Maple syrup production is ending after one of the shortest
runs in recent years.
Last year sap began to run at mid-March and syrup was being
made well into April.
This year it’s over with less than half a normal crop put
away.
Some early birds got a brief run of weak sap in
mid-February, but then their trees and equipment got hit by a brutal cold snap.
Most waited until near the end of February and then weather
turned unusually warm without the overnight below-freezing temperatures that
make for the best runs.
This year’s short season and small crop should enable Quebec
to clear its inventories.
It has adopted supply management in an attempt to
bolster prices and profits, but it’s a controversial policy because a recent
report warns that it’s enabling others to gain market share.
