Season Summaries

Quebec crop officially a record breaker at 239 million pounds

Peter Gregg | June 7, 2024

DRUMMONDVILLE, Que.—As predicted, the Quebec syrup crop this season was a record breaker at 239 million pounds.

The membership of Québec Maple Syrup Producers (QMSP) federation, gathered this week in Drummondville for the organization’s annual general meeting, and announced the official 2024 figures, compiled in a phone survey by Groupe AGÉCO.

That production total equaled an average 4.47 pounds per tap in the province, and a total value of some $750 Million.

The U.S. crop is also expected to be a record breaker. The USDA will announce the U.S. crop totals next week.

“And the syrup is of excellent quality,” said QMSP President Luc Goulet. “This record harvest will allow us to serve the rising demand from domestic and foreign consumers.” 85% of the maple syrup produced in Québec is destined for export. [ MORE ]

Possible record breaking crop in Quebec

Peter Gregg | May 13, 2024

LONGUEUIL, Que.—Could be a whopper of a crop in Quebec. Maybe the biggest ever.

“We are now on a path that makes us believe we can also have our best harvest of all time,” said Joel Vaudeville, spokesman for the Quebec maple producers federation.

Some sugarmakers with knowledge of the industry in the provovince have whispered that it could shatter the 2022 record crop of 220 million pounds.

The federation will announce the crop total at the end of the month, but almost all anecdotal discussion says it will be big.

What is certain is that the crop will exceed last year’s relatively paltry sum, which was the worst crop in Quebec since 2008. [ MORE ]

Season Update #6: Could be a huge crop

Peter Gregg | April 12, 2024

WASHINTON, Vt.—It could be a big crop.

Sugarmakers in the U.S. are winding down their seasons, with many expecting the crop to rival the 2022 season, which was the biggest ever.

“This is my 39th year making syrup and this year will be my best,” said 800-tap sugarmaker Bob Capobianco in Washington, Vt.

Sam Schmucker in Mio, Michigan also had a big crop, and was still going.

“We’ve made 2600 off of 4200 taps and we’re still going,” he told The Maple News late last week.

Bill Haley in Schoharie, N.Y. said it was his best year ever, also. It was his biggest year and earliest year in 50 years of sugaring.

“It ran like crazy in February, then we got weird weather,” Haley told The Maple News.

Haley said he tapped at the end of January, the earliest ever. He had his first boil on Feb. 9. [ MORE ]

Season Update #5: Northern Vermont sugarmakers doing well

Peter Gregg | March 18, 2024

WASHINGTON, Vt.—Northern Vermont sugarmakers are enjoying a good maple season, and above average in some cases, while the southern portion of the state has struggled.

“We typically dont make this much syrup in March,” said 2,000-tap sugarmaker James Buck, who today hosted the annual tree tapping ceremony with Vt. Gov. Phil Scott. “After today, we will be at 3/4 of a crop.”

Buck said he tapped on Valentines Day and caught the first warm up of the winter. “It feels really good to be where we’re at right now,” he told The Maple News.

Kevin Lawyer, a 12,000-tap producer in Waterbury, Vt. and a sales rep for Leader + H2O said his season is also going well.

“If you are a calendar sugarmaker then you might be having a hard time right now,” Lawyer said. “I reccomend that sugarmakers get out early in the coming years. Use the first warm up to get your woods ready.” [ MORE ]

Season Update #4: North is gushing, south is mostly done

Peter Gregg | March 13, 2024

ORWELL, Ohio—Most sugarmakers are pulling taps in Ohio, Indiana and Pennsylvania and in the north, producers are scrambling to keep up with an ocean of sap this week.

“Saturday we had one of the biggest breakouts I’ve seen,” said 25,000-tap producer David Fuller in Jefferson, N.H.. “We were pumping 160 gallons a minute and still had to shut some valves to keep up.”

Other producers in the northern zones of the Maple Belt were also excited about a big production week this week, as temperatures cooperated.

In high mountain areas of West Virginia, producers there were also seeing a last minute rebound.

“IN the high country, the sap is just pouring in,” said Michael Rechlin of Future Generations University, which consults with sugarmakers in that state. “Guys on the tops of the mountains still are making syrup.”

But in lower regions, there is much concern. [ MORE ]

Season Update #3: Warm weather on way, worrying some sugarmakers

| March 1, 2024

NORTHFIELD, Mass.—Some sugarmakers are shutting down in southern states and others are just getting started, as one of the weirdest weather maple seasons continues its warm patterns.

“For those that waited to tap until the last week of February, their season may start and finish in the same week,” said Les Ober, OSU maple consultant in Northeast Ohio.

Ober said sugarmakers in his state who tapped in January and early February are enjoying what will likely amount to an “average” season.

Everything could end next week, with a stretch of 60s and no freezing nights in the forecast, he said.

Sugarmakers in Massachusetts were seeing a similar forecast, as many gathered Friday for the annual first tree-tapping at Severance Maple Products in Northfield, Mass., with hosts Milton and Robin Severance.

Tapping the first tree was newly appointed state agriculture commissioner Ashley E. Randle, who used a traditional bit-and-brace drill, surrounded by a large gathering of local and regional dignitaries, FFA students and maple producers.

Sugarmakers at the event said they had a close eye on the weather apps in their phones. [ MORE ]

Season Update #2: Big production in early Feb; cool off this week

Peter Gregg | February 14, 2024

SCOTTSVILLE, N.Y.—The tale of two seasons continues as some sugarmakers are boiling away, happy with their early start and others making the decision to hold off, wondering if they made the right choice.

Sugarmakers were blowing up social media last week, pulling in oceans of sap during the unusual warm February. Other sugarmakers sitting on the sidelines are planning on pulling the trigger soon on starting their seasons.

“We’re tapping this weekend, but usually we’d be tapping in March,” said Dan de Roos, in Scottsville, N.Y.

In Hardwick, N.J., sugarmaker Tom Phillips was happy to see 14 inches of snow this week, slowing down the trees.

Phillips said he was going to tap during the warm up last weekend, but held off because there were no freezing nights in the forecast. [ MORE ]

Season Update #1: January boilers happy to go early

Peter Gregg | February 1, 2024

ANNANDALE, Minn.—Sugarmakers have gotten an early start on the 2024 maple season—even gravity producers in typically-frozen Minnesota.

Sugarmakers across the Maple Belt were drilling and boiling with gusto in January, many jumping into a season far earlier than ever before and getting good results.

“So far it’s going great!,” said Kia Czech, a sugarmaker in Annandale, Minn. who with her husband Adam, hung 330 sap bags and buckets this week.

Czech said she collected 460 gallons of sap so far with 2 percent sugar content. Their first boil on Jan. 31 sweetened the pans a little but she was hoping to have finished syrup by the weekend.

Last year her first boil was April 2. [ MORE ]

Vermont sugarmakers boiled 51 times from November to April

Peter Gregg | June 23, 2023

CUTTINGSVILLE, Vt.—Successful season.

The men of Stewart Maple of Cuttingsville, Vt. were tired but happy with the 2023 season.

They may have had the longest season in the U.S. with the first boil on Nov. 28 and the last boil on April 12.

“We made 6.3 pounds per tap,” said Elliott Stewart. “Our goal for the future is one gallon per tap. Which seems crazy and everyone laughs when I say that, but that’s what we’re working for.”

The Stewarts turn on pumps at the beginning of the season and turn them off on the last day. [ MORE ]

U.S. maple crop down 15 percent from last year

Peter Gregg | June 9, 2023

RUPERT, Vt.—The 2023 U.S. maple syrup crop was down somewhat over last year, with producers making 4.18 million gallons, down 15 percent from 2022, according to the USDA.

Vermont led the way with a total of two million gallons produced.

Runner-up states were New York with 750,000 gallons, Maine with 470,000 gallons and Wisconsin at 402,000 gallons, according to USDA. [ MORE ]

Quebec crop way down

Peter Gregg | June 5, 2023

LONGUEUIL, Que.—Quebec’s maple harvest totaled 124 million pounds, with an average per-tap production of 2.43 pounds.

It’s the smallest crop in five years, off dramatically from the 211 million pounds from last year.

In reaction, Québec Maple Syrup Producers (QMSP) last month announced it will be adding another 7 million taps into its production quota system.

These 7 million new taps must be installed by April 1, 2026. By that time, Québec will have a total of 58 million taps in production, the federation said.

Meanwhile, the Global Maple Syrup Strategic Reserve currently holds 33 million pounds.

Buyers and processors also possess an estimated 65 million pounds of inventory, the Quebec federation said.
[ MORE ]

Cleanup. The season is not over when the sap stops running

Paul Post | April 12, 2023

RUPERT, Vt.—For many, the sap has stopped. Before putting a sugarbush to bed, critical steps should be taken.

"It's not enough to remove taps and move on," said maple specialist Mike Rechlin of Future Generations University in Franklin, W.V.

"You've got to get the gunk out. You don't want to leave it there. You want to clean it, but you want to do more than that. Cleaning is one thing, sanitizing is a completely different thing."

Cleaning alone doesn't rid lines of fungi, yeast and bacteria that can build up and ruin sap and syrup next season, if left untreated.

"Sap lines are porous material. Fungi, yeast and bacteria become imbedded in the porosity of that material, deep down in the line structure," Rechlin said during a recent talk, "The End of Year Clean, Sanitation 101.

"We want to kill the bacteria not only on the surface, but deeply imbedded in structure of that material. Spores and fungus can stay active and alive for two or more years. If they haven't been killed in your sap line, then it's there to cause problems before you ever tap a tree next season."

"So it's important to clean and sanitize so you aren't starting next year's race behind the start line," he said. [ MORE ]

Season Update #5: Lots of light syrup and big sap runs

Peter Gregg | March 20, 2023

HARPERSFIELD, N.Y.—Sugarmakers are making a lot of light syrup, as the season hits its peak.

At Shaver Hill Maple in Harpersfield, N.Y. there was an hour-long wait for pancakes during the first of two open house weekends at the farm, with a big turnout of visitors.

Meanwhile, out of the 1900 gallons of syrup made so far, 1700 gallons of it was light syrup, said owner Dwayne Hill.

“There’s an abundance of light syrup, that’s for sure,” he told The Maple News on Sunday.

Damian Hill said even the small backyard producers in the area had been making Golden.

“They’re all calling here telling us they can’t believe how much light syrup they’re making,” Damian Hill said.

Nearby, at Thompson’s Sugar Shack in Jefferson, owner Dan Thompson was also having a great season so far, with lots of light syrup made.
[ MORE ]

Season Update #4: Some runs this week, and cold and snow ahead

Peter Gregg | March 10, 2023

NORTH GRANVILLE, N.Y.—A lot of sugarmakers are still enjoying good runs of sap.

“Hopefully we have nice prolonged season, I don’t want warm weather,” said Matt Rathbun of Rathbun’s Maple in North Granville, N.Y. and host of the annual first tree tapping ceremony with N.Y. state agriculture commissioner Richard Ball and other dignitaries.

Way up in Ellenburg, N.Y., Michael Bennett of 30,000-tap Full Throttle Maple was still waiting to get going.

“I haven’t been very busy yet,” Bennett told The Maple News. “We are lacking probably 4 to 6 degrees to get a decent run,” he said. “We’ve had a lot of little runs.”

Still, Bennett said he was ahead of his production compared to the same date last year. [ MORE ]

Season Update #3: Vermont and everywhere else off to fast start

Peter Gregg | March 3, 2023

St. ALBANS, Vt.—A gangbuster start.

Sugarmakers in Vermont have been smiling about the big February runs and some halfway decent sap to start off March.

“We’ve boiled three times already and are at probably 10 percent of a crop,” said Sean Connor of Connor Maple in St. Albans, Vt. during the annual Governor’s Tree Tapping Ceremony hosted by the farm on Friday.

Gov. Phil Scott was on hand to drill the ceremonial first tree and hang a sap bucket to kick off the maple season in the Green Mountain State. The event was organized by the Vermont Maple Sugar Makers Association.

Connor said the farm started drilling its 9,000 taps in early February and caught the early runs, happy to get the leaks checked and the lines tight in time for the weird—or maybe not-so-weird anymore—February warm-up.

“My grandma always said to tap around St. Patrick’s Day but you can’t do that anymore,” Connor said. [ MORE ]

Season Update #2: Fast start sends sugarmakers scrambling

Peter Gregg | February 16, 2023

BURLINGTON, Conn.—A monster early sap run and unseasonably warm weather has sugarmakers scrambling and scratching their heads.

“It’s been an odd season,” said 5,600-tap sugarmaker Rob Lamothe of Lamothe’s Sugar House in Burlington, Conn. during a visit from The Maple News on Wednesday, when temperatures hit 65 degrees.

“It’s been abnormally warm and we're not getting freezing nights ahead. It should not be this warm,” Lamothe said.

Lamothe has been making syrup for more than 50 years and said the weather patterns have changed.

“It used to be we would’ve never tapped a tree before Washington’s birthday and now if you’re not tapped by February 1 you lose a third of your crop,” he said.

Lamothe’s neighbor, Ray Kasulaitis of Barkhamsted, Conn. said the season might be over before it even got started.

“Trees are already started to bud out,” he told The Maple News on Wednesday.

In Berlin, N.Y. longtime sugaring partners Kent Goodermote and Todd Hewitt, who have been making syrup for 48 seasons, were getting ready for their first boil of the season on Wednesday.

Earlier than normal they said, but when the season is here, it's here. [ MORE ]

Season Update #1: A big January and a big week coming

Peter Gregg | February 2, 2023

WILLIAMSBURG, Mass.—Drills have been humming this week and a lot of syrup was made during one of the warmest Januarys in recorded history.

Following a forecasted deep freeze this weekend in the east, a warm up next week could get the trees juicing, sugarmakers say.

“We’re going to be drilling and getting as many in as we can before the run starts next week, possibly even Monday,” said Keith Dufresne of Dufresne’s Sugarhouse in Williamsburg, Mass., during a visit from The Maple News on Thursday. “We had a lot of downed trees to get to first.”

Dufresne on Thursday was like a lot of sugarmakers who were looking at their phones and seeing a week ahead of many freezing nights and temps in the mid-40s, shaping up to be the first bona fide sap run of the 2023 season.

That is not to say that a lot of syrup has not already been made—much has. [ MORE ]

U.S. sugarmakers break production record in 2022

Peter Gregg | June 11, 2022

CONCORD, N.H.—The U.S. maple syrup crop was a record breaking 5.028 million gallons in 2022, the USDA reported, smashing the old record of 4.1 million gallons set in 2020.

Leading the way was Vermont, which made more than half the U.S. total with 2.55 million gallons, up 46 percent from the previous year, the USDA said.

New York was second in the nation, with 845,000 gallons made. Maine was third with 672,000 gallons; Wisconsin was 4th with 440,000 and Michigan 5th at 190,000.

Other states surveyed were New Hampshire at 167,000 and Pennsylvania at 164,000. [ MORE ]

Quebec’s maple crop the biggest in history

Peter Gregg | June 10, 2022

LONGUEUIL, Que.—Quebec’s 2022 maple syrup crop is the biggest in history, by a lot.

The Québec Maple Syrup Producers federation today announced the harvest in the province was an estimated 211.2 million pounds, smashing the old production record of 175 million pounds, set in 2020.

The production average was a yield of 4.26 pounds per tap in 2022, the federation said.
[ MORE ]

Season Update #8: Big sugarmakers closing out strong; big U.S. crop forecast

Peter Gregg | April 25, 2022

FAIRFIELD, Vt.—Some sugarmakers are holding on this week for the last drop of sap in what is shaping up to be a big U.S. crop.

“If you got tight vacuum you can make it through this warm weather,” said 110,000-tap sugarmaker Gary Corey on Friday during a tour for The Maple News of his sugarhouse in Fairfield, Vt.

Corey, who sugars with wife Danielle, was expecting to still get sap through the early part of this week.

As of Friday, the pair were at 71,000 gallons of syrup made. [ MORE ]

Season Update #7: Looks to be a big crop in the U.S.

Peter Gregg | April 12, 2022

ISLAND POND, Vt.—The U.S. maple season of 2022 is shaping up to be a whopper.

A two-week charge of sap at the end of March into early April created what for many is full crop and for some far beyond.

“Altogether the U.S. has a much bigger crop than last year. Perhaps 50 percent larger overall,” said Bruce Bascom of Bascom Maple Farms in Alstead, N.H. and one of the premier bulk syrup buyers in the U.S.

Bascom said the dominant color grade this season Amber.

In most of the northern areas of the Maple Belt, producers were enjoying big sap runs.

“As of now sir I can tell you that this year has topped the last close to five or maybe even better,” said Brent Bagwell, a woods manager for the massive SapJack operation in Island Pond, Vt. who is in charge of a 160,000-tap sugarbush there. [ MORE ]

Season Update #6: Big runs and low sugar in the Northeast

Peter Gregg | March 28, 2022

BENSON, Vt.—Sugarmakers in the Northeast were happy for a cold weather reset this week, after a six day run.

“I’m hoping we get recharged with a good hard freeze,” said Jeff Disorda of Rocky Ridge Sugarworks in Benson, Vt. on Sunday.

Temperatures were dipping into the teens and a dusting of snow coated sugar bushes early Monday.

Disorda said he had surpassed last year’s production, making 600 gallons so far off his 1,500 taps.

But his sugar content was dropping to low levels, as low as 1.2 percent sugar this weekend, after a season of low test sap.

“The best we had this season was 1.8,” Disorda said.
[ MORE ]

Season Update #5: Midwest states shutting down; New York ramping up

Peter Gregg | March 18, 2022

ORWELL, Ohio—Areas of the southern Maple Belt are almost done, and done early.

“It doesn’t look good here,” said Ray Gingerich of Orwell, Ohio. “We’re only on our second week of boiling and now it looks like it’s over.”

Gingerich said sugarmakers in his area of Northeast Ohio were already pulling taps or were about to, as temperatures hit the 70s and no freezes in sight for 10 days.

“People with buckets are hanging them up.”

He said most sugarmakers are only at about half of a crop or maybe a little better, which would amount to a disaster if it stopped now, given how little syrup there is in the marketplace and how high demand is, Gingerich said.

Over in Pennsylvania, producers were also about halfway, but more optimistic.
[ MORE ]

Season Update #4: Big sap runs in the Northeast this week

Peter Gregg | March 11, 2022

[ MORE ]

Season Update #3: Big week expected ahead in New England and Northeast

Peter Gregg | March 4, 2022

NEW BRAINTREE, Mass.—Sugarmakers in New England are hoping for the first big run of the season this coming week.

“Get ready, it’s gonna be big,” said Howard Boyden, a sugarmaker from Conway, Mass. and president of the North American Maple Syrup Council.

Boyden was on hand for the annual tree tapping ceremony on Friday for the Massachusetts Maple Producers Association, held at Grand Maple Farms in New Braintree.

“I think this week is, yes going to be be good unless Mother Nature has another idea. It is farming after all,” said Paul Schur, who runs the operation with son, Justin.

“We’ve had three runs and out of that two good ones,” Schur said, regarding his 900-tap operation on vacuum. ‘We’ve made 40 gallons so far.”
[ MORE ]

Season Update #2: Scramble to catch first big run of the season

Peter Gregg | February 10, 2022

DANBY, Vt.—Sugarmakers were racing to capture the first big sap run of the season.

A sap run late this week got many sugarmakers scrambling to drill taps and check leaks.

“It’s a nightmare,” said Ryan White of Danby, Vt.

White said sap that came in Wednesday had “nice flow” but he was bringing his sap to a neighbor because he wasn’t ready to boil yet.

“We still have 5,000 to put in.”

It was a race against the clock this week. [ MORE ]

Season Update #1: Early tappers making syrup already

Peter Gregg | January 14, 2022

RANDOLPH, Vt.—The early tappers are at it again, getting a jumpstart on the 2022 season.

“We have made a little over 100 gallons so far off 1700 taps we put in the second week of December,” said Cody Armstrong of Randolph, Vt. who has earned a reputation for routinely getting out early with the drill.

Armstrong said his first boil was on Jan. 3, after collecting upwards of 10,000 gallons of sap during the thaws between Christmas and New Year’s.

Higher up in Vermont, Gary Corey of Corey’s Maple Orchard in Fairfield, Vt. also got out early.

With 105,000 taps to put in at the 3,000 acre farm, getting out early is necessary to keep up with the season.

Corey said he was boiling on Dec. 17. [ MORE ]

Quebec crop short but not a wipeout

Peter Gregg | June 10, 2021

LONGUEUIL, Que.—It’s official. A short crop in Quebec and the provincial governing body regulating maple may allot more taps to cover the shortfall.

The Québec Maple Syrup Producers (QMSP) federation reported its 6,314 sugarmaker members made 133 million pounds of syrup. Producers in the province put out 48.3 million taps.

The warm temperatures experienced across Québec in April brought about an unusual occurrence: all maple syrup producing regions saw their harvest seasons begin – and end prematurely – at the same time.

Meanwhile, the Global Strategic Maple Syrup Reserve holds enough stock to meet the industry’s short-and medium-term needs for “conventional” product, the federation said.

In April, federation officials said the reserve held 106 million pounds in barrels, some of which are from crops as far back as 10 years ago. [ MORE ]

It's official. U.S. maple crop down somewhat for 2021, but not as bad as predicted

Peter Gregg | June 10, 2021

WASHINGTON, D.C.—It’s official. A lousy maple crop in the U.S. but maybe not as bad as first thought.

Sugarmakers in the U.S. made 3.42 million gallons of maple syrup this season, with Vermont leading the way, followed by New York and Maine, according to the National Agricultural Statistics Service, a branch of the USDA.

Last year’s crop was 4.11 million gallons nationwide.

While some areas fared much worse than others, the maple crop overall was 83 percent of last year’s production, not quite as bad as some forecasts of 75 or 65 percent of last year’s big crop.

[ MORE ]

Season Update #9: Quebec crop coming in very short but still lots of syrup in reserve

Peter Gregg | April 16, 2021

COWANSVILLE, Que.—Quebec’s crop is significantly down from last year but there’s still plenty of syrup in warehouses.

“We’re going to be 30 million pounds less than last year, is my educated guess,” said David Hall, a 21,000-tap producer in Cowansville, Que. and a director for the Federation of Quebec Maple Syrup Producers.

Even though the far eastern sugarbushes in the province were still producing late this week, most in Quebec had shut down due to high temperatures and a notoriously low sugar content in the sap, plaguing producers all season.

“Everybody got lots of sap but there just no sugar in it,” Hall said.

Hall squelched a rumor that the federation was scrambling an emergency meeting this week to discuss the short crop. In fact, he said there is still plenty of syrup in storage to satisfy the marketplace through the year.

“I don’t think there’s a whole lot of panic out there,” Hall said. “There’s lots of syrup. It’s possible the numbers could come in a little better when it’s all done.” [ MORE ]

Season Update #8: Bulk buy prices jump this week; Northern Vt. crop way down

Peter Gregg | April 9, 2021

ALSTEAD, N.H.—With possibly the worst U.S. crop since at least 2012, bulk prices are jumping up this week.

“As of today, April 9, we have increased our field-run buy prices substantially to the producers,” said Bruce Bascom of Bascom Maple Farms in Alstead, N.H. in an announcement to The Maple News.

Bascom said he will be paying $2.40 per pound for Golden Delicate, $2.30 for Amber Rich, $2.20 for Dark Robust and $2.00 for Very Dark Strong.

Producers who are certified organic will receive upwards of a 20 cent premium on top of that, Bascom said.

Other buyers are also bumping their buy prices this week.

Ben Fisk, president of Ben’s Pure Maple Products in Temple, N.H. also contacted The Maple News on Friday to announce he is looking for 1.5 million pounds of syrup. And will pay top dollar. [ MORE ]

Season Update #7: Big crowds but not much sap in Maine; Northern Vt. is lagging too

Peter Gregg | march 29, 2021

LIMERICK, Maine—Not much sap but lots of visitors in Maine.

It was a big bust of a maple season for most in Maine, where sugarmakers were already pulling their taps.

“Not a great season,” said Aaron Carroll of Alderwood Farm in Limerick, Maine. “It was down quite a bit.”

Carroll said he made just 50 gallons off his 750 taps and pulled his taps on Sunday.

‘It was in the 60s all week here so we’re pretty much done,” he told The Maple News.

But what Carroll and other Maine sugarmakers lacked in production they made up for in tourists, with last weekend’s Maine Maple Sunday drawing massive crowds, with visitors filling long lines just to watch sugarmakers boil.

“We’ve sold out of everything,” said Nick Storer of Limerick, who with wife, Abbie and father Mike was busy Sunday entertaining a long line of tourists waiting to buy syrup and watch the Storers boil water since they were out of sap. [ MORE ]

Season Update #6: Could be a disaster in the making for some in Northeast

Peter Gregg | March 22, 2021

JOHNSTOWN, N.Y.—Could be a disaster in the making.

Despite a big sap run over the weekend and into Monday, most sugarmakers in the heart of the central Maple Belt are way behind and fretting there may not be enough time to catch up.

“It’s been a late late season,” said sugarmaker Stephen Savage of Peaceful Valley Maple Farms in Johnstown, N.Y.

As of Saturday, Savage had only made about 1,400 gallons off his 25,000 taps, a fraction of where he should be and an even smaller fraction of where he was a year ago at this time.

“By this time last year we were at 4970,” he said during a tour for The Maple News. [ MORE ]

Season Update #5: Slow going in New England so far but week ahead looks good

Peter Gregg | March 12, 2021

TEMPLE, N.H.—It’s been slow going.

That’s the word from sugarmakers around New England who are just starting to fire up this week after a long winter with no thaws and not much sap.

‘It’s been wicked slow,” said Scott Kemp who makes syrup in Rindge, N.H. and has only made 15 gallons of syrup so far off his 800 taps.

At the tree tapping ceremony with New Hampshire Gov. Christopher Sununu at Connolly Bros. Dairy and Maple in Temple, N.H. on Friday, sugarmakers were all telling the same tale of woe.

Not much of a season so far and it’s already March 12.

“You better believe I’m worried, oh my goodness,” said Charlie Hunt who taps 3,000 in Hillsborough, N.H. “But we remain optimistic.”

[ MORE ]

Season Update #4: Big run coming this weekend

Peter Gregg | February 26, 2021

RAVENNA, Ohio—Sugarmakers across the U.S. were getting ready for the first significant run of the season this weekend.

“We’re tapped and ready,” said Eric Detweiler of Ravenna, Ohio in the Northeast corner of the state.

Detweiler said he usually taps around President’s Day but this year the holiday was frozen solid.

The thaw came this week, and his 40 taps on buckets are already starting to fill.

“We got 20 gallons yesterday and 20 today,” he told The Maple News on Friday. “We’ll start boiling tomorrow.”

Ohio is off to a late start, as are many of the southern states in the Maple Belt, where sugarmakers typically make most of their crop in January and February.

[ MORE ]

Season Update #3: Cold snap everywhere shuts out the early crop hopefuls

Peter Gregg | February 16, 2021

LUTSEN, Minn.—Twenty six below is not exactly ideal tapping weather.

“Yeah we got a cold spell so we're sitting and waiting, chomping at the bit to get back out there,” said Kirstin van den Berg of Sawtooth Mountain Maple Syrup Co. in Lutsen, Minn.

van den Berg said she and her crew of six tappers were humming along for a 7 day stretch of good weather, getting about 14,000 drilled before the cold snap came and shut them down the past couple of days.

“We’re taking a break,” she told The Maple News on Tuesday.

She said the temps in her area of the Upper Midwest should go back up above the 20 degree mark, where most experts say is the line for tapping. Tapping in temps colder than that can split trees. [ MORE ]

Season Update #1: Early tappers jump the season, but most sugarmakers prepping

Peter Gregg | January 13, 2021

BAINBRIDGE, Ohio—Some southern tapping areas are starting to wake up to a new season.

“As I watched this year’s weather patterns, I got the itch and decided to set these taps even earlier than normal,” said Dana F. Schmidt, who tapped on December 16 at his operation in Bainbridge, southern Ohio.

Schmidt put out 50 early taps on buckets that he dedicated for early tapping. It's something he has done for the past four seasons with varying degrees of success, he said.

This year has been pretty good.

“I have had 4 runs that averaged around 40 -50 gallons of sap each from the 50 taps in the past week,” he said in late December. [ MORE ]

Vermont leads the way as U.S. sugarmakers break production record

Peter Gregg | June 14, 2020

HARRISBURG, Pa.—The U.S. broke a syrup production record in the 2020 season, according to the USDA annual syrup production survey.

Combined with the record crop in the province of Quebec, the 2020 season produced the biggest global crop in history.

Sugarmakers in the United States made 4.372 million gallons of syrup, breaking the old record is 4.199 set in the 2018 season.

Leading the way was the state of Vermont, which had its all-time best year with 2.22 million gallons produced. New York was in second with 804,000 gallons made and Maine was third with 590 gallons. [ MORE ]

Quebec crop smashes production record

Peter Gregg | May 29, 2020

LONGUEIL, Que.—Quebec sugarmakers smashed the province’s syrup production record this season.

Production this spring came in at 175 million pounds of syrup, an average of 3.59 pounds per tap, according to the Maple Syrup Producers of Quebec (PPAQ) and the Maple Industry Council (CIE).

The number far outpaced last year’s production total of 159 million pounds, the previous record. The province has approximately 11,300 producers and claims to make 72 percent of the global maple syrup crop.
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Season Update #9: Sap still flowing while retail lags

Peter Gregg | April 3, 2020

EAST MONTPELIER, Vt.—A cascade of coronavirus cancelations has wiped out maple marketing but that hasn’t stopped the sap.

“We’ve had a great year, I think it's going to be the biggest season we ever had,” said Bruce Chapell of Templeton Farm Maple & Beef of East Montpelier, Vt. on Friday.

Chapell was hoping for one or two more good runs this week before the season quit, but was planning on reaching 1100 gallons on his 2,700 taps.

“We’re making very dark,” Chapell said. “It’s really good smooth flavor.”

Meanwhile, it has been an early shutdown for many sugarmakers in the central strip of the Maple Belt.

At Dry Brook Sugarhouse in Salem, N.Y. sugarmakers Kevin Keyes and Bob Chambers called it quits last weekend, coming up far short of their goal of 4,000 gallons they hoped to make this year.

“We only made 2,400,” Keyes said. [ MORE ]

Season Update #4: Ocean of sap in Vermont cranks up the season fast

Peter Gregg | March 9, 2020

HIGHGATE, Vt.—An ocean of sap came out of the trees in Vermont Sunday and Monday.

“I don’t think I've ever had a 24 hour run bigger than this,” Jeff Disorda of Benson, Vt. told The Maple News on Monday, March 9.

Disorda said he got 4,000 gallons of sap in less than 24 hours off his 1,500 taps.

Nearby in Shoreham, Vt. 2,500-tap sugarmaker Tim Hescock and his sap hauler Ken Vanhazinga were scrambling to keep up with the deluge.

“It started late last night and ran all night,” Hescock said.

He said an app on his phone told him the sap dumping pace on his releaser was churning so fast that he got up and ran to the sugarbush at 3 a.m. to get an extra tank in place to collect sap.

“We had one bush that was going at about 275 gallons per hour” he said. [ MORE ]

Season Update #3: 'Sapageddon!' Big runs across the Maple Belt this week

Peter Gregg | March 7, 2020

COLRAIN, Mass.—Producers were enjoying big runs and scrambling to get tapped this week.

"I'm calling it 'Sapageddon,'" said Howard Boyden of Conway, Mass. who hadn't had a sap run as big as this week's in all his years of sugaring.

"We made 233 gallons in almost 20 straight hours of boiling," Boyden said. "The sap ran straight through from Monday to Wednesday. We got 9,000 gallons of sap of off 3700 taps."

Producers from the Bay State were gathered at Sunrise Farms in Colrain, Mass. for the annual first tree tapping with state agriculture commissioner John Labeaux.

Keith Bardwell of Whately, Mass. enjoyed a similar big run this week.

"We're at .4 of a gallon per tap already and it's only the first week of March," he said. [ MORE ]

Season Update #2: Early boilers making gains

Peter Gregg | January 7, 2020

ATTICA, N.Y.—The early boilers have been filling barrels the past two weeks, getting a quick start on a 2020 season that has seen perfect sugaring weather.

“It’s being labeled as this season’s syrup but we made most of it 2019,” joked Greg Zimpher, who is the chief boiler at Merle Maple Farms in Attica, N.Y., discussing his crop so far.

Zimpher made 280 gallons on New Year’s Eve off of the 4,500 taps the farm had out since tapping on Dec. 23.

He made another 250 gallons on Sunday, Jan. 5, bringing the season total to 530 gallons so far.

“We had the sap so we might as well make it,” Zimpher said.
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Season Update #1: Vermont fall tappers get a jump on season

Peter Gregg | December 20, 2019

CUTTINGSVILLE, Vt.—The trend of tapping early is still a thing.

“We’re just trying to capitalize on as many freeze/thaws as we can,” said Elliott Stewart of Stewart Maple in Cuttingsville, Vt., during a woods tour for The Maple News on Dec. 18.

Stewart, along with brother Tanner and hired man Wyatt Davenport, started tapping their woods on Dec. 2 and caught a few late fall runs, resulting in about 150 gallons of syrup made so far.

As of Dec. 18, the crew had 5,000 taps already drilled and expect to have their full 40,000 in by early February.

The first 5,000 taps have been productive Stewart said, gushing about 20,000 gallons of sap so far in December although with low sugar content of only 1 percent.

“We’re already at 1/3 of a pound per tap on those 5,000” Stewart said.
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U.S. crop up one percent from last year

Peter Gregg | June 12, 2019

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Quebec crop comes in at 159 million pounds

Peter Gregg | June 12, 2019

LONGUEUIL, Que.—A late spring and cold temperatures did not slow down Quebec maple producers.

Quebec’s 11,300 sugarmakers made more than 159 million pounds of maple syrup this season, a dramatic increase of 41 million pounds over last year.

Quebec sugarmakers averaged 3.43 pounds per tap, according to the Quebec Maple Syrup Producers, the industry trade association. Sugarmakers in the province put out 46.4 million taps this season.

Leading the way in regional production was the Chaudière-Appalaches region with 3,258 sugarmakers making 54,392,782 pounds, the QMSP reported. [ MORE ]

Season Update #9: U.S. season over and possibly big

Peter Gregg | May 6, 2019

MARSHFIELD, Vt.—The season turned around in a hurry, with big sap runs finishing out what had been a sluggish season and making it into a winner for most.

Bruce Bascom of Bascom Maple Farms in Alstead, N.H. was watching his warehouse fill up as trucks loaded with barrels were lined up in his parking lot on Friday and Saturday for the farm’s annual open house.

“I think the U.S. is up,” Bascom said. “I think the crop is up from a year ago.”

Bascom was paying $2.10 per pound for the top three table grades and $1.80 for commercial grade.

New York in particular was stand-out state, and seemed to have maybe the best crop in history. [ MORE ]

Season Update #1: First run sends sugarmakers scrambling

Peter Gregg | February 8, 2019

HOPKINTON, R.I.—The word is out on Tom Buck. He was the first one to boil in Rhode Island this week.

“I got calls from a couple sugarmakers who heard I was boiling,” Buck said on Feb. 5 during a visit from The Maple News.

No one else was.

It was a late start for Buck and sugarmakers throughout southern New England who have been getting used to starting their seasons in January.

Not this year.

Across the U.S. not much January syrup was made, as a record breaking Polar Vortex and several big snowstorms kept the January boilers mostly idle except for a few hard-core sugarmakers.

But this first week of February got many sugarmakers scrambling with the first big sap run of the 2019 season, as the freeze finally broke and sugaring temperatures abounded in the Northeast and MidAtlantic. [ MORE ]

Season Update #10: U.S. crop a big one, but down slightly from last year

Peter Gregg | June 12, 2018

ALBANY, N.Y.—The U.S. maple crop was down slightly in 2018, coming in at 4.15 million gallons produced, according to the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service.

The crop was down less than one percent from last year’s 4.271 million gallons.

Vermont led the way in U.S. production once again, with 1,940,000 gallons produced this year, down just slightly from last year’s 1,980,000 gallons.
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Quebec crop comes in way short

Peter Gregg | June 4, 2018

LONGUEUIL, Que.—Quebec’s 13,700 maple producers produced 118 million pounds in 2018, a dramatic 34 million pound drop-off from last year’s record 152.2 million pounds, according to the Federation of Quebec Maple Syrup Producers.

The province had 46.8 million taps out for the season, for an average yield of 2.52 pounds per tap, which is low in comparison to previous years, the federation said.

Most of this production, approximately 89 percent, is for bulk sale. The rest will be sold on the retail market, the federation said.

The federation will tap into its 96.8 million pound strategic reserve of syrup to satisfy the market.
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Season Update #9: Season over; bulk prices go up; U.S. crop 'about average'

Peter Gregg | May 3, 2018

MORRISVILLE, Vt.—Bulk syrup prices ticked upwards this week as the crop in the United States will likely come in less than last year, but near average overall, according to sugarmakers and bulk buyers.

“As far as this year’s pricing, the crop really matters,” said David Marvin of Butternut Mountain Farms in Morrisville, Vt. one of the nation’s biggest bulk buyers. “I don’t think it will be a good crop in northern areas and that will have an impact.”

Marvin set his prices last week at $2.10 per pound for the top three table grades and offered incentives for organic and volume deliveries.
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Season Update # 8: Season big in central regions, but cold snap could hurt the north

Peter Gregg | April 14

GEORGETOWN, N.Y.—The season is shut down or close to it in much of the Maple Belt, with the northern regions bracing for another cold snap that could hurt their season totals.

“We had tremendous sap volume but we didn’t have good sugar content all year,” said Pete Walrod of Georgetown, N.Y. who had 8,000 taps out this year and was buying from another 2,000.

Walrod said he was getting 1.1 or 1.2 percent sugar most of the season and the best was 1.5.

“The ratio just wasn’t there,” he said.

That was the story for many sugarmakers, who blame a “mast year” for the low sugar, with trees putting energy into making seeds instead of converting sugars. [ MORE ]

Season Update #7: Vermont on a good pace; Crop should be another whopper

Peter Gregg | April 4, 2018

NORTH CHITTENDEN, Vt.—Vermont sugarmakers are on pace to make another big crop.

“We’re pretty much on track for last year and last year we had a good season,” said Jacob Powsner, of the 11,000-tap Baird Farm operation in North Chittenden, Vt.

“We are at the same gallon count right now as we were at this time last April,” he said on Tuesday.
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Season Update #6: Massive crowds for open houses

Peter Gregg | March 28, 2018

PALMYRA, Maine—Sugarmakers were reporting record crowds for maple open house weekends across the Maple Belt.

“We’ve had more people than we’ve had in years,” said Charles Levesque in Antrim, N.H. on Saturday, March 24.

New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Maine all had public tours this weekend.

In Maine, the crowds were literally massive.

At Eureka Farms in Palmyra, Maine, Seth and Hollis Edwards were expecting more than 5,000 visitors over the two day event last weekend.
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Season Update #5: Midwest awakens; zero carryover of syrup from last year

Peter Gregg | March 20, 2018

EL PASO, Wisc.—Sugarmakers in the Upper Midwest were firing up for the first time this week as temps notched upward, as a major bulk buyer proclaimed the region is out of bulk syrup from last year.

“I don’t have a barrel in the house,” said Peter Roth of Roth Sugar Bush in Cadott, Wisc. on Monday. Roth is one of the biggest syrup buyers in the state and was trying to dispel the notion that there is a glut of carryover syrup on the market from last season.

“The supply of syrup in the Midwest is non-existent,” Roth said. “I don’t see the surplus that everybody talks about.” [ MORE ]

Season Update #4: Sugarmakers complaining about low sugar in the sap

Peter Gregg | March 15, 2018

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Season Update #1: Low sugar in Pa. early season

Sandra Lepley | March 11, 2018

Many maple producers in Western Pennsylvania were reporting a low sugar content to start the season off in late January and early February.
With an unusually cold winter and temporary warm streaks here and there, the weather has played a big part in maple production in the Keystone State. [ MORE ]

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 ]