Vt. maple crop down, but not like elsewhere

Associated Press

The quick warmup this spring switched sugar maples from sap-making to bud-popping, lowering Vermont's maple syrup production slightly.

But the 3 percent drop seen in Vermont from 2009 to 2010 wasn't nearly as high as the reduction in maple production seen elsewhere.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture says that nationwide, maple syrup production dropped 19 percent, to 1.96 million gallons.

New York saw a decline of 30 percent from an unusually high level of production last year. Maine's production dropped 22 percent.

Vermont easily kept is position as the nation's largest maple producer, with a 2010 crop of 890,000 gallons.