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Season Summaries
Season Update #3: Snow settles trees in the Northeast
Peter Gregg | March 9, 2018
The second Nor’Easter in a week in the Northeast has slowed down the trees and given sugarmakers a much needed break.
“We boiled nine out of the last 10 days in a row through Wednesday,” said Joanne Birch of Readsboro, Vt. who has already made half a crop.
But on Thursday and Friday, Birch got 22.5 inches of snow, piled on top of the 9 inches from the Nor’Easter last week.
“It’s all fluffy stuff but I don’t want to have to go in the woods,” she said. [ MORE ]
Season Update #2: Northeast season off to brisk start
Peter Gregg | March 2, 2018
A ten day stretch of perfect sugaring weather in February had sugarmakers scrambling to get taps in and tanks set.
And making a ton of syrup.
“We were tapped by Feb. 6 and boiling on Feb. 15,” said Paul Turner of Turner Maple Farms in Egremont, Mass. [ MORE ]
US maple crop way up over last year
Peter Gregg |
The United States maple crop came in at 4.207 million gallons, a massive jump over last year's crop of 3.434 million gallons, according to the statistics service of the U.S. agriculture department. [ MORE ]
Quebec crop a massive record breaker
Caroline Cyr, Federation of Quebec Maple Syrup Producers |
Quebec’s 2016 maple syrup production was 148.2 million pounds, an unprecedented 23% jump from the previous record of 120 million pounds set in 2013, the Federation of Quebec Maple Producers reported. [ MORE ]
Season closing down in some northern areas
Peter Gregg |
The season in some parts of the northern U.S. is close to the end, with lots of happy sugarmakers. "All of our drums are full," said Dave Fuller, of Fuller's Sugarhouse in Lancaster, N.H. "So I guess that's a good sign." [ MORE ]
Sugarmakers hoping for a reset this weekend
Peter Gregg |
Southern Vermont sugarmakers were hoping for a reset this week, with temperatures rising and tree buds swelling.
"I think we have at least another week," said David Mance a 3,000 tap sugarmaker in Shaftsbury, Vt. [ MORE ]
N.H. sugarmakers nervous about forecast
Peter Gregg |
Sugarmakers in the Granite State are worried about the forecast this week.
“It looks like it’s going to warm up real fast,” said Bruce Treat, a sugarmaker in Bow, N.H. with 700 taps on pipeline. Treat tapped on Feb. 17 and 18 and boiled for the first time on Feb. 21. “It makes you wonder if the the trees are going to recharge,” he said.
Treat was not alone in his concerns. [ MORE ]
Mass sugarmakers happy so far
Peter Gregg |
Bay State sugarmakers were rejoicing over what was for many a record-setting February production. “I’ve never made that much in February,” said Robert Spencer of Mt. Massaemet Sugar House in Shelburne Falls, Mass. He was like many sugarmakers in the state and throughout lower New England who were scrambling to get all their taps out and keep up with the early season.
[ MORE ]
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