It’s that time of year! Maple syrup producers are getting ready for that perfect sugaring temperature. Steve Anderson is the third generation operating Anderson Maple Syrup in Cumberland and the president of the Wisconsin Maple Syrup Producers Association.
He says sap yields are a mystery, but there a few signs of how a season could go good or bad. One of these is snow cover. He says there hasn’t been a lot of snow coverage in the southern of Wisconsin.
“The snow coverage isn’t there. And the frost didn’t go as deep as normally does,” he says. “Sometimes that frost in the ground will help keep the tree roots cool and hot days. If you get too many hot days too soon, and that will help extend the season.”
He says the people that do dare to make a prediction says this year’s yield will be less than last year.
“The expectation is the southern area probably won’t do as well this year because they don’t have the snow cover,” Anderson says. “But where most of the syrup is made in the state, the potential is still there to have an average crop.”
He says it only takes about 10 good days to make a good crop. Last year there was up to 20 good days of making syrup, which is why it was such a good crop.
“There was a lot of syrup made last year, so there will not be a shortage of it this year,” Anderson assures.
Meanwhile, demand for maple syrup has been stagnant for the most part due to inflation. This is a shift from the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, when consumers flocked to producers to enjoy the local, natural sweetener.
“Maple syrup is still considered a luxury item for a lot of folks,” Anderson explains. “You know, as money gets a little tight with everything else costing a little bit more, including maple syrup, sales … are on the verge of going backwards, but we’re still slowly moving forward.”
Leave a Reply