Help Rebuild Northern Michigan's Maple Legacy

PLEASE READ & SHARE

Over the course of a few days, Northern Michigan’s maple syrup industry suffered one of the worst natural disasters in its history—and most people don’t even know it happened.

If you’ve ever drizzled fresh maple syrup on your pancakes at a local café or gifted a bottle from a Northern Michigan sugarbush, you’ve tasted more than syrup. You’ve tasted legacy, hard work, and the love of families who have devoted their lives to this land.

But after last week’s devastating ice storm, much of that legacy is in pieces.

Maple Moon Sugarbush and Winery—a beloved producer in our region—lost almost everything. Twenty-eight acres of sugarbush destroyed. Nineteen miles of tubing mangled under fallen trees. A projected $280,000 in lost syrup over the next two years. And that’s not even counting the $250,000 just to clean up and rebuild the infrastructure. Half a million dollars—gone in less than a week. But the most painful part? It’s not just the money. It’s the heartbreak of walking through a forest they’ve loved and nurtured for 14 years and realizing… it’s gone.

Another local producer,Harwood Gold, has been without power for over a week. Their entire system relies on pumps to carry sap from the woods to the sugarhouse. But with no electricity, they’ve been forced to abandon production for the season—hundreds of gallons short of their goal. Their trees are badly damaged. Crowns snapped. Limbs down. It’s still too dangerous to even assess the full extent of the destruction.

And it’s not just a few isolated farms. The Maple Tree estimates that Northern Michigan has lost at least 160,000 taps from this storm. That’s over $3.2 million in bulk syrup value lost for our region. Some producers may never recover. They’ll shut down permanently—dreams and livelihoods shattered by one act of nature.

To give you some perspective, Michigan typically produces around 200,000 gallons of syrup a year, making us the fifth-largest producer in the country. This region—our region—is a huge part of that. And now? We’re looking at one of the most catastrophic blows to the industry we’ve ever seen.

As someone who loves this place, who supports local everything, and who believes in telling the stories that matter—this matters.

I know most people think of syrup season as a charming slice of northern life. A tap in a tree. A warm sugarhouse. Sweet steam rising into the crisp spring air. But behind that charm are families working 16-hour days, repairing lines in freezing temperatures, watching the weather like hawks, and pouring their hearts into a product that represents Northern Michigan’s soul.

That’s why this storm is so much more than a natural disaster. It’s a cultural loss. An economic blow. A spiritual gut punch to people who already live on the edge of sustainability for the love of the land.

I don’t know what the answer is yet. Maybe it’s emergency funding. Maybe it’s more people showing up at farm stores. Maybe it’s just being aware that behind every bottle of syrup is a family, a forest, and a fight to keep going.

But I do know this: Northern Michigan is hurting right now. And it’s time to pay attention. Please—read, share, and help spread the word.This isn’t just about syrup. It’s about local families, rural economies, and the fight to preserve what makes this place so special.

Let’s make sure their stories don’t go unheard.

This GoFundMe will 100% directly support the nonprofit organization, Maple Syrup Association of Michigan and funds will be distributed accordingly.

**UPDATE: We’re overwhelmed with gratitude for the generosity this fund has received so far. We’ve not only hit our initial goal—we’ve also realized there’s even more we can do to support the maple farms affected in our area. We’ve raised the goal to reflect the growing needs and opportunities ahead. Every dollar helps us go further, and we’re so grateful for your continued support!**