Ontario’s big maple syrup year bucks national trend
Ontario maple syrup producers, especially in the southwest, dodged an otherwise disappointing season for the industry in Canada with their best production in years.
Production was down in every maple-producing province in the country except for Nova Scotia and Ontario, figures released by Statistics Canada show.
While production nationally fell by about 21 per cent to 9.8 million gallons, its lowest level since 2015, Ontario producers saw an increase of 9.4 per cent to 2.1 million litres, which in turn made it the best year in the province since 2011. Production in many parts of the country was affected by a cold, harsh winter and a short spring. But conditions in Ontario, especially in the southern parts of the province, were ideal for maple production, said Brian Bainborough, president of the Ontario Maple Syrup Producers’ Association. “Most of Ontario, and certainly Southwestern Ontario, did pretty well,” he said. “Anything below Highway 7 had a very good year.” Bainborough said production in the province has been going up every year since 2012, but there’s still a lot of room for growth in the industry. “Production does not meet the demand that we have in Ontario,” he said.
For Mark Crinklaw, whose family has been producing syrup for more than five generations, 2018 was his best crop ever.
In an average year, Crinklaw said, he produces 1.25 litres of syrup per tap. This season that went up to two litres per tap.
“It was a long season and it was definitely a good season for production,” said the owner of Crinklaw Maple Products in London’s south end. “It started early and ended late, and there was kind of a gap in the middle when it was too cold, but after that it started up like a second season almost. It was excellent.”
But it wasn’t just about quantity. Crinklaw said conditions were also there — temperatures at around –5 C at night and 5 C during the day — for a high-quality product.
Though he has had better years, Jay Robson, owner of Rolling Ridge Maple Products, said 2018 was also a rebound year for his business, which is located in Ilderton, just north of London.
“I wouldn’t call it our best ever, but I would say it was a very good year,” he said. “In Ontario, a lot of producers had a very good year in 2017, but we were off a little bit.” in an average season, Robson said he produces about 14,000 litres of finished maple syrup from his sugar bush.
In 2018, that went up by about 20 per cent, which Robson attributed to a longer-than-usual season starting in early February and extending into April. Though it is still too early to predict what the new season will bring, Robson also said a wet end of the summer bodes well for next year’s production.
“We have had lots of rain and our trees have been under no stress, and that is usually a good thing going in,” he said. “There’s no reason not to be optimistic.”