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Season Summaries
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 ]
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