Gov. Kathy Hochul is encouraging New Yorkers to support their local maple producers during Maple Month and highlighted the state’s upcoming Maple Weekends—March 21-22 and March 28-29—as well as additional events at New York’s Welcome Centers.

New York State ranks second in the nation in maple production. In 2025, the industry produced 829,000 gallons. In addition, New York continues to be home to the largest resource of tappable maple trees within the U.S. and more than 2,000 maple sugar makers. The governor’s proposed 2027 Executive Budget includes continued funding for marketing and research to further grow the maple industry.

“With over 2,000 maple producers, New York continues to be home to a thriving community that dedicates their time to making the most delicious and innovative maple products in the world,” Gov. Hochul said.

“Maple season is underway across the state with many of our producers seeing sap flowing already,” said New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets Commissioner Richard Ball. “I’m proud that New York continues to be a top maple producer in the U.S. and that our producers continue to make some of the finest, most innovative maple products in the country that contribute greatly to our economy.”

As part of the kickoff to Maple Month, Ball joined local agricultural representatives and elected officials to visit Parker Family Maple Farm, a family-owned farm in West Chazy, Clinton County, for the state’s annual maple tree tapping. The Parker Family Maple Farm is one of the largest maple establishments in the country, and the largest in New York State, producing more than 50,000 gallons of maple syrup per year.

The farm, which began in 1889, started as a 60-acre dairy farm and maple sugaring operation. The farm has been handed down over four generations and today, it is run by Michael Parker and his wife Laura, with the help of their young children. It has grown to include more than 1,000 acres of land and about 100,000 taps of maple. The business also features a seasonal restaurant, forestry, sawmill and hay crop and more.

Parker Family Maple Farm is also a part of the New York State Grown & Certified program, which promotes New York farms that adhere to a higher standard for food safety and environmentally friendly practices.

Nearly 100 maple producers participate in the NYS Grown & Certified program, which verifies New York’s agricultural producers and growers who adhere to food safety and environmental sustainability standards. Find a current list of maple producers who are a part of the NYS Grown & Certified program here.

“I think that I speak for not just myself, my family and my farm, but our entire community of North Country maple producers, when I say how honored we are to be the host of this year’s tapping event,” Parker said. “Being located in our far corner of New York State, we pack a big punch in the maple world by being able to boast having the largest maple syrup production in our state, among the highest in the nation. We hope that visitors will enjoy the magic of maple season at our sugar house and all the others across the North Country this Spring.”

Maple Weekends

Throughout the month of March each year and the last two weekends of the month in particular, maple farms across the state open their doors to the public to provide a chance to taste pure maple syrup, right from the source, and experience the family tradition of making maple syrup in New York State. Producers offer tours and pancake breakfasts, sell maple products and demonstrate the syrup-making process, which includes the traditional system of hanging buckets on trees or more modern methods of production using vacuum systems to increase the yield of sap per tree. A searchable list of Maple Weekend events is available at mapleweekend.nysmaple.com.