Maine ’08 syrup output down

PORTLAND – Maine maple syrup production fell this year even as the output nationally rose by 30 percent. New Hampshire’s output went up by 41 percent, but the state still is way down on the list of production.

U.S. syrup production for 2008 was 1.64 million gallons, according to the New England Agricultural Statistics Service.

Vermont as usual was the No. 1 state with 500,000 gallons, an increase of 11 percent. New York was next with 322,000 gallons, up 44 percent from last year.

Maine, which had held the No. 2 spot, ended up with 215,000 gallons, down 4 percent from 2007. Maine was the only state to experience a decline in production, with fewer taps in place and a small reduction in yield per tap.

Temperatures were reported as mostly favorable for sap flow from maple trees except in the northern stretches of Maine and Vermont, the agency said.

Producers in northern Maine reported temperatures that were mostly too warm while also being hindered by deep snows. Meanwhile, southern Maine producers experienced perfect weather and steady sap flows, officials said.

Wisconsin was the fourth-leading state with 130,000 gallons, with Ohio in fifth with 118,000 gallons.

New Hampshire produced 85,000 gallons, up from 60,000 last year to put it eighth among the 10 states that produce syrup.

Among other New England states, Massachusetts had 55,000 gallons and Connecticut had 15,000 gallons.

The value of the syrup production has not been determined, but syrup producers were expecting high prices because of the depletion of syrup inventories in the U.S. and Canada.

U.S. syrup production was valued at $41.7 million in 2007, with Maine’s portion coming in at $6.8 million.