“To make premium syrup in 2026, you can’t just tap the trees and wait. You have to be a meteorologist, a vacuum systems expert and a master technician,” said one producer.
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For Maine, the third-largest maple syrup producing state in the nation, the 2026 season was a “masterclass in agricultural resilience and technological adaptation” — despite increasingly erratic winters, said Michael Bryant, co-owner of Hilltop Boilers Maple Syrup in Newfield.
"The old calendar we used to farm by is gone,” said Bryant. “To make premium syrup in 2026, you can't just tap the trees and wait. You have to be a meteorologist, a vacuum systems expert and a master technician.”
Maine’s microclimates and extended freezing nights allowed producers to maximize their window of opportunity," Bryant said.
“However, it wasn't a season without drama. Extreme temperature swings required producers to pull out every trick in the book to keep the sap running cleanly.”
Mainebiz: What are you seeing for demand?
Michael Bryant: At the local level, we are seeing a high demand for pure Maine maple syrup with restaurants using more and more. It's not just Maine restaurants — we see it all over the U.S. Our July 2026 sales will end up around 52% higher than the same month in 2025. My bigger concern is that, looking at the big picture, demand is starting to outpace supply, leading to syrup shortages. U.S. production has remained relatively stagnant (less than 6 million pounds per year) in the past decade while Canadian production has grown rapidly (230 million pounds in 2026). Where this will all lead is anyone's guess.
Mainebiz: Why has this been a year of drama for the industry?
Michael Bryant: The weather is one thing. Southern states in the maple belt warmed too quickly in the spring and production ended early. Some days the weather was perfect and many producers recorded one of the largest runs ever in mid-March.
PHOTO / COURTESY JERE GRAY PHOTOGRAPHY
Huge temperature swings in northern Maine meant sap would be running great in the tubing lines and then it would flash freeze, plugging lines with frozen maple sap that had to thaw before more sap could be vacuumed out. This caused the next run to be less. Business challenges haven't gotten any easier with increased taxation on land set aside for maple production. Syrup production is hard work and finding labor is always a challenge.
Mainebiz: What are some developments that make Maine’s industry adaptable?
Michael Bryant: When we started 42 years ago, there was a mix of producers using buckets and tubing to collect sap. Now, with weather patterns what they are, tubing lines must be utilized with vacuum pumps to have an efficient operation. Many producers would tell you that, in the last few years, buckets (which rely on freezing nights and warm days to push sap out of the tree) are no longer acceptable. The amount of sap you get is so low. So most producers now have their woods on vacuum pumps to aid in getting the sap from tree to tank.
Once the sap is collected, more efficient reverse osmosis machines are being used to concentrate the sugars faster and more economically.
One of our sugarbushes has a solar array as well in an effort to reduce operational costs of both pieces of technology. Efficiencies in energy and time save resources and aren't optional if one wants to remain in business.
Mainebiz: What are some of those tricks producers are using to deal with extreme temperature swings?
Michael Bryant: Good vacuum pumps are essential. Sleep is not. When the sap is running, you had better be prepared. As a kid, we never would expect to gather sap in the middle of the night. With our pumps, it’s becoming normal to gather in the middle of the night. Vacuum pumps and reverse osmosis are our two biggest production tips.
Value-added products are another effort to make the same syrup sell for more money. Instead of selling a gallon of maple syrup for $60 in a gallon jug, why not put it in single-serving glass bottles? You can fill 90 of those little bottles with a gallon and sell them for $3 each. Not hard to see which takes more labor, but look at the money. You can make 8 pounds of maple candy from a gallon of syrup. At $16 per pound, you nearly tripled the value of the product with a little more labor.
Mainebiz: What are you expecting for the future?
Michael Bryant: [The Maine syrup industry] is strong and, while there are plenty of challenges, maple producers are a hard-working, adaptable bunch who will not just survive, but thrive.
