Encourages New Yorkers to Participate in Special Promotions Throughout March and Maple Weekends March 16 - March 17 and March 23 - March 24
New York State Ranks Second in the Nation in Maple Production
Governor Kathy Hochul encouraged New Yorkers to support their local maple producers during Maple Month. The Governor highlighted New York’s upcoming Maple Weekends events and activities, which will take place March 16 – March 17 and March 23 – March 24, along with other special events and promotions throughout the month. New York State continues to rank second in the nation in maple production and is also home to the largest resource of tappable maple trees within the United States and more than 2,000 maple sugar makers.
“With Maple Month officially underway, there’s no better time to support our local New York maple producers,” Governor Hochul said. “New York State is home to an incredibly hardworking community of maple producers making some of the most delicious and innovative maple products in the world. I encourage all New Yorkers to participate in Maple Weekends this month to sample some of the world-class items that local vendors have to offer.”
As part of the kickoff to Maple Month, New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets Commissioner Richard A. Ball visited Dutch Hill Maple, a family-owned farm in Tully, NY for an annual maple tree tapping to highlight New York’s maple industry and the maple producers participating in the New York State Grown & Certified program. The event also included a ribbon-cutting ceremony for Dutch Hill Maple’s new sugarhouse, which was completed in 2023.
New York State Agriculture Commissioner Richard Ball said, “Every year in March, we celebrate maple, the first agricultural crop in New York State’s delicious harvest season! Thanks to our dedicated maple producers, including those who are in our NYS Grown & Certified program, New York continues to be a top maple producer in the country, contributing tremendously to our local communities and economies. With this sweet season officially underway, it’s the perfect time to visit a local maple producer, find out more about the syrup-making process, and taste some delicious New York products.
Maple Weekends
Throughout the month of March each year and the last two weekends of the month in particular, maple farms across the state open their doors to the public to provide a chance to taste pure maple syrup, right from the source, and experience the unique family tradition of making maple syrup in New York State. Producers offer tours and pancake breakfasts, sell maple products, and demonstrate the syrup-making process, which includes the traditional system of hanging buckets on trees or more modern methods of production using vacuum systems to increase the yield of sap per tree. A searchable list of Maple Weekend events is available at mapleweekend.nysmaple.com.
Maple Promotions
New York’s Taste NY Markets across the state are highlighting unique local maple products and producers during the month of March. Several markets are offering specials, including 20 percent off all maple and maple themed products at the Hudson Valley | Catskills Welcome Center, a pancake breakfast special all month at the Finger Lakes Welcome Center, special product sampling at the Capital Region Welcome Center, and more. For a complete list of special maple promotions and events hosted by Taste NY, visit here.
Dutch Hill Maple is one of the nearly 150 maple sugarmakers who will host Maple Weekends, helping to boost agri-tourism across New York State. Nate Williams, who grew up with the beloved family tradition of making maple syrup every year with his father and brother, purchased the property that would become Dutch Hill Maple in 2014 with his wife and co-owner Cristy. In 2022, they began construction of a brand-new sugarhouse to better accommodate the needs of their business, and in their 2023 season, Nate and Cristy produced over 5,000 gallons of maple syrup, their highest production yield to date. With the 2024 maple season marking the first year of making syrup in their new sugarhouse, the Williams hope to further expand production.
The New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets supports the maple industry through the New York State Budget — which includes funding for promotion and educational programs — as well as through investments in research projects, such as Cornell University’s Maple Program’s Arnot Teaching Forest, and through its NYS Grown & Certified and Taste NY marketing programs.
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