Good News For Maple Makers

The state Senate's agenda Wednesday dripped with good news for maple producers and honey collectors hamstrung by costly regulations.

Legislators unanimously agreed that sugarhouses and other maple production facilities should be defined as agricultural buildings under state building code.

Lawrence J. Rudd, who owns Rudd's Maple Syrup in Mannsville, said some producers statewide were forced to overbuild their sugarhouses to comply with more restrictive commercial building codes when they couldn't obtain an agricultural building permit for their sugarhouses.

"It wasn't feasible for them to do that and make any money," he said.

Mr. Rudd, a director on the state Maple Producers Association board, said local code officers have been more flexible than their colleagues in other parts of the state.

The bill also adds language to state codes to specifically allow public assembly in sugarhouses. Under current law, agricultural buildings cannot be places for public assembly, which hinders tourism efforts.

"Maple production is a staple in our rural communities and an industry that lends itself well to tourism activities," said Sen. Darrel J. Aubertine, the bill's lead sponsor, in a statement. "By easing these regulations we are giving maple producers the latitude they need to expand their business for tourism."

The state's 1,300 maple producers generated 362,000 gallons of syrup last year, according to the Maple Producers Association.

The Senate also unanimously agreed to scrap a 2007 law requiring beekeepers to disclose the locations of their hives and allow the Agriculture & Markets commissioner to survey apiary yards.

"The bill will let us keep our bee yards proprietary and protect our ability to keep our bees with our colonies," said Theodore P. Elk, a beekeeper in Alexandria Bay who is president of the Empire State Honey Producers Association, in a statement. "It's going to eliminate a lot of unnecessary and redundant paperwork for us and save us a great deal of work."

The state will save at least $100,000 annually if the bill becomes law, according to a fiscal impact statement attached to the legislation.

"This legislation is another step toward easing unnecessary regulation on agribusiness in New York state," said Sen. David J. Valesky, who introduced the bill, in a statement. "We need to continue to find ways to create a more friendly business climate."

Jefferson County is the state's fourth-largest honey producer, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's most recent data.

Both bills await a vote in the state Assembly.

Assemblywoman Dierdre K. Scozzafava, R-Gouverneur, said she supports both pieces of legislation and has requested to co-sponsor both bills. Assemblywoman Addie J. Russell, D-Theresa, is a co-sponsor of the bee bill.