Published: 6/12/2020 11:51:57 AM
Modified: 6/12/2020 11:51:44 AM
New Hampshire’s maple syrup industry had an average year in 2020, producing 154,000 gallons, roughly halfway between the totals of 2019 and 2018.
According to U.S. Department of Agriculture statistics, state producers put 530,000 taps in trees, slightly fewer than in past years, and produced 0.29 gallons of syrup per tap. On average it takes 40 gallons of sap to make a gallon of syrup, although that figure varies widely depending on weather and time of year.
No USDA data was available on pricing this year, but reports in mid-season indicated that wholesale prices were flat due to oversupply and a low exchange rate with Canada, which produces more than three-quarters of the world’s syrup.
As has long been the case, Vermont was by far the bigger producer of maple syrup among U.S. states, producing 2.22 million gallons – about 15 times as much as New Hampshire.
Despite syrup’s role in the image of New Hampshire, the state is a relatively minor player in the industry. New York state produced 804,000 gallons last year, five times as much as the Granite State, and Maine produced 590,000 gallons, or almost four times as much. In fact, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin all produced more syrup than New Hampshire last year – although those three states are also much larger than New Hampshire.
When it comes to maple syrup, however, all U.S. states are dwarfed by the province of Quebec, which produces more than 8 million gallons of syrup every year.
(David Brooks can be reached at 369-3313 or dbrooks@cmonitor.com or on Twitter @GraniteGeek.)