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.

In nearby Hubbardton, Vt. sugarmaker Brian Orzell of Cutting It Sweet Sugarhouse was also enjoying a good year and hoping for more.

“We’re at three quarters of a crop so far,” Orzell told The Maple News on Sunday. “I think we’re doing okay.”

He said he was at 2,455 gallons off his 6,200 taps and was shooting for the coveted “half gallon per tap” goal.

In Tinmouth, Vt. father and son sugarmakers Charlie White and Ryan White were cleaning up the last of the sap on Sunday after a week-long run.

The farm was having a good season but battling very low sugar.

“We’re only getting one percent today,” Charlie White said on Sunday.  

In the northern areas of the U.S. Maple Belt, last week was monster for some.

Sugarmaker David Fuller of Jefferson, N.H. said he chased sap and boiled straight from late Wednesday night until Friday morning.

He said he filled 25 barrels on Thursday and another 15 on Friday.

He said he got 43,000 gallons of sap off his 25,000 taps in just that short window, of two percent sap.

“It was just downright impressive,” Fuller told The Maple News.

In the Catskills, sugarmaker Dwayne Hill of Shaver-Hill Maple in Harpersfield, N.Y. said his season was going well.

‘We’re having a good season,” Hill told The Maple News on Friday.

The farm was up to 1,700 gallons made off of 5,700 taps.  He also was struggling with low sugar, in the 1.3 or 1.4 range for the season.

“What are you gonna do?” he said.  “At least we’re getting volumes of sap.” 

In the Midwest, sugarmakers were giving the season mixed reviews.  

Parts of the region have ended their season, and the Upper Midwest has been frozen for a week and just starting to thaw again.

Some producers were hoping for a final surge of sap to at least get close to last year’s production.

“It’s been very inconsistent.  One of the worst seasons I can remember,” said Ben Hoksch of Front Yard Sugar Maple Syrup Co. in Ames, Iowa.

Hoksch said he increased his taps from 100 to 175 this year but produced nine less gallons of syrup unless there’s a late sap run.

“It’s either been too hot or too cold.  We haven’t been getting the daily fluctuations in temperature,” he said.

In Central Michigan, sugarmakers were hoping for one more week.

“It’s been a funny year,” said Bob Fierke of Misteguay Creek Sugarbush in Lennon, Mich. “We had a week or so no freeze and we were still getting sap.  We have so much frost in the ground this year and it took forever to come out."

Fierke said he had made about 500 gallons so far off 1,800 taps.

Lamoine Beachler said he had no complaints about the season at his sugar bush in Claypool, Ind.

Beachler said he finished the season with about 2,800 gallons of syrup, which is at the lower end of his average production.

Nevertheless, Beachler said he’s just happy to be making syrup regardless of the amount.

“I’m reluctant to give a grade on the season. If you start grading a season you start to grade the creator who gave it to us and we don’t do that. Whatever he gives, we’re glad for it,” he said.