University of Missouri forestry students have created maple syrup with a black and gold touch.
The Columbia Missourian reports the MU Ag Foundation provided a $15,000 grant to help students and landowners produce "MUple" syrup.
Ten students at the university's Baskett Wildlife Research and Education Center near Ashland worked on the pancake-ready project. They purchased 100 taps and a new evaporator to remove water from the tree sap.
The time is right to tap the trees. The state Department of Conservation says that peak season for collecting syrup occurs when nighttime temperatures fall below freezing.