sap prices

[7810hunting]

looking to buy sap this year what will be the going rate this year

[Dave Y]

What ever you are willing to pay.

[maple flats]

This month Maple digest will have a "suggested guideline" Some people use it others set thier own prices. Michael Farrell of Cornell has a tool you can use to get the prices. It takes a whole slew of variables into account and then it comes to the % you want to pay the sap supplier. I attended a session he did at the maple conference and if you can process quickly you make much more per hour by paying enough to lure more suppliers to you. Idle RO's and evaporators make nothing. In your own bush you make the syrup in the woods, but when buying sap it is made by how much you run the RO and evaporator.

[maple flats]

The rate you can process is what makes the earnings numbers jump into the stratuspheer (sp?)

[michiganfarmer2]

I pay a flat 55 cents per gallon for minimum 2%. I know thats high, but Id rather boil sap than chase vaccum leaks

[Grott]

The rate you can process is what makes the earnings numbers jump into the stratuspheer (sp?)

I think you meant to say "Sap-is-(p)here:confused::D"

[maple flats]

I just got my newest Maple Digest. In there they have a price list (of what some producers pay). I'll just give a few examples. They start at 1% and go u to 5.5% sap in .1 increments. a few prices from the chart: 1%=$.05, 1.5%= $.20, 2%= $.325, 2.5%= $.45, 3%=$.575, on up to 5.5%= $1.085. These are all prices per gal for sap delivered to the sugarhouse. They do state these are more apt to reflect Northeast prices because the midwest sells their syrup for less. I contend that is because the mid west does not try to get more (as a whole industry, individuals can't be way higher that their neighbor and still sell syrup. But my retail prices are among the highest in my area and my syrup so far has sold out every year, even my best year ever. Don't be afraid to ask more for your product, just climb moderately every year.