National maple production off 17% in 2021 due to poor sugaring weather
Maple syrup production across the country was off just under 17% in 2021 while in Vermont, the nation’s top maple producer, production was off by just over 21%, according to statistics recently released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The drop in production was due to poor sugaring weather, including a run of 70 degree days during prime sugaring season and low sugar content in tree sap. They combined to cause one of the shortest maple seasons in over a decade for producers in Vermont. “Folks were anywhere from 50 to 75% of a normal crop across the board this season,” said Allison Hope, the executive director of the Vermont Maple Sugar Makers Association. Hope said the season was cut short by a run of warm weather in late March that caused the maple trees to bud, which ends the season.