DENMARK, Wis. — Maple syrup is a big business in Wisconsin. The state is ranked fourth in the nation for production, according to the Association of Maple Syrup Producers.

However, the unseasonably warm weather has put producers in a sticky situation.

Farmers at Skarda Maple Farm said they’re already tapping trees because of early spring-like temperatures.

What You Need To Know

  • Wisconsin produced 402,000 gallons of maple syrup in 2023; Vermont produced more than 2 million

  • Jeff and his brother Andy own Skarda Maple Farms in Demark

  • In 2009, Andy tried syrup-making with a lone maple tree in his backyard in Janesville, Wis.

  • Jeff created the software Sap Spy used by maple producers across the U.S, and Canada

Jeff Skarda has tapped for sap for 12 years as owner of Skarda Maple Farms in Denmark. Most months, Skarda is an electrical engineer with Kimberly Clark, but from January through April, he splits his time with his passion for maple syrup production.

“The production of maple syrup is a great way to escape our day jobs [and] get back to farming roots,” Skarda explained.

Skarda said there’s a simple formula to harvesting sap — freezing nights and warm days.

“The ideal weather for sap flow is about the upper 20s at night, allowing that tree to freeze and then sunny during the day and mid-upper 30s, even in the 40s,” Skarda said.

Skarda said they usually collect sap in the first or second week in March, but this season’s weather is changing that.

“We have now tapped on February 2 this year. It’s all about Mother Nature. When the weather’s right is when we got to give it a go,” Skarda said.

Skarda’s farm no longer uses the spigot and bucket method to harvest sap. Instead, Skarda uses a vacuum tubing system. He said the tubes have allowed them to double their harvest to 800 gallons a month instead of 400.

“Modern tubing systems really make that a lot more efficient. It increases our yield. So we’ll get about twice the amount of sap than a traditional bag in a bucket,” Skarda said.

Other maple producers have started collecting sap as well. Some of them are doing it with a system Skarda designed using skills from his engineering job. He calls it “Sap Spy.” It’s software that remotely monitors the tubing systems of fellow producers across the northern U.S. and Canada.

This season, Skarda said he’s nervous about the amount of sap they’ll collect but he is looking forward to the warm-up.

“We were a little bit rolling the dice to happen now in early February, but this 10-day warmer weather will come and I’m excited for it,” Skarda said.

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