Maine maple syrup producers now eligible for COVID-19 relief money

Courtesy / Office of Governor Gov. Janet Mills taps a maple tree on the grounds of the Blaine House in Augusta March 10 as Scott Dunn, president of the Maine Maple Assocation looks on. Two days later, the state's coronavirus shutdowns began and the short maple season was largely lost.

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By Staff

Maple syrup producers are now eligible for direct financial relief to help offset the financial hit they've taken from the COVID-19 pandemic after a push by Gov. Janet Mills and the state's congressional delegation.

The producers, whose short season was disrupted right as it was about to start, can access Coronavirus Food Assistance Program money, a fund that was created through the federal CARES Act and is providing up to $16 billion in direct payments to farmers.

Maine's more than 550 maple syrup producers produced 580,000 gallons of maple syrup in 2019, with a value of $21.6 million.

"Similar to other agricultural producers across the country, maple syrup producers in the state of Maine have suffered greatly due to COVID-19," said a joint news release from Maine's delegation. "The impact on this industry is even more acute than most, however, given its short season from late February to mid-April and heavy reliance on direct-to-consumer sales."

Mills in June had asked the U.S. Department of Agriculture to include maple producers in those eligible for the relief money. Shortly after, Maine's congressional delegation sent a letter to USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue, also supporting syrup producers' eligibility for direct relief.

“Like many pillars of our economy, Maine’s maple syrup producers have suffered unprecedented financial hardship caused by the coronavirus pandemic," Mills said this week. "I am pleased to hear that the USDA heeded our call and that our maple syrup producers can now access the resources they need to survive these challenging times."

She added that she hopes to see continued changes to the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program program so that "more Maine farms, of all sizes, whose financial stability and futures have similarly been disrupted, benefit from this important program.”

On March 10, Mills tapped a maple tree at the Blaine House — the governor's residence in Augusta — in anticipation of the upcoming season, including Maine Maple Sunday, which was scheduled for the weekend of March 21-22. Two days after she tapped the tree, she held a news conference announcing initial COVID-19 precautions.

Maine Maple Sunday is a statewide weekend-long event that showcases maple operations throughout Maine, and serves as a catalyst for sales. Because of the pandemic shutdowns, the weekend's events were largely canceled, eliminating many producers’ best opportunity to connect with consumers and secure sales, the release said.

“Maine is proud to be the country’s third-largest producer of maple syrup," the congressional delegation said in the joint release. "This is a strong sector of our state’s agricultural economy, representing more than 800 full- and part-time jobs. "Maine maple syrup producers experienced substantial revenue losses due to the cancellation of Maple Sunday events this spring." Delegation members U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine; U.S. Sen. Angus King, I-Maine; U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-Maine 1st District; and U.S. Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine 2nd District wrote the letter in support of Mills' earlier letter, they said.

The Coronavirus Food Assistance Program was established to provide “vital assistance to producers of agricultural commodities who have suffered a five-percent-or-greater price decline and face additional significant marketing costs as a result of lower demand, surplus production, and disruptions to shipping patterns and the orderly marketing of commodities.”

$19.7 million so far to Maine farmers

To date, $19.7 million has been awarded to Maine farmers to help offset the financial harm they have experienced because of the pandemic.

The money has helped facilitate the Farmers to Families Food Box program as well as direct financial assistance to producers of agricultural commodities who have had a 5% or more price decline because of COVID-19 and face significant additional marketing costs as a result of lower demand, surplus production and disruptions to shipping patterns and the orderly marketing of commodities.

Direct payments are from $9.5 billion in appropriated funding provided in the CARES Act, which will compensate farmers for losses because of price declines that occurred between mid-January and mid-April and provides support for specialty crops. The second is the Commodity Credit Corp., which compensates producers for $6.5 billion in losses because of ongoing market disruptions.

To date, the funding has been allocated as follows in Maine: