Maple Syrup: A Report of the 2008 Maple Crop: April 28, 2008
In writing the 2008 crop report I reviewed the 2007 report and for some regions, there are many similarities. The season started late and ended on time giving us a shortened window of opportunity to produce.
Final production numbers are not yet in but production in the U.S. was up considerably, especially from mid Vermont / NH south. Our operation in Alstead, NH had a record year of 22,500 gallons (247,500 lbs) compared to under 13,000 gallons last year.
Production at our sugarhouse in VT was twice our 2007 volume.
Our friends further North didn’t fair nearly as well. Some producers in Canada produced one third of a crop. While we had over five weeks of sugaring weather, a lot of our Quebec friends had only 10 days to produce their crop. Overall, Canada’s production was down 20% from 2007 and down 40% from an average crop. This is a little worse than 2007 but will have a much bigger effect. The World market for maple is 110,000,000 – 120,000,000 lbs but last year’s shortfall could be covered by syrup carried over from previous year’s production.
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2007 | |
2008 | |
| Production Canada | 75,000,000 lbs | 60,000,000 lbs | ||
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| Production US | 12,000,000 lbs | 20,000,000 lbs | ||
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| Total Crop | 87,000,000 lbs | 80,000,000 lbs | ||
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| Carryover sold | 35,000,000 lbs | 0 lbs | ||
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| Total lbs sold (to sell) | 122,000,000 lbs | 80,000,000 lbs |
The supply is 33% short of what the market needs. This is driving up prices to record levels. Another factor pushing up pricing of the darker syrups is flat line pricing. Syrup is generally priced higher for lighter colored syrup. It’s common to have a $.40 difference between Grade A Light Amber syrup and Grade B/C syrup. This year, buyers have told farmers that they will pay Light Amber prices for all grades. They’re doing this to make sure they get the pounds they need, regardless of grade.
The flavor of this year’s syrup is quite good. There is not a lot of Grade B or Commercial Grade but we’re doing everything we can to make sure our customers have plenty.
We are a seventh generation maple company in the Northeast and pride ourselves on our quality product and customer servicec. Due to the commoditites crop deficit this year, we cannot afford to give the normal notice and a price increase will take place within 30 days. We understand the difficulty this presents to our clients but at this time, we have no other choice.
We work hard to ensure our customers of an ongoing supply of syrup. Please feel free to contact us with any questions about how the crop affects you. Thank you for your business and we look forward to working with you through 2008.
Regards,
Arnold
Arnold Coombs
Bascom Family Farms
888-266-6271
