Maple Weekends Canceled in New York State

Maple Weekend events in New York state have been canceled due to concerns with the coronavirus.

Here is the announcement form the New York State Maple Producers:

"Out of an abundance of caution, the New York State Maple Producers Association has decided to cancel the 2020 NYS Maple Weekend. This 25th anniversary festival was scheduled for March 21-22 and March 28-29 at 187 different locations across New York state. 

"Individual sugarhouses will continue to produce, stock and market their excellent crop of Maple Products. Please contact them directly to order your favorite maple products.  

"NYS Maple Producers Association is already preparing for an alternative series of open houses later in the year to showcase both producer and product. Consult MapleWeekend.com for future events.   

"If you have questions, contact us at mapleweekend@nysmaple.com"

Maple Weekend is an annual event in March in which maple producers throughout the state open their sugarhouses to show the public how they make maple syrup and other maple products. For many, it is their biggest source of revenue for the year.

Remember, as the statement says, the producers still are making syrup and New York residents still can buy all the maple products they need.

Maple Weekends Still On in Most of NYS

New York state maple producers are not letting the presence of the coronavirus in New York state stomp on their biggest event of the year.

As of the afternoon of Thursday, March 12, Maple Weekend events scheduled for March 21-22 and March 28-29 still are set to go. Helen Thomas, executive director of the New York State Maple Producers Association, said she is conferring with her board of directors and changing news could change this decision.

Right now (March 12), "we are not canceling Maple Weekend and are leaving it up to producers" to decide what is right for them, Thomas said. 

She said a few producers in the Hudson Valley -- the epicenter of coronavirus in the state -- have canceled their events. She said some in Westchester County looked at the list of attendees from past years and saw many people from New York City visit Maple Weekends and decided it would be best to keep everyone safe by not holding the event.

New York City also has been an area hard hit by the coronavirus, also known as Covid-19.

Pancakes being cooked at a Maple Weekend pancake breakfast

"We have to be responsible about the producers, considering this (Maple Weekend) is one of the big revenue times of the year," Thomas said.

Thomas said the maple association is following a directive from Gov. Andrew Cuomo issued Thursday which requires events with more than 500 people be canceled and any event that is held be restricted to 500 or fewer attendees.

She said Maple Weekend events in New York state rarely have more than 500 people at one time -- a producer might have that many visitors, but it would be spread out over a full day or weekend.

"All of this is changing hourly," Thomas said. "We have to watch it daily."  

Dutch Hill Maple Wins Grand Champion at State Fair for Third Year in a Row

Dutch Hill Maple does it again.

The maple producer from Tully in Onondaga County has won Grand Champion at the New York State Fair for its syrup.

This is the third year in a row Dutch Hill Maple has been Grand Champion.

So thrilled for Cristy and Nate Williams and the whole Dutch Hill Maple crew.

Go to https://www.dutchhillmaple.com/ to learn more about this maple producer.

Maple Weekend 2019 Coming Up in March

Can't wait for maple season!!

Onondaga County Maple Producer Wins State Fair Competition

Dutch Hill Maple in Tully, Onondaga County, again was named grand champion in the maple competition at the New York State Fair.

And they have won now for the second year in a row.

Man Killed While Making Maple Syrup

Go to http://www.watertowndailytimes.com/news03/man-killed-when-theresa-sugar-shack-collapses-high-winds-causing-damage-across-north-country-20180405 to see the story.

It's Time for the First Maple Weekend of 2018

There's nothing else to say. Get out and visit your local maple producer. I'll be out at Red Schoolhouse Maple in Palermo on March 17.

Maple Producers Visit Sugarhouse in Lewis, Jefferson Counties

Go to http://www.watertowndailytimes.com/news04/state-maple-producers-visit-sugarhouses-in-jefferson-and-lewis-counties--20170816 to check out the story.

First Maple Weekend Set for March 18-19

Maple Weekends, New York’s annual celebration of all that is maple, are being held March 18 and 19 and March 25 and 26.
 
On those weekends, many producers throughout the state open up their operations so the public can see how trees are tapped, how sap is collected and how sap is boiled down to make syrup. Some producers even operate pancakes breakfasts featuring their fresh maple syrup.
 
Go to http://www.nysmaple.com/maple-weekend-search/plan-your-maple-weekend/ to find a maple weekend site near you.
 
The production of maple syrup is extremely weather dependent — producers need cold night in the upper 20s and daytime temperatures in the low to mid-40s. 

According to statistics from the state Department of Agriculture and Markets, the earliest a maple season began was Jan. 10 in 2011. The latest a season began was April 1 in 1940.
 
Last year, temperatures were a bit crazy, going up and down for a couple of months.
 
At the beginning of February, the weather warmed up just enough for many producers to head out to their trees, tap and start harvesting sap. Temperatures need to be about 40 degrees or a little higher during the day to get the sap flowing and then down below freezing (not too cold, in the upper 20s is best) at night.
 
As producers relished making syrup early in the season, their happiness was short-lived as temperatures plummeted in mid-February — even hitting single digits for highs Feb. 14 and lows way below zero for three straight days (Feb. 13, 14 and 15).
 
Producers got back to harvesting sap and making syrup in March and the season ended on a great note — a record 707,000 gallons of syrup were made.
 
The biggest maple county in the state is Lewis County, which also is home to the state’s Maple Museum.
 
Most recent figures for value of maple syrup production in New York:
2005: $7,037,000
2006: $8,020,000
2007: $7,638,000
2008: $13,907,000
2009: $17,820,000
2010: $12,293,000
2011: $22,052,000
2012: $15,660,000
2013: $25,026,000
2014: $21,676,000
2015: $25,242,000
Source: National Agricultural Statistics Service

Maple Weekends Coming in March

Maple Weekends, New York’s annual celebration of all that is maple, are being held March 18 and 19 and March 25 and 26.
 
On those weekends, many producers throughout the state open up their operations so the public can see how trees are tapped, how sap is collected and how sap is boiled down to make syrup. Some producers even operate pancakes breakfasts featuring their fresh maple syrup.
 
Go to http://www.nysmaple.com/maple-weekend-search/plan-your-maple-weekend/ to find a maple weekend site near you.
 
The production of maple syrup is extremely weather dependent — producers need cold night in the upper 20s and daytime temperatures in the low to mid-40s. 

According to statistics from the state Department of Agriculture and Markets, the earliest a maple season began was Jan. 10 in 2011. The latest a season began was April 1 in 1940.
 
Last year, temperatures were a bit crazy, going up and down for a couple of months.
 
At the beginning of February, the weather warmed up just enough for many producers to head out to their trees, tap and start harvesting sap. Temperatures need to be about 40 degrees or a little higher during the day to get the sap flowing and then down below freezing (not too cold, in the upper 20s is best) at night.
 
As producers relished making syrup early in the season, their happiness was short-lived as temperatures plummeted in mid-February — even hitting single digits for highs Feb. 14 and lows way below zero for three straight days (Feb. 13, 14 and 15).
 
Producers got back to harvesting sap and making syrup in March and the season ended on a great note — a record 707,000 gallons of syrup were made.
 
The biggest maple county in the state is Lewis County, which also is home to the state’s Maple Museum.
 
Most recent figures for value of maple syrup production in New York:
2005: $7,037,000
2006: $8,020,000
2007: $7,638,000
2008: $13,907,000
2009: $17,820,000
2010: $12,293,000
2011: $22,052,000
2012: $15,660,000
2013: $25,026,000
2014: $21,676,000
2015: $25,242,000
Source: National Agricultural Statistics Service

Project on Birch Syrup Shows Promising Results

By the NORTHERN NEW YORK AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM
 
A project to see if regional maple syrup makers could expand into birch syrup has posted its results.
 
Four sugarhouses participated in the 2015-16 birch syrup project -- one each in Jefferson, Franklin, Essex and Clinton counties. The project was done by the farmer-driven Northern New York Agricultural Development Program.
 

Birch trees tapped for sap collection as part of the farmer-driven Northern New York Agricultural Development Program project evaluating opportunities for birch syrup production. Photo by Michael Farrell.

“All species of birch trees produce sap that can be processed into syrup that sells at a high price point,” said project leader Michael L. Farrell, author of The Sugarmaker’s Companion: An Integrated Approach to Producing Syrup from Maple, Birch and Walnut Trees.
 
“In some areas, a gallon of birch syrup can sell for $200 with gross revenues of $20 per tap, which is significantly higher than most maple syrup operations generate,” said Farrell, who also is director of the Cornell University Uihlein Forest in Lake Placid.
 
But, Farrell quickly points out that while birch syrup production has the potential to be a profitable enterprise for existing maple producers, several prerequisites are required, including a proper number of birch trees to produce a sufficient amount of sap to support efficient use of commercial-scale maple processing equipment.
 
One option for smaller sugarmakers that Farrell suggests in the Producing Syrup from Birch Trees in NNY report posted at www.nnyagdev.org is to pool their birch sap for processing by one larger commercial operation.
 
Paul Smith’s College Visitor Interpretive Center Maple Program transported the sap collected from 61 paper birch trees there 20 miles to the Uihlein Forest sugarhouse for processing.
 
Farrell notes the trial at Paul Smith’s also produced conclusive evidence that using 5/16-inch spouts will provide significantly more sap than 3/16-inch spouts.
 
In Ellenburg Center, Brandy Brook Maple Farm owner Joy Herfurth tapped 40 white and yellow birch trees and gathered data on sugar content and sap volume. She made about two gallons of birch syrup. A half-gallon sold for $80.
 
“I was interested to participate in this research as a way to develop an opportunity for extra income. We used a smaller boiling pan that helps extend our maple season when sap volume decreases,” Herfurth says. “This type of regional research is part of helping landowners discover untapped resources they may not be aware of or may be cutting down for firewood.”
 
For now, producing birch syrup is on hold at Brandy Brook Maple Farm, which has 10,000 maple taps and has opened a new maple-influenced winery. But Herfurth says if birch syrup catches on with consumers, specialty food stores and restaurants to build market demand, she will consider tapping the 150 or so birch trees she has in the future.
 
Birch syrup is produced on a commercial scale by sugarmakers in Alaska and Canada.
 
“More birch syrup production research and consumer awareness building could help North Country sugarmakers expand their use of the northern New York landbase with this niche product,” Farrell said.
 
The farmer-driven Northern New York Agricultural Development Program is a research and technical assistance program serving Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence counties.

Maple Syrup Can Cut Alzheimer and Sclerosis Risk

Interesting story.

And while it talks of only Canadian maple syrup, our own great New York maple syrup would work just as well.

Go to http://www.hindustantimes.com/health-and-fitness/consuming-pure-maple-syrup-can-cut-alzheimer-s-sclerosis-risk/story-9LslAPS0xfAqaygGaUOA9O.html to check out the story.

North Country Maple Entrepreneur Leaves 'Shark Tank' With No Deal

Go to http://www.watertowndailytimes.com/news05/young-entrepreneur-leaves-shark-tank-without-a-deal-20161022 to see the story.

Watch St. Lawrence County Maple Producer on 'Shark Tank' Tonight

Go to http://www.watertowndailytimes.com/news05/parkers-real-maple-founder-to-speak-at-shark-tank-viewing-party-at-clarkson-university-20161019 to see the story about Parker's Real Maple.

Lieutenant Governor, Ag Commissioner Visit Maple Museum on Thursday

From the Watertown Daily Times:

New York maple syrup at the State Fair

The state’s lieutenant governor and agriculture commissioner plan to visit the American Maple and other local producers on Thursday.

Lt. Gov. Kathleen C. Hochul and Commissioner Richard A. Ball are to be guests of the Lewis County Maple Producers Association at 1:30 p.m. Thursday at Main Street museum.

Hochul is slated to present a certificate of recognition to local maple producers Haskell and Jane Yancey, owners of Yancey’s Sugarbush on Long Pond Road in Croghan, according to a release from the maple producers.

Hochul and Ball will then be sampling treats derived from maple recipes, including maple cream, mustard and popcorn.

The pair are also expected to visit Moser’s Maple, 9609 Croghan Reservoir Road, after the museum visit.

Today is National Pancake Day!

My God, I almost missed it.

Today is National Pancake Day.

According to the National Day Calendar: "The table is set, the batter is mixed, the griddle is hot, and the butter and syrup are ready.  This means you are prepared for National Pancake Day. This food holiday is observed each year on Sept. 26."

Be sure to cover those delicious pancakes with New York maple syrup.

Farm Theft is Grand Theft

This isn't from New York but it's still a good read.

Go to http://www.concordmonitor.com/Farm-theft-is-grand-theft-4872651 in the Concord, N.H. paper to see the story.

State Sen. Patty Ritchie Honored by Maple Producers

From Sen. Ritchie's office:

In recognition of her efforts to grow New York’s maple industry, state Sen. Patty Ritchie was recently recognized by the New York State Maple Producers Association.

Larry Rudd of Rudd’s Maple Syrup of Mannsville and Ritchie

Ritchie was presented the award — which cites her as an instrumental figure to the growth and success of New York’s maple industry — during a recent tour of local farms.

As chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee,  Ritchie has been a strong advocate of supporting the growth of New York’s maple industry, and her efforts include calling for increased state funding to help support maple producers and hosting events that aim to highlight maple products.

Today, New York is the nation’s second largest producer of maple syrup after Vermont — with 2.3 million taps — twice the number of 2009. 

Maple is a $20 million industry in New York, with the state producing 18 percent of all maple syrup in the country. In addition, New York syrup production in 2015 reached its highest level in 70 years, according to the USDA.

Drought Stresses Crops Throughout New York State

By JOE LEATHERSICH, MALLORY DIEFENBACH,
JIM KRENCIK and DEBRA J. GROOM
Empire Farm & Dairy
 
It’s hot.
 
It’s dry.
 
It’s not raining.
 

Drought map as of early August

That’s the forecast farmers have been dealing with since they began putting crops in the ground a few months ago. It doesn’t matter what they’re growing, the crops have been stressed due to the ongoing drought hitting a good part of New York state.
 
“Many areas of the state are in a severe drought,” said Aaron Reynolds, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Buffalo. “The precipitation has been real spotty in nature. And that is producing stress in the crops.”
 
According to a map put out by the National Weather Service, the worst of the drought is in Western New York. The map shows a severe drought area along the Southern Tier from Binghamton west, the Finger Lakes region, the Suffolk County area of Long Island and most of Western New York.
 
Patches of the Hudson Valley, Nassau County on Long Island and most of Central New York, such as Onondaga, Oswego and Jefferson counties, are in a moderate drought. The north country is deemed “abnormally dry.”
 
It doesn’t seem the weather will get any better any time soon.
 
Though rain is forecasted for short periods, it’s going to take a lot more than that to break the drought. And even then, the damage has been done to many of Western New York’s farms.
 
Crops struggling
 
Some farmers are fighting a two-front war as the drought worsens — with one problem not as obvious as the other.
 
Most obviously, the lack of water is hurting the crop harvest. Yields are way down as plants are struggling to grow. By this time of year, corn stalks should be above your head, but this year’s crop is topping out at about two feet high. And it’s not like the corn is behind schedule — it’s just done growing.
 
John Starowitz of Starowitz Farms in Byron, Genesee County, said his corn crop has already “tasselled,” meaning the corn is as good as it’s going to get, and it’s barely above your knee.
 
“When you have crops and vegetables, they all rely on water, and you’ve got to have a certain amount of water,” he said. “When you don’t have water, everything is skimpy and small.”
 
Jason Turek, who runs the third-largest vegetable farm in the state — Turek Farm near King Ferry in Cayuga County — grows 4,000 acres of vegetables that are sold throughout the Northeast and Middle Atlantic states. Of that, 2,500 acres are sweet corn.
 
He said he is harvesting only about a quarter of each field in early harvest vegetables, like corn and green beans. “It is hurting us — we’re in denial,” he said.
 
He said his corn is “hurt for sure” and by now, he should have cut 20,000 boxes of cabbage for shipment. He’s cut 1,000 boxes.
Ironically, his farm is spread out along the shore of Cayuga Lake. 

He’s lacking water but there’s a whole lake nearby.
 
But Turek said it really doesn’t make any difference. If he could draw water from the lake, he would be allowed by regulation to take only 100,000 gallons a day. He said he needs 65 million gallons to water his entire farm.
 
“It’s like fighting a forest fire with a garden hose,” he said.
 
The drought is bringing on another problem that might not be as obvious, too: pests.
 
Pests are attracted to moisture, and the only things with any semblance of it are the crops, even though they’re struggling themselves.
 
Starowitz said the bugs, deer and woodchucks are all causing damage to his crop, worse this year than past years because of the drought. The pests are “clearing out anything that’s green,” he said.
 
He hasn’t completely given up hope yet, though. He said there might be enough crop to sell to buyers, but he’s not expecting to make any money on it.
 
“Basically we’re just riding the storm out, we’re going with the punches,” Starowitz said. “There’s always hope.”
 
While some crops suffer in the drought, others are doing well. 

Onions seem to be coming through the drought OK, said Christy Hoepting, Cornell Cooperative Extension vegetable specialist.
 
“One of the benefits of it being hot and dry, and so breezy, is that we don’t have very much disease pressure,” Hoepting said. “The disease pressure is what can really be ravaging. There are a couple diseases that get going when it is cool and wet, so we don’t have to worry about any of those. The biggest pest concern is onion thrips, which do very well in the heat.”
 
However, onions — which prefer moderate temperatures — will grow quicker, and may not reach their full-size potential, especially in ground which hasn’t been irrigated. Still, Hoepting believes this season’s yields will be “pretty good.”
 
“Our (onion) quality should be excellent,” she said, explaining without the diseases to contend with, onions can produce crop of higher worth. “Quality is usually excellent in a hot, dry year at the expense of maximum bulb size.”
 
Dairy farmers feel the heat
 
Dairy farmers are having trouble handling the heat, too.
While crop farmers are dealing with the effects of the drought now as they harvest, the season will be over soon and what’s done will be done.
 
Dairy farming, however, is a 24/7, 365-day operation and can’t necessarily stop because corn and hay crops failed. But the harvests are so low that farmers are looking elsewhere for feed.
 
“We’re taking a lot of steps to purchase feed,” said Dale Stein of the multi-generational Stein Farms in Le Roy, which has about 1,000 cows on it. He’s taking these steps because his corn harvest is down 60 percent.
 
“We’re going to be so short (until next harvest),” he said.
 
Unsurprisingly, this shortage brings on a lot of financial burden. 

Stein said this shortage will cost him about $25,000 a month for 12 months until he can harvest again. Many farmers have insurance for situations just like this, as Stein does and has tapped into a little this year, but that doesn’t recoup lost revenue as much as it lightens the debt burden. 

For instance, Starowitz said if you have $100,000 in debt because of the drought, insurance might cover $90,000 of that, leaving the farm still in the red.
 
Stein said dairy farms’ problems are being compounded as well by drought; not only are they paying for feed, but small revenues are being brought in because of the low price of milk.
 
He added this has him “concerned” and “worried” that the effects of this situation might linger for another two years.
 
One glimmer of hope in all of this for some dairy farmers is that milk production is relatively stable thanks to technological advancements.
 
Cows like cooler temperatures and definitely do not like the heat. But since a lot of farms have invested in equipment that regulates the temperature in Western New York’s fickle climate, most cows are none-the-wiser.
 
“Our cows are kept cool,” Stein said.
 
Livestock impacted as well
 
The drought affects farmers in different ways, depending on their crop and what they are raising.
 
For those who raise livestock, there was no pasture available for animals to graze. While livestock typically graze about six to seven months out of the year, pasture foraging was limited because the season started so dry.
 
“A lot of livestock producers are now feeding hay, which they would normally feed during the winter,” said Nancy Glazier, small farm specialist on the Northwest Dairy, Livestock and Field Crops Team for Cornell Cooperative Extension. “Their hay harvest has been lighter than normal, so that’s adding another kind of a wrinkle. 

They have to purchase some hay elsewhere.”
 
While some farmers have been buying hay from their neighbors, others have been going out of the region and out of state to get what they need. She added some farmers even put in alternative feed such as oats or another type of annual grass.
 
The drought affects the livestock as well; Glazier said the drought and high heat causes more stress.
 
“Some farms may actually keep their animals in the barns, because it is a little cooler if they don’t have trees available for them in pastures,” she said.
 
“Farmers are pretty resilient,” Glazier went on. “Every year is a different year. They just have to deal with the hand they are dealt from Mother Nature.”
 
Other commodities affected by drought
 
Most people probably wouldn’t think trees would be bothered by a lack of water. Mature trees have deep roots and can draw on underground water for their needs.
 
But the lack of rain and excessive heat still can stress trees. Christmas tree growers, maple syrup producers and apple growers all are worried about this year’s crop or future crops.
 
Mary Jeanne Packer, president of the Christmas Tree Growers of New York, said some producers have lost up to half their crop of new trees planted this spring. Each year, growers replace the trees they harvested and sold last holiday season and it’s these young trees that have trouble in a drought.
 
“Some have set up irrigation,” she said. “Most of the problem is west of Syracuse.”
 
The loss of young trees won’t affect consumers immediately, but you never know down the road. Packer said if growers lose half of their young trees this summer, they will have to plant double the amount next spring and that damages their bottom lines.
 
Jim Allen, president of the New York Apple Association, said both apple trees and grape vines are stressed this summer from lack of rain.
 
With the apples, the drought won’t kill the trees, but it will affect the size of the fruit.
 
“The apples will be much smaller. They will be good and very sweet because there will be less water in them and more sugar,” he said.
 
It won’t be good financially for the apple growers either because the drought also will reduce the number of apples on the trees, cutting their yields. He said they shouldn’t have a problem with new trees planted in the spring because most growers irrigate these.
 
Maple trees won’t die from the drought, said Helen Thomas, executive director of the New York Maple Producers Association.
 
But, “if the water table is low and continues through the winter, the trees won’t have enough water to make as much sap in the spring,” she said. This means there could be a lot less syrup and other maple goodies next year.
 
What’s causing record dryness
 
David Thomas, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Buffalo, said the recent summers that could take the silver or bronze medal in the Drought Olympics were 2012, 1995 and 1988. 

In all three cases, the past droughts followed particularly dry years, with isolated or widespread droughts across Western New York in the March 1 to July 31 period, that were eased by later summer weather.
 
“2012 was also dry from spring into the summer,” Thomas said. “It was a little wetter than this year (with rain picking up in the summer). It helped (end) the drought, but we did have a dry period from March to July.”
 
The National Weather Service monitors droughts via multiple measures, with precipitation at airports an input that Thomas said shows this as the driest summer in 75 years. It’s been a confluence of factors to get here.
 
In Western New York, multi-year droughts like the one hitting California are prevented by the shear accumulation of snow that provides an annual replenishing of the water table and soil moisture.
 
Batavia experienced a reprieve from heavy snowfall in 2016 after back-to-back winters that brought blizzards, sustained deep freezes and snow-bound misery, but that wasn’t helpful below ground.
 
An upper-level wind pattern that frequently blew from the northeast prevented the “no doubters” of Gulf of Mexico-fueled spring rains that commonly add to the precipitation scoreboard.
 
“We didn’t have a really snowy winter, and that led into a dry spring that really caused the ground to dry out quickly across the region,” Thomas said. “The bright, sunny days through the spring and drier air allowed the drought conditions.”
 
Even the timing of weather systems hasn’t helped. Cold fronts have generally appeared over Western New York during the more atmospherically stable overnight hours, whereas an afternoon conflict with the daytime heat would lift the formation of clouds and thunderstorms.
 
“Without the sun’s heat, there’s not as many showers and thunderstorms,” Thomas said.
 
More than a little rain needed
 
This far into a drought, the region needs more than a sustained rainfall. Thomas said it will take months of above-normal precipitation to replenish the water table and have lawns, fields and trees recover.
 
“It won’t be one particular event or a week-long stretch,” he said.
 
A wayward hurricane ready to unload a flash of rain in Western New York, similar to the late stages of Hurricane Frances in 2004, wouldn’t be the solution. Thomas said a tropical storm would bring an abundance of rainfall, but forecasting one to pass over the region is next to impossible at this point.
 
And a flood doesn’t “fix” the problems of a drought. It just creates problems of its own.
 
At Fenton Farms in Batavia, Paul Fenton and his wife Gail have been fortunate to catch a portion of the handful of rain events that have punctuated the worst drought in their 30 years of farming an area between the city and Thruway. But each week the benefit has been weaker.
 
“It’s just evaporating so fast, the subsoil is absorbing the showers we do get, and with the high temperatures — we have three days of 85 degrees plus this week — the evaporation is just intense,” Fenton said. 

“We’re still producing nice stuff where it’s getting water, but the work to produce the product (is unprecedented). We’re irrigating seven days a week.”

New York State Sees Huge Maple Season in 2016

From the USDA
 
The Northeastern region of the United Sates saw a “favorable” maple season in 2016, according to statistics from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
 
The region, which encompasses New York, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania and Vermont, saw maple syrup production in 2016 of 3.78 million gallons, up 27 percent from 2015’s production of 2.98 million gallons.
 
Vermont remained the top maple state in the Northeastern Region and the nation, producing 47.3 percent of the United States’ maple syrup, a record-high production.
 

Sap collecting buckets in Lewis County

New York remained number two in the region and nation with 707,000 gallons of syrup produced. Last year’s 601,000 gallons was the most in the state in 70 years.
 
Massachusetts also reported a record- high production for 2016.
 
Taps in the Northeastern Region totaled 10.8 million, up 5 percent from last year and accounted for 86 percent of the nation’s maple taps, with Pennsylvania reporting a record high number of taps in 2016. New York had 2,515 taps in 2016, up from 2,310 in 2015.
 
Producers were encouraged to tap earlier this season by the warmer-than-normal temperatures. The earliest sap flow reported was Jan. 1 in Pennsylvania, Vermont and West Virginia.
 

The number of taps was up in each of the states in the region, except for New Hampshire which was down from last year.
 
The season in the Northeast Region averaged 35 days, 10 days longer than in 2015. On average, the U.S. season lasted 33 days, compared with 26 days in 2015.
 
The average equivalent price per gallon for maple syrup varies widely across the Region depending on the percentage sold retail, wholesale, or bulk.
 
The 2015 all sales equivalent price per gallon in Connecticut averaged $87.20, up $16.30; Maine averaged $28.00, down $3.50; Massachusetts averaged $50.50, down $5.80; New Hampshire averaged $59.40, up $1.60; New York averaged $42, up $2.30; Pennsylvania averaged $31.90, down $3.20, and Vermont averaged $330, unchanged from last year.
 
The high percentage of bulk sales in Pennsylvania, Vermont and Maine kept average prices below the other states.