It's Maine Maple Season...

But will the syrup flow?

Recent spring-like temperatures haven’t been sweet news for Maine Maple Syrup Producers this year. With Maine Maple Sunday rapidly approaching, (March 28) many Maple Syrup producers in Maine are struggling.

Native Maine’s maple syrup provider is Maine Maple Products Inc. of Madison. Eric Ellis is the spokesman for Maine Maple Products, a company run by the Lariviere brothers that taps 50,000 trees in northern Somerset County, the highest syrup producing county in the U.S.  He says “harvesting syrup is dependent on warm days that are above freezing followed by cold nights that dip below freezing, and Mother Nature has had Maine winters on a roller coaster recently.”

In 2008, the season was so late that tapping was just getting under way in April and syrup makers reported 2 feet or more of snow in the woods. The Maine yield was 225,000 gallons — 75,000 gallons less than the year before. It was the lowest production rate in six years, the USDA reported, and some Maine producers said their yield was even less. But one year later, in 2009, Maine’s syrup production was at an all-time high, up 65 percent from the year before. Maine produced 395,000 gallons of maple syrup in 2009, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. After the poor year in 2008, the 2009 harvest moved Maine back into the No. 2 spot in the nation for maple syrup production. Nationally, an average of 22 percent increase in production was seen. Ideal temperatures for the sap to run are in the low 20s at night with highs in the low to mid 40s daytime. This spring’s unseasonably warm temperatures did not help the sap flow. The warm weather, above 50 degrees, shuts down the sap flow. If it stays warm and we don’t get the freeze at night, we could see the lowest level of syrup production in years.

Maine Maple Sunday - March 28, 2010
Sugarhouses around the state are opening their doors once again this year to the public on March 28th for Maine Maple Sunday. Please click on the interactive map link on the left of this page to find a sugarhouse near you. Maple Sunday has become a ritual in Maine with thousands of families pouring out statewide to sample syrup and soak up the rural atmosphere. We encourage you to get out of the kitchen and enjoy this great annual event. To view the Maine Maple Sunday Map, click here:

http://www.mainemapleproducers.com/maine-maple-sunday-map.html

Native Maine has Maine Maple Syrup In-Stock!

100% Pure Maine Maple Syrup (Medium Amber)

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