March is sweet in New York State
By New York State Senator Joseph A. Griffo, R-C-Rome, 53rd District
March is a pretty sweet month here in New York.
It is during this month that special Maple Weekend events take place throughout the state. This is a chance to celebrate and recognize local producers of maple syrup and to learn more about the processes and traditions related to sugarmaking.
This year, Maple Weekends, sponsored by the New York State Maple Producers Association, will take place March 21-22 and March 28-29
During these two weekends, visitors are invited to check out maple farms throughout the state to get a first-hand look at how syrup and other maple products are made, taste the many maple products that are made at each location and meet the producers and families that work hard to these products to you.
New York State is home to the largest resource of tappable maple trees within the United States, and over 2,000 maple sugarmakers, according the maple association. In 2025, the maple industry produced 829,000 gallons of syrup.
Our state’s unique climate and forestry make it naturally perfect for maple syrup production. This pure, additive-free sweetener is made simply by removing water from the sap to concentrate the natural sugars and nutrients made by the tree.
Maple Weekends are an opportunity to offer education as well as agro-tourism; they provide producers and hosts materials to help visitors engage with maple’s ecological, historical, and technological values as well as its sweet taste.
I hope you will take advantage of this opportunity and stop by and support a local maple farm.
You can find more information about locations taking part in this month’s Maple Weekends and other -related activities by visiting mapleweekend.nysmaple.com.
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