National maple production off 17% in 2021, Vermont off 21%

MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) - New statistics show that maple syrup production across the country was off just under 17% this year while in Vermont, the nation’s top maple producer, production was off by just over 21%.

On Thursday, the United States Department of Agriculture released this year’s maple production for five northeastern states: Vermont, New York, Maine, Pennsylvania and New Hampshire.

Allison Hope, the executive director of the Vermont Maple Sugar Makers Association, says the low production was due to poor weather, which included a spell of warm weather in March that ended the season early, and a low sugar content that meant producers had to boil more sap to make a gallon of syrup.

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