CHARLESTON, W.Va. – For the 2021 season, West Virginia produced a totaled 13,000 gallons of maple syrup, down 3,000 gallons from the previous year. Yield per tap correlated with the overall decrease in production as taps on average produced 0.169 gallon, down from the 2020 yield of 0.213 gallon per tap. Despite production levels falling, the total number of taps increased by 2,000 for a total of 77,000 taps. On average, the maple syrup season opened on February 13, 2021 and closed on March 16 for an average season length of 31 days. The first date sap was collected in West Virginia was on January 12, 2021 with the last date for sap collection on April 6.
“Weather remains a key factor for how successful our maple seasons end up. If it is too warm, it can severely hinder the sap’s flow resulting in lower production levels,” said Commissioner of Agriculture Kent Leonhardt. “An optimistic note is we continue to see more taps placed in trees which will only lead to positive results for the industry.”
The average price per gallon for sales in 2020 was $30.20, a 27 percent decrease. Bulk prices for 2020 were $1.90 per pound, down from $2.10 per pound from the previous year. Although, bulk price per gallon increased by $1 to $21.00. Bulk sales dominated the market with 83 percent of sales followed by retail sales at 11 percent and wholesale at 6 percent.
Maple syrup production in the United States saw a decrease of 17 percent for a total of 3.42 million gallons. The number of taps totaled 13.3 million, up 2 percent from 2020. Yield per tap was 0.257 gallon, down 0.057 gallon from the previous season. On average, the United States maple season lasted 27 days, compared with 34 days in 2020. The total value of the U.S. maple production came in at $132 million for 2020.