I’m an American Maple Syrup Farmer. My Business Depends On Canada.

My maple farm in Morgan, Vermont, has been in the family for four generations, since my grandfather started making maple syrup professionally in the 1920s. I’ve run the place since the late ’70s. The farm is on 200 acres of land, with 50 acres of mostly sugar maples. I run the operation full-time and make up to 1,600 gallons of syrup each year. (Commercial growers make about 5,000.) We sell around a third of our products in bulk to packers who supply big stores, like Walmart or Trader Joe’s, and the other two-thirds to local stores and through our website. 

In 1978 I wanted to expand our operations—and I knew I had to go to Canada to learn how. Nearly all of the maple syrup equipment in the world is manufactured there. And so I drove up to the manufacturers and suppliers in Quebec to learn about the equipment I could use to increase my maple production. Today, all of the tools in our sugar house are manufactured in Canada, as well as our tanks, pumps, filter presses and pipelines.

We live and run our business close to the Canadian border, which has always been super-fluid for maple syrup production. In the 1960s, the five-mile area closest to the Canadian border was declared a duty-free zone. All Canadian manufacturers have warehouses in Vermont in that area so U.S. buyers can easily access their products. When we need to purchase, we call up Lapierre or CDL, our go-to equipment spots in Quebec. Then they bring their goods over the border to their Vermont warehouses. There isn’t much in the way of U.S.-manufactured maple syrup tools and supplies. And there doesn’t need to be. Our cross-border partnerships have worked well for the last 60 years. Even my grandfather got his equipment from Canada.

Maple sugaring season takes place in the spring. As the weather gets warmer, the trees wake up from their dormant state, and the sap starts flowing. Often, we only have four weeks to tap the sap; eight weeks is a long season. This year, just as we were gearing up for our sugaring season, Trump announced 25 per cent tariffs on all Canadian imports. This left us worried about our supply chain, right when we needed new equipment to get through the season. 

In early March, we called our local supplier to order drill bits. We use special maple drills to bore holes in our trees, and we have to buy new ones each year. When we called our supplier on a Monday, they said that they didn’t have any at the moment but expected to get some three days later, when the truck arrived. We called again on Thursday, and the truck still hadn’t come. It didn’t get there for two more weeks because the manufacturer couldn’t get their invoicing straight. They were confused about what was subject to tariffs and what wasn’t. We couldn’t wait for the truck because that would be half our sugaring season, so we made do by retesting all our old drill bits and using the best ones. 

We also needed to replace some specialized stainless steel fittings for the filter press, the machine we run our maple syrup through to get rid of minerals and give the syrup that shiny, glossy finish. Since there were tariffs on steel, the Canadian distributors didn’t send those items on the truck and our local supplier wasn’t receiving them. We had to buy some cheap ones from China off Amazon that did the job, but not as well. 

If, by next season, there is a 25 per cent tariff on everything, then we’ll have to absorb that additional cost. The maple syrup supply chain is deeply tied to Canadian manufactures, so we have no other choice but to keep buying equipment from Canada and increase our retail pricing.

We have strong relationships with our suppliers. Before next season, we’ll sit down and figure out what we need to do. What we don’t need are interruptions. Making maple syrup is already unpredictable and challenging enough. The fluctuating state of the tariffs makes it impossible to manage and plan. It’s Monday, and there are 25 per cent tariffs; two days later, the tariffs are gone, and the next day, the tariffs are back, but at 12 per cent. How are we expected to set or raise prices? The Canadians set the wholesale price for maple syrup, including what American farmers are paid, and we haven’t heard anything yet this year about pricing. They also haven’t set final prices on imported Canadian equipment in Vermont. They could use the tariffs as an excuse to increase their prices for American farmers, or to prioritize sales and relationships with Canadian farmers. 

We’ve also been struck by the threats to Canadian sovereignty. Our business and lives are so deeply entwined with Canada. To keep making maple syrup, we have to go into Canada and talk to our friends and business partners after our country has insulted them. It’s been tough for us to reckon with the growing tensions between the two countries because, for my whole life, I’ve lived within 10 miles of the border. When I want a good loaf of bread or a specialty grocery item I know is available in Canada, I’ll just go there. I often meet up at a ski hill in Vermont for lunch with Canadian friends or call up Canadian maple syrup farmers to get business advice. 

In March, my partner, Donna Young, went to a Vermont business roundtable hosted by Senator Peter Welch. There was real distress over the tariffs and threats to Canadian sovereignty. Americans can be so heartless and short-sighted. Should I apologize when I have lunch with Canadian friends? I expect them to be upset, but I’m upset, too. My stress levels are through the roof. This is not the way I want to live; Canadians are my friends and my business partners, and the way my country is treating them is unfathomable to me. 

—As told to Caroline Bellamy