Maple syrup producers in the lower Midwest tap into small, local markets

In the Midwest, Wisconsin and Michigan are the biggest producers of maple syrup, but there is a lot of untapped potential for maple syrup in the lower Midwest.
In recent weeks, producers and hobbyists across the Midwest have been tapping their trees and making maple syrup. They were waiting for just the right conditions for the sap to run: temperatures above freezing during the day that dip below freezing at night.

“This is kind of the first sign of spring for me,” said Ben Hoksch, owner of Front Yard Sugar on a day in late February when he went out to tap trees. “Folks are starting to see red-winged blackbirds, turkey vultures are flying north, sap is flowing.”

His business, located in Ames, Iowa, relies on residents allowing him to tap their trees, many of them black maples. In exchange, they get a free jar of maple syrup and he sells the rest.