The only large-scale maple syrup producer in Iron County has received a grant from the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development to grow its operations.
The $100,000 grant to Willis Family Maple Farm, LLC, in Iron River will allow the family-run operation to modernize and expand its sugaring operation to meet increasing market demand for pure maple syrup and maple products. It also will generate one full-time job and four part-time jobs.
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Courtesy of Kenneth WillisThe family farm in Iron River.The awarding of the grant came about the time maple syrup producers in Northern Michigan sustained extensive damage to trees and infrastructure during an historic ice storm.
“Our 2025 season was the best season we have ever had out here,” owner Kenneth Willis says. “That said, 2025 was also a year for devastating ice storms. We were spared, but a lot of fellow producers in Michigan and Wisconsin had devastating damage to their pipelines and woods.”
What’s happening: The Willis Family Maple Farm has received a $100,000 grant from the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development to modernize and expand its operations in the western U.P. county. The grant will create one full-time and four part-time jobs. The grant will allow the business to keep pace with the demand for maple products and ensure enough supply for “value-added” products such as maple cream, maple sugar and infused syrups and sauces. “We are hoping to have the majority of (the expansion) done this year and online for 2026 but I am still waiting for a contract from MDARD before I can start anything," Willis says. "Once we sign a contract I will have 18 months to complete my project.”
About the farm: The Willis Family Maple Farm has been in operation since the spring of 2018. The sugaring operation is mostly a family affair, with a few farm hands hired on during the sugaring season to help tap and maintain the sap lines in the forest, Willis says. The farm currently taps trees on 47 acres but plans to expand to 80 acres. “We currently run about 5,500 taps and with this grant we will expand that to around 8,000 taps,” he says. The family sells maple products in several locations across the U.P and northern Wisconsin. In the offseason, the company bottles products and makes firewood.
Ice storm: The extent of damage from the late March ice storm is still being calculated. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources estimates that
3 million acres of northern Michigan forest land were damaged. Sugar maples were among them. According to a news release from Michigan State University Extension, “initial industry reports are that Michigan has lost approximately 200,000 taps, resulting in an estimated $3.5 million (loss) in bulk syrup sales.”
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Courtesy of Kenneth WillisBlue tubing runs through a grove of maple trees to collect sap.
Many Michigan maple syrup producers were midseason on March 28, collecting and transporting sap, when rain began to fall over nine counties in the northern tip of the Lower Peninsula. The rain continued for almost two days, temperatures hovering around freezing — leaving trees and landscapes covered with 0.25 - 2 inches of ice. Across the area, branches and entire trees snapped under the weight of ice.
About the industry: Michigan is the fifth-largest maple syrup producing state in the country, with
USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service estimating that 195,000 gallons of maple syrup were produced in Michigan during the 2023 season, up 7,000 gallons from the previous year. In 2024, Michigan's maple syrup production was estimated at 200,000 gallons, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Last year, Michigan tapped 650,000 maple trees.
Maple syrup is the first farm crop to be harvested in Michigan each year. The state’s maple syrup season varies by location and year but generally begins in February in lower Michigan and extends into April in the Upper Peninsula. Forty gallons of maple sap are needed to make one gallon of syrup
About the grant: The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development awards Underserved, Value-Added, and Regional Food System grants to Michigan producers, processors, and community development organizations. These grant funds -- which total more than $3.8 million for 51 projects -- support traditionally underserved businesses, cultivate value-added agricultural processing and strengthen area supply chains and regional food systems.
MDARD Director Tim Boring says: "These investments highlight the diverse and expansive agriculture opportunities that contribute to economic prosperity and strengthen food access across the state.”
Rosemary Parker has worked as a writer and editor for more than 40 years. She is a regular contributor to Rural Innovation Exchange, UPword and other Issue Media Group publications.
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