Background: The USDA (U.S. Department of Agriculture) keeps track of how many gallons of maple syrup are produced each year, how much it costs, and what the weather during sap season is like. They recently reported the data from the past three spring seasons, in 2011, 2012, and 2013, for all of the New England states and other cool-weather states around the Great Lakes and Ohio River Valley.  In the report, they said that in 2013, “All States showed an increase in production from the previous year. Cool temperatures in the early spring months delayed budding of maple trees which contributed to a longer season of sap flow” than in 2012.

The graph shows the length of the sap season (in days) and the amount of syrup produced, in thousands of gallons (that’s a lot of syrup!). Each dot is a state, and the three years are shown in different colored, different shaped dots. 

Data Source: