Somerset County leads Pennsylvania in maple production, but producers say this year’s syrup season fell short after weather swings disrupted the freeze-thaw cycle that helps sap flow.

Crowds packed the first day of the Pennsylvania Maple Festival in Meyersdale, where maple treats and demonstrations drew support for local sugar makers. Behind the scenes, though, producers said they are coming off a season that didn’t measure up to years past.

Bobby Edwards, director of the Pennsylvania Maple Festival, said the ideal conditions for sap flow are “cool nights and warm days.” Instead, he said, “What we had was 15 [degrees] at night and 75, 80 [degrees] in the day, and that’s terrible for the sugar water to run.”

Edwards, who runs maple production demonstrations at the festival each year, said syrup production depends on a freeze-thaw cycle. Producers said when that balance is off even for a few days, it can affect the entire season.

Melissa Blocher, co-owner of Millroy Farms, said a warm stretch in March hit at a critical time. “Unfortunately right in the middle of the season in the middle of March, we had seven days where it didn’t freeze,” she said. “Those seven days really hurt us. At that point the flavor of the sap changes and the sugar content tanks when you have those warm days. We need the freeze and thaw in order to make the sap run.”

For some producers, the impact was severe. Christine and Everett Sechler, co-owners of Sechler Sugar Shack, said, “We probably had our worst maple season ever.” They added, “We got about a third of a crop.”

With less syrup coming in, producers said they may have to make tough decisions and adjust to changing weather patterns. Edwards said, “If they spent a lot of money on supplies and some of those types of things, they’re going to be hurting to make up for that this year.”

Blocher said producers are also seeing the season shift earlier. “Typically we used to say the season was mid-February through March,” she said. “There is a little bit of a seasonal shift and we’re starting to see the season now begin at about the end of January.”

Even with a challenging year, producers said customers should not expect major shortages. “I would say most of the producers are going to have enough to supply their customer base,” Blocher said.

Still, the Sechlers said the focus is already on what comes next. “A farmer of any kind always has to look toward next year,” they said.

The Pennsylvania Maple Festival will continue for the rest of the week in Meyersdale and is set to end Sunday evening.