The Official U.S. Maple Syrup Almanac 2016 2016 | Page 7

HIGHLIGHTS SEASON
OF
THE

2016 maple industry at a glance. What people were talking about …

Crazy early start

Expansion continues
Sugarmakers continued to add taps like never before in the industry. The advancement of technology continues to foster bigger and
bigger sugaring operations. Many sugarmakers are getting into
maple for the very first time, with 25,000 taps or more. In Wilsons
Mills Maine, Nick Staley and family went from just 100 buckets
two years ago, to 25,000 taps for the 2016 season. Staley expects to
add another 5,000 for the 2017. Meanwhile, operations like Sweet
Tree in Island Pond, Vt. (200,000 taps) and Crown Maple in Dover
Plains, N.Y. (90,000 taps) both backed with corporate Wall Street
funding, grew even bigger in 2016, with no end in sight.

Bulk
prices drop
The Canadian
dollar exchange
rate against U.S.
currency continued to hammer
away at bulk syrup
prices this season.
The going rate for
most table grades from most bulk buyers was $2.10 per pound. A
50-cent drop off from the highs of a year and a half prior. Meanwhile, the Federation of Quebec Maple Syrup Producers actually
raised their bulk price three cents, to $2.95 per pound. Unfortunately, since the exchange rate has been as low as 70 cents to the
dollar against the U.S. that is the price that commands the world
market, which drives down the U.S. bulk price.
U.S. Maple Syrup Almanac

2016

The season got off to
a wacky early start in
2016, with many sugarmakers making significant amounts of syrup
in January and February. Some even started
tapping in December.
The Walling family in
Norwich, N.Y. boiled
for the first time on Jan.
11 and didn’t quit until
April 16. They boiled
approximately 43 times
and made 5,050 gallons. “I’m gonna need
a month to recover after
this season,” Neil Walling
said after it was all over.
And the Wallings were
not alone. Many sugarmakers reported making
syrup in four different
months. There was so
much sap this season that
barrels were scarce and
producers were scrambling to find more.

T
H
E

OFFICIAL UNITED STATES

Maple Syrup
Almanac
2016
4TH EDITION

The data contained in
this almanac derives
from the annual
survey conducted
by the National
Agricultural Statistics
Service (NASS). The
names, addresses, and
personal identifiers
are fully protected
by NASS with the
force of law. After
data collection, NASS
processes the data
independent of
names and addresses.
Original paper
questionnaires are
kept in a secure area,
and then destroyed
as prescribed by law.
Names, addresses,
phone numbers,
and other personal
identifiers are held
securely by NASS
and used only to
conduct official
business. Title 7, U.S.
Code, Section 2276
and the Confidential
Information
Protection and
Statistical Efficiency
Act prohibit public
disclosure of individual
information. Personal
information, including
reported data, is
protected from
legal subpoena
and Freedom of
Information Act
requests.

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