AGENCY OF AG CONSUMER PROTECTION CHIEF & MAPLE EXPERT HENRY MARCKRES RECOGNIZED FOR OUTSTANDING LEADERSHIP WITHIN THE INTERNATIONAL MAPLE INDUSTRY

Agency of Ag Consumer Protection Chief & Maple Expert Henry Marckres Recognized for Outstanding Leadership within the International Maple Industry

Henry Marckres, the Vermont Agency of Agriculture’s Consumer Protection Chief and resident maple syrup expert was awarded the prestigious Lynn Reynolds Award for Leadership in the Maple Industry at the annual meeting of the North American Maple Syrup Council and the International Maple Syrup Institute (IMSI) held  October 21-23 in Wolfville, Nova Scotia. Established in 1999 in honor of long-time IMSI supporter and director, Lynn Reynolds, the prestigious award is bestowed annually on a worthy IMSI member in recognition of outstanding leadership in the International Maple Syrup Industry. 

The award was bestowed on Marckres at the meeting’s closing banquet on October 23^rd by IMSI Executive Director, Dave Chapeskie, who added, “Henry has been a huge asset to the maple community both in the State of Vermont and internationally. He has graciously been a guest speaker all around the maple community and is considered by many to be the go-to expert for maple syrup grading. Henry is well respected, and held in high regard by all who know him.  He is a true leader in the maple community.” 

(LINK to photo courtesy of IMSI. From left to right, Dave Chapeskie, Executive Director of the IMSI, Henry Marckres, and Yvon Poitras, President of the IMSI.)

The son of a buyer for a Maple Sugar Company, Marckres, a 30 year veteran of the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food, and Markets, has been tasting and grading Vermont maple syrup since the tender age of three.  Now 60, Marckres is one of the world’s leading maple experts, spearheading educational and professional trainings (also known as Maple Grading Schools) throughout maple-producing states in the U.S. and Canadian Provinces with colleague and fellow maple expert Kathy Hopkins, from the University of Maine. When he’s not teaching Grading School, or judging maple contests, Marckres utilizes his finely tuned “Maple Pallet” to grade syrups, help producers identify and address “off-flavors”, and protect the integrity and reputation of Vermont’s signature agricultural crop.

“I was very surprised to receive this award,” says Marckres. “I have always enjoyed working with the international maple community, I think I’ve judged syrup from every single maple producing state and province… including syrup from Iowa for the first time this year! I am very pleased and honored to have selected by the (IMSI) executive committee.”

Marckres and his colleagues at the Vermont Agency of Agriculture are looking forward to a busy fall and winter ahead of the 2015 sugaring season as they continue to roll out the new maple syrup grading standards proposed by the IMSI and approved by the Vermont Legislature in 2013. To learn more about Henry’s work and Vermont’s new Maple Grading System, click here.   Click here to watch a short video about the new maple grading system. 

For more information, please contact Henry Marckres at Henry.Marckres@state.vt.us, 802-828-3458.

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About the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food, and Markets: VAAFM facilitates, supports and encourages the growth and viability of agriculture in Vermont while protecting the working landscape, human health, animal health, plant health, consumers and the environment.  www.Agriculture.Vermont.Gov

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