David Hall and Family

David Hall and Family

Over a century of syrup

David Hall’s family has been producing maple syrup for a long time. Well before the turn of the 20th century, in fact. With the help of modern equipment, the family annually harvests approximately 345,600 litres of sap from more than 23,000 maple trees on their farm near Cowansville, Quebec – enough sap to produce 8,640 (32,700 litres) gallons of maple syrup. “We’ve been farming in the area since the 1830s. We’ve progressed over time. My great grandfather bought another farm, and in 2016 my kids bought another farm,” says Hall. “We’ve pretty much always done maple syrup. Right now, we also have 300 sheep.” Hall’s wife Sandra and son Andrew work on the farm, or within their own supporting farm business full time. Other members of the immediate family hold off-farm jobs, but also make time to help on the farm during busy parts of the year, including when the maple sap is flowing in late winter and early spring. Even then, sometimes extra help is required. “We’ll hire two or three additional people…We’ve invested a lot of money in the tubing system in the woods, which has helped us be more productive and lowered our labour costs. Plus, it’s easier to maintain a new system as opposed to an old system.” Hall is also a sitting director for the Quebec Maple Syrup Producers’ association. He and his association colleagues work to address issues facing maple syrup farmers, and maintain the world’s only Strategic Reserve of maple syrup. Located in Laurierville, Quebec, the reserve facility is designed to hold 55 million pounds of maple syrup, to be accessed when weather or other factors lead to a drop in maple syrup production. This ensures a constant supply for consumers regardless of how successful harvest is in a given year, while also stabilizing prices for the farmers themselves. “Through the Maple Syrup Producers’ Association, we get a relatively guaranteed price. It doesn’t have big swings like it used to,” says Hall. “You can actually build a financial plan now.”