A bipartisan agreement on a massive farm bill this week has U.S. Senator Charles Schumer saying that maple syrup producers in New York State are about to get some extra help. A measure in the new bill will provide federal grants of up to $20 million each year to states that create programs to encourage private landowners to open up their trees to maple tapping. According to the senator, there are over 280 million maple trees with syrup-tapping potential in the state, but less than one percent of them are tapped.
