Maine No. 3 for maple syrup production in 2014 but No. 2 for yield

Maine produced 1,000 fewer gallons of maple syrup than New York during this year’s season, making it third in the nation for overall production. But Maine taps churned out the sweet stuff nearly at the rate of reigning maple champ Vermont, which again led U.S. syrup production.

The latest figures from the U.S. Department of Agriculture show Maine put out 545,000 gallons in 2014. Vermont put all other producers to shame, putting out 1.32 million gallons, down slightly from 2013.

Here’s a look at Maine’s production — by total volume, yield and total taps — from the most recent USDA survey data (dollar value will be available in a later data release):

Production was down in most states this year, likely due to winter’s icy grip hanging on through what should have been spring.

Maine’s total yield per tap was about .3 gallons, higher than the .29 gallons/tap yield in Ohio and the .31 gallons/tap yield in Vermont.

Like New York and Vermont, Maine’s maple production has risen sharply since the early 2000s. In, 2002 Maine’s production was about half its 2014 total, when there was a lower per-tap yield of around .21 gallons/tap.

 

Darren Fishell

About Darren Fishell

Darren is a Portland-based reporter for the Bangor Daily News writing about the Maine economy and business. He's interested in putting economic data in context and finding the stories behind the numbers.