmomma’s Maple


4th place: Marty and Amy Boisvert, Journey’s End Maple


5th place: Jason and Jennifer Weale, Black Dog Bees & Maple Trees

Moving Forward Together: Renew Your Association Membership Soon!

Moving Forward Together 

Dear Member:

It’s hard to believe summer is behind us, and we are deep into Fall – which means it’s time to start membership renewals.  

This past summer brought many challenges to the farming community across our state, from an exceptional frost/freeze event in May, to record rainfall for much of the region.  Given these challenges, I know as maple producers we all look to the 2024 maple season with optimism and high expectations.

We should also look forward to our association’s future with an optimistic outlook and high expectations.  2024 will be a year that puts the “brand” of New Hampshire Maple on a path to be truly sought after for our unique attributes.  

New Hampshire as a maple producing state is small compared to our neighbor to the north and our neighbor to the west.  However, producers in New Hampshire have a big story.  Show me a bottle of NH maple & you can show your customer the trees where that bottle came from. Small is our strength.  Your pride of what goes into every bottle of NH Maple is your strength.  As an association working together, we can have a big impact on getting the New Hampshire maple story told.  

We have a lot of meaningful opportunities to share for 2024 – details will be discussed at the annual meeting on January 27th, at the Common Man in Plymouth NH.  We will have guest speakers, a lot of new information on the ACER grant, and as always, the Carlisle Award. 

Your membership in our association is what gives New Hampshire Maple a voice and a story. 

Click here to renew your membership now!

Click here to register for the annual meeting!

All the best,
Andrew Chisholm
Interim President NHMPA
603-421-4727

TOPP Applications for Mentors & Mentees are Open!

TOPP Applications for Mentors & Mentees are Open!

NOFA-NH is a Core Partner in the Northeast/Mid-Atlantic TOPP region and is excited to work
with farmers across New Hampshire on this exciting mentorship program opportunity.

Farmers: Apply to be a TOPP Mentor or Mentee by August 31, 2023.

  •  If you have experience with organic farming and want to guide other farmers through the organic transition process, you can apply to be a paid mentor through TOPP.
  • If you have experience farming and are interested in learning how to transition your operation to organic, you can apply for free mentorship through TOPP.