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- [Mark] This is Mark Isselhardt,

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maple specialist with the
University of Vermont Extension,

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and this is another Vermont Maple Minute.

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The USDA National Agricultural
Statistics Service, or NASS,

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has released the crop totals
for the 2020 maple season.

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Vermont led the us again
in total production,

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with 2.2 million gallons.

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That is 50% of all the
syrup made in the country.

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Vermont sugar makers also
produced more syrup per tap

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than any other state,

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with an average of 0.36
gallons of syrup per tap.

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This is more than 20%
higher than the US average.

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NASS is the official entity

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responsible for measuring
agricultural products.

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NASS's stated mission is to provide

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timely, accurate, and useful statistics

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in service of US agriculture.

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Each year, sugar makers from around the US

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fill out a volunteer survey.

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Questions range from
how many taps you have,

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when did you begin collecting
sap, how long was the season,

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and how many gallons
of syrup you produced.

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Collectively, the answers
to these questions

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provide the most accurate
statistics available

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for maple production.

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However, the accuracy is only as good

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as the data being entered.

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If new operations come online

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or producers do not fill out the survey,

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NASS has to rely on estimation
to fill in the gaps.

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For those with privacy concerns,

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it's important to know that, by law,

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NASS is not allowed to share the data

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collected from producers

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with any other governmental agency.

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This is Mark Isselhardt,

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maple specialist with the
University of Vermont Extension,

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and this is another Vermont Maple Minute.