Maple matters in Wisconsin.

By the numbers:

Wisconsin is currently fourth in the nation, producing 458,000 gallons of maple syrup in 2024. In 2023, the state produced 457,000 gallons of maple syrup, and the 2023 crop was valued at $14.5 million (USDA NASS).
Wisconsin has 3.7 million acres of maple forests, and only a small fraction of the trees (<0.5%) are currently being used for maple syrup production. As demand for maple syrup continues to grow nationally and internationally, there is great potential for growth in the industry.
There are thousands of maple syrup makers in the state. Producers range from hobbyists who tap only a couple trees in their yard to large-scale, full-time businesses that make maple syrup from tens of thousands of trees. The vast majority of producers are small scale, tapping up to a couple hundred trees.

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Maple Marketing

Marketing Strategies for Sustainable Business Growth – Maple Hour Mar. 2025

This ‘Maple Hour’ features Zachary Smith, Agricultural Business Educator, with the University of Vermont Extension. He provides a marketing framework for ag entrepreneurs.

“Marketing Strategies for Sustainable Business Growth” was a live Zoom webinar on Monday, March 17, 2025. We explore how maple producers integrate both traditional and digital marketing strategies to create seamless and cohesive brand experiences for customers.

Craft a compelling brand identity, maximize visibility across channels, build meaningful customer relationships, optimize sales opportunities, and foster a loyal community. By employing a holistic approach to marketing, producers can enhance their brand’s visibility, increase customer engagement, and build a sustainable business.

Food Safety

The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) is responsible for ensuring that maple syrup and other maple food products are produced safely in the state. These requirements come from Wis. Admin. Code § ATCP 87 (Honey and Maple Syrup). Licensed facilities also must meet requirements in Wis. Admin. Code § ATCP 70 (Wholesale Food Manufacturing ).

Food Safety for Value Added Maple Products – Maple Hour Mar. 2023

This ‘Maple Hour’ features UW-Madison Professor of Food Science, Barbara Ingham. She provides guidance on food safety planning for food businesses using maple sugar in products like maple-flavored sauces and dressings, sparkling maple water, and infused maple syrup.

Moving from hobby scale to commercial production can be a big step. This section highlights the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) food safety requirements.

Sap Harvesting and Woodland Taxes

Woods and taxes: Understanding your assessment options and reducing your burden

In the video below, Darrin Kimbler, former Extension Agriculture Educator for Iron County, and Tony Johnson, Extension Forestry Educator, talk with professionals from the Wisconsin Department of Revenue(DOR) and Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) on tax assessment and forest program options for woodland owners. Topics discussed include, Use-value for maple sap gathering and Agriculture Forest property tax assessment and the Managed Forest Law program.

This ‘Farm Management Friday’ recording is from April 2023. Other farm management resources can be found at the UW-Madison Extension Farm Management Program website.

WI DOR website for information about local assessors, agriculture farm assessment and the Wisconsin Property Assessment Manual.
WI DNR Forestry Assistance Locator website.
WI DNR Managed Forest Law website.

Does your forest qualify for an agricultural-use tax assessment?

As a landowner who taps maple trees for sap collection or rents land for sap gathering, it is important to understand if your forest qualifies for use-value classification, which can potentially lower your property taxes. The first step in this process is an assessor conducting an on-site inspection of your operation the year before your annual January assessment. Ideally, such inspection should take place during the msap gathering season. It is important to have all necessary materials and equipment on hand during the inspection, as the assessor will be looking for things like visible tap marks, a road or path to the collection sites, tree management, a predominance of maple trees, and a sugar shack with syrup-making equipment.

The North American Industry Classification System manual provides guidelines for determining if an operation meets industry standards and qualifies for use-value classification. These guidelines take into account factors such as the number of acres, the diameter of the trees at breast height, the minimum number of taps per acre, and the minimum number of trees per acre. It is important to note that the operation must meet all of the requirements outlined in the manual in order to qualify for use-value classification.

If the assessor determines that your operation meets the necessary industry standards and qualifies for use-value classification, it’s important to remember that the personal property used for tapping will be exempt from property taxes, but the sugar shack will be assessable. Retail operations and bottling operations related to your maple syrup will be classified as commercial.

If you believe your operation qualifies for use-value classification but it has not been classified as such, you can contact your local assessor to request an on-site inspection. It is important to have documentation of your operation, including evidence of the diameter of the trees, the number of taps per tree, and the number of taps per acre. If your request for use-value classification is denied, you have the option to appeal the decision at the Board of Review.

Wisconsin Dept. of Revenue – Use Value Assessment for Maple Sap Collection in Wisconsin

The above video was made for assessors, but it has beneficial information about the assessment process for landowners. It provides more specific information discussed in this article.

Here is an additional resource about use-value assessment for maple sap producers:

Wisconsin Department of Revenue 2023 Wisconsin Property Assessment Manual Chapter 14

Maple syrup production is considered an agricultural activity by the Wisconsin Department of Revenue (DOR) and woodlands where sap is collected may be assessed as agriculture use-value for property tax purposes, saving producers money. Expand this section to learn more.