New York’s maple syrup production industry is a powerhouse, ranking second in the country to Vermont by producing 750,000 gallons of syrup last year. However, warmer weather makes it a challenge to produce. So, while some are enjoying the record-high temperatures this winter, it’s concerning for sugar makers.
“As I walked out the door my daughter said, 'have a good day mom, and it’s Maple Day,'" said Cristy Williams, owner of Brower Road Sugarhouse.
Maple season is underway in New York.
“We’re here to celebrate a great season in New York state," said Richard Ball, commissioner of the state Department of Agriculture, marking the occasion with the first maple tapping and a ribbon cutting for the newest sugarhouse in the state.
“We have 8,500 trees that we tap here," said Nathan Williams, the president of Dutch Hill Maple. "We collect from three other locations. We have about 5,000 taps that run to this location. We run a vacuum system on all our tubing. A vacuum system is very important to us because it helps ensure that we have good yield and a long-lasting season.”
That is becoming harder and harder for sugar makers because of the warmer weather.
“The issue with having the warm temperatures is the trees start budding early and this ultimately ends the sugaring season for sugar makers," Williams explained. "The quality of sap is not where it should be to make good maple syrup."
Ideally, makers want to capture around 2 to 3% sugar content. That happens through a process of freezing and thawing. Typically, temperatures need to be around 25 degrees at night and 40 during the day for best results. Warmer temperatures mean they must adapt. Dutch Hill Maple uses a reverse-osmosis machine to capture as much sugar from the sap as possible.
“It’s an efficient way of removing water," he said. "So, sap is 98 percent water, about two percent sugar. So the process of making syrup is removing excess water and consolidating the sugars and minerals to make maple syrup.”
But as they continue to see higher temperatures, more and more producers will have to change their ways, raising questions about the future of maple syrup production.
“We’ve got the most available resources of any state in the country with regards to maple syrup production, so I think it’s gonna continue to grow," Ball said.
“That’s typical with farming, we rely on the weather, we rely on temperature," said Williams. "Some years it works out, sometimes it doesn’t. You just kinda have to go with the flow.”