Maple syrup grant program wraps up with season close
12 grants were awarded in 2020 totaling $5.5M
MADISON, Wis. -- A program to promote the pure maple syrup industry by states, university researchers and tribes is available from the U.S. Department of Agriculture as the maple sugaring season draws to a close in the Lake States. Applications for the Acer Access and Development (ACER) Program are due by May 24.
Information about the program and the application form are available at:
https://www.ams.usda.gov/servi...
This program awarded 12 grants totaling nearly $5.5 million in 2020. The only grant to a Great Lakes State was for Michigan to Michigan State University for $450,000.
Wisconsin (#4) and Michigan (#5) rank in the top five U.S. states for pure maple syrup production. They lag the leader Vermont and New York and Maine, which collectively produce more than half of the pure maple syrup in the U.S. (Vermont produces more than one third of the national total despite its small size).
Michigan leads the country in potential taps, according to “The Sugarmaker’s Companion” (by Michael Farrell a Cornell University PhD), with much of the potential being located in the Upper Peninsula. (Minnesota has a more limited population of sugar maple trees).
The average price for pure maple syrup ranged from $31-35 per gallon from 2016-2019, according to the Department of Agriculture statistics.