Open house for Maple Syrup Weekend

A tough season for maple-syrup production didn’t seem to faze an estimated 300 people who attended an open house Saturday and Sunday at Butternut Creek Sugar Shack in Mendon Township.
The event was organized by maple-syrup producer Terry Moyer, and his family and friends. The third annual event was part of a statewide observance of Michigan Maple Syrup Weekend, to help promote the maple-syrup industry in the state.
Moyer said ideal weather conditions would see the temperature exceed 40 degrees in the daytime and drop into the 20s at night. Nighttime temperatures, however, have stayed consistently in the 30s the past week, throwing the 2015 maple-syrup season for a loop, Moyer said.
Moyer produced a personal record 164 gallons of maple syrup in 2013, the highest since he started tracking output in 2006. A year ago, despite tapping even more trees than usual, the production dropped to 108 gallons. Through this past weekend, Moyer said he has generated four gallons and he is not optimistic about reaching 100 gallons in 2015.
subsequent years.
Out of 500 taps this season, he expects to collect about 800 gallons of sap.
Butternut Creek Sugar Shack is located at 24890 Flach Road. Its phone number is 496-7082.