Maple nerd alert! The USDA has released the 2022 maple syrup crop statistics and boy are they sweet. (Sorry.) What kind of a year was 2022 for professional sugarmakers? Where does your state rank in quantity of production? Read on to find out all about the 2022 maple syrup production by state.
In short, the 2022 year was fabulous for the American maple producer. According to the most recent USDA crop production report, US maple syrup production totaled 5.03 million gallons in 2022. That’s 35% higher than that dud-of-a-year-that-was 2021.
Why? It was all about the weather. These 5.03 million gallons were made with 14.3 million taps. That’s up only 2% from 2021. But the yield-per-tap came in at a whopping 0.352 gallon. That’s one third (33%) higher than 2021. On average, the season was 34 days long. That’s a full week longer than the 27-day average season from 2021. Vermont and New York reported the earliest sap flow on January 1. Wisconsin was last to open the season on February 20.
In fact, the 2022 year was a record-breaker! It even outpaced the strong 2020 yield for the US, and in each individual producing state except for Pennsylvania.
Note that the four top producing states of Vermont, New York, Maine and Wisconsin have been consistent over these three years, whereas Michigan, New Hampshire and Pennsylvania have been swapping spots for fifth through seventh places throughout.
At this point, you may be wondering: “Where is my state?” According to the Vermont Maple Sugar Makers’ Association, It is widely held that the USDA numbers underrepresent actual maple syrup production in the United States. For reasons we don’t yet understand—but, we’ve asked around and will update you when we know—the USDA reports data for these seven states only. However, the following states also make enough maple syrup to have supported professional maple syrup making associations for years: West Virginia, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Minnesota, Connecticut, and Massachusetts. And, as you know, hobby maple syrup making occurs in more states than these.
What was DIY maple production like for you in 2022? We’re hoping to put out a survey soon so that we know and can tell you all about how you and your neighbors did this past season. Stay tuned!