Pa. maple syrup production falls

HARRISBURG, Pa. — Pennsylvania’s 2010 maple syrup production is estimated at 54,000 gallons, down 41 percent from last year’s production of 92,000 gallons.

The value of the syrup produced in 2009 is estimated at $3.50 million, down from the $3.83 million produced in the year 2008. The number of taps in Pennsylvania totaled 465,000 during 2010, compared with 464,000 taps the year before.

Pa. yield

Pennsylvania’s yield for the year 2010 averaged 0.116 gallons per tap, down from the 0.198 gallons per tap last year.

National yield

Nationally, maple syrup production in 2010 totaled 1.96 million gallons, down 19 percent from 2009. The number of taps is estimated at 9.27 million, 3 percent above the 2009 revised total of 8.98 million. Yield per tap is estimated to be 0.211 gallons, down 21 percent from the previous season’s revised yield.

The 2010 season lasted an average of 23 days, compared to 28 days in 2009.

Gallons

On average, approximately 46 gallons of sap were required to produce one gallon of syrup. This compares with 43 gallons in 2009 and 39 gallons in 2008.

The majority of the syrup produced in each state this year was medium to dark color with the exception of Maine. The 2009 U.S. average price per gallon was $37.80, down $2.90 from the revised 2008 price of $40.70.

The U.S. value of production, at $90.8 million for 2009, was up 17 percent from the revised previous season. Value of production increased in Maine, Michigan, New York, Vermont, and Wisconsin.