Vermont Maple Sugarmakers Reflect on a Roller Coaster Season

The 2026 Vermont maple sugaring season was described as a roller coaster by industry leaders, reflecting a year of variable conditions and mixed results across the state, even as overall production remained strong and the industry continued its long-term growth trajectory.

Allison Hope, executive director of the Vermont Maple Sugar Makers’ Association, said in a recent interview that the season felt unpredictable for many producers, with some experiencing record-breaking sap flow days while others fell short of their goals. “I think this season was kind of a roller coaster for some folks, is what I’m hearing,” Hope stated, noting that feedback varied significantly by county and individual operation.

Despite the uneven experiences, Vermont’s maple syrup output for 2026 is estimated at about 3 million gallons, consistent with annual production levels since 2023 and representing more than half of the United States’ total maple syrup supply. This figure was confirmed by Anson Tebbetts, secretary of the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets, who also noted that sugaring remains the state’s second-largest agricultural industry after dairy.

The season’s pattern was shaped by a winter that Chapell of Templeton Farm in East Montpelier described as “more like the old time winters,” featuring deep snow and bitter cold followed by favorable freeze-thaw cycles in early 2026. These conditions led to textbook sap weather — nights in the 20s and days climbing into the mid-40s — which prompted strong flows on certain days. Chapell reported seeing single-day sap flow records on several occasions, surpassing any such days in the last 40 years of his family’s sugaring operation, which has tapped trees on land owned since 1810.

Hope added that while some regions, particularly Addison and Franklin Counties, saw many farmers meet their yearly production goals, the overall picture was one of disparity. “As the season winds down, Hope said she’s hearing that many farmers in Addison and Franklin County met their yearly goals, though she’s also hearing about a range of results across the state,” according to reports from mid-April sugarhouse visits.

Looking beyond the immediate season, Hope emphasized the continued expansion of Vermont’s maple industry on a global scale. She noted that Vermont produces about 12% of the world’s maple syrup and that production has increased approximately 650% since 2005, a growth rate unmatched by any other agricultural or forestry sector in the state. This expansion is being driven by rising international demand, which Hope said is beginning to influence bulk prices upward despite relative stability in retail prices over recent years.

The Vermont Maple Sugar Makers’ Association estimates that roughly 3,500 individuals participate in sugaring each year across the state’s sugarbushes. While there is no official tally of sugarmakers, this figure reflects the broad base of family-run and commercial operations that sustain the industry, many of which operate during the short, intense four- to six-week sugaring window typically spanning February through April.

As the 2026 season concludes with sugarhouses closing their doors, the industry remains focused on both the immediate variability of annual weather patterns and the longer-term trend of growing global appreciation for pure maple syrup. Producers continue to balance the labor-intensive nature of sugaring — requiring constant monitoring during the season — with the cultural and economic significance of a tradition that has deep roots in Vermont’s rural landscape.