The following commentary by Steve MacDonald has been republished with permission from GraniteGrok.
Maple syrup is a warmist bellwether — one of those things climate change has on its kill list. Ice in the Arctic, snow, and maple syrup are but a few. They are all doomed and have been for decades, yet they all seem much the same to anyone who’s been around.
‘Round these parts, maple syrup is a big deal, so we have to discuss it a few times every season. It is also a big business, especially in Vermont, the nation’s largest producer. And the final numbers for the 2023 maple syrup season are out. There is a lot of chatter about the impact of the “warm winter.” You’ll see headlines like production down 17% from 2022, but without context, that doesn’t mean anything.
Vermont did have a weird year. While some folks had plenty of sap, and it was overly sweet increasing yield, others — just down the road a piece — had a crappy season. All-tolled Vermont is still the king of maple syrup, but total US production was down from 2022. That’s what the media will tell you, especially if they mention a warm winter or the climate. Production was down!
It is fair to say that the winter and spring could have been better for tappin’ sap, but was it bad? Like, “global warming” bad? Nope, and you need sites like ours to tell you that so you can tell other people on the odd chance it comes up.
Total US Production for 2023 was 4,179 thousand gallons. Is that a lot, a little, and how does whatever “it” is compare to what passes for normal? To help us find the answer, I added a red line to represent 2023 on this graph from Statista, showing production from 2012 to 2022.
The year 2022 was an outlier whose success included 560,000 more taps than in 2023 and slightly more sap per tap. Granted, the weather made all those extra taps worth tapping and sap worth … sapping, but there’s never been a year like 2022 despite all the alleged warming and accumulated carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
It should never have happened, or maybe it should.
This is what CO2 concentration looks like overlayed on maple syrup production — a sloppy but serviceable effort. The CO2 scale is on the right, and the data (Mauna Loa) is stretched to fit. Remember, 2023 is still the red line.
You could make a case that CO2 has been good for maple syrup, which would make some sense. This trace gas is an airborne plant fertilizer. More of it greens the planet, and more trees make for more tapping potential, weather permitting.
And since we’ve been told the CO2 controls the weather, you can work out the rest.
As for 2023, maple syrup production was about average compared to the past decade. You might find a few headlines that acknowledge that. Not every source of info on this topic is captured by the Climate Cult and its media allies, but it’s not as big a story as the “warm winter” and lower production.
Who clicks on a headline that reads ‘Maple Syrup production about the same as it has been?’
2022 was my best year ever. I produced 99.3% of my 2022 crop in 2023 in lbs of syrup/tap. The market however was different then 2022 and my sugaring income was about 24% lower. All in all, It was an excellent year. Sugaring is farming. You can’t expect cash crops every year. Harvest and market dictate everything. Good reason to diversify.
again, if co2 is so bad, then why is it only making up .04% of our atmosphere, and if it’s also a naturally occuring thing,,,just how much has MAN contributed to our “imminent demise” since it took about 50-60 years to go from .03% to .04% ??? It’s cyclic, and there’s no controlling it, with or without man. follow the money, THEN you’ll find the reason
Weather changes, Klimate idiots. How come NONE of the “Klimate Krowd” are talking about the Gov now asking for Federal relief money because VT had a TERRIBLE HARD FROST (frigid weather) in mid May which destroyed many budding crops! WHY? Mother Nature goes in long cycles. but iif Exxon causes CLIMATE CHANGE, then Global Cooling with mid May frosts in VT…is also caused by Exxon. Wake up….It’s mother nature….CO2 is good for the planet…..COLD KILLS plants and peeople 🙂
Obviously maple syrup causes climate change. Vermont must immediately stop all maple production, or we will suffer a fate worse than death in a couple years.
Great sarcasm, Gordon! The disciples of the religion of Climatism will undoubtedly dispute the findings of this article. Their doctrine and dogma absolutely forbid any credibility be given to the proven science of the relationship between green plants and CO2.
“Save the trees! Increase your carbon footprint!”