Looking for a mentor

[dGarnier]

This past winter I finally pulled the trigger on some land up north. It between Bryant and Langlade with lots of maples trees. Since I have never tapped a tree and just know from what I have read on this site so far it seems like there are a lot of mistakes for a rookie to make. So I thought I would see if there was someone in the area that has done this before and would be willing to help me get going.

[cherryfarmer]

to bad you are not near me in Michigan,
I wanted to find somebody to take over my syrup biz including sales but no takers. I still have some equipment left

[jmayerl]

I wouldn't mind helping you get started, but like most people on here I am very busy during sugaring season. Just read lots of threads on here and ask some questions. Get a copy of the north American maple producers manual and read it cover to cover. It also depends how many taps you want, is this for fun or to make as much money as possible? I started 3 years ago with 25 taps and had 800 this year. I plan on having almost twice that next year. How much time before and during season can you devote to sugaring?

These are some questions that you need to figure out. If you want to ever ask me questions feel free to call me. I also have some experience with vacuum and tubing but am not yet an expert on those too. Best of luck.

Jeff

[maple flats]

Keep offering, you will find a producer in your area who steps up.
I had a similar request I replied to from fellow producer yeastpimp. He was looking for a mentor, offered to work in exchange for the education in maple. As a benefit he saw the way to do thing (and lots of ways not to). In exchange, I got lots of hours of free labor and met a new great friend.
Any producer in your area would be far ahead to take you under their wing.
I offer my operation as a training site but you would need to come visit for a few weeks to get the whole course. New York State is beautiful, a great place to visit, and I'd have lots of training time because I am off work after today until early September. (ha!)

[dGarnier]

at this point I think I am going to keep it small something like 25 - 50 taps and see how it goes. There are 280acres with 70 sugar maples per acre so if it goes well I have the option to ramp it up.

[maple flats]

That's where I started, after several years when the kids were growing up we put out 7-9 taps, then in 2003 I decided to just make a little for family and friends. I started with 29 taps early in the season but grew to 70 taps by mid season. I was hooked that easily. Now I have 1100 taps and I'm adding 4-600 more this year. Be careful, this is very addictive.

[mikeo]

I would be happy to help, I am not sure how much I can do as I am two hours away, prentice wi, but I love helping people get started. Any producer is very busy during season but I am sure that among all of us you should be able to get the gist and get up and running. PM me and I will see what I can do to help get you started. jmeryl is right, get the north american maple producers manual, it is a reference book that is an excellent resource for any producer. I have been doing this for 18 years and it is still a handy resource to have. Welcome to the maple world and it sounds like you may be on the verge of catching the disease :).

mike

[jmayerl]

If that's all the taps you want to start with then I think if you came down by me for an afternoon or evening in the begining of season I could get you pointed in the right direction and give you enough pointers to make you confident enough. Where you tap usually starts about a week after us here so you probably wouldn't miss any sap runs. Feel free to pm me if you want a hand. I would suggest a few pieces of equipment that you should have no matter how big you want to start.( hydrometer and cup)

[Newfvt]

dGarnier

Check your private Maple Trader mail - I sent you one - I am fairly close, might be able to scope out your bush for future planning purposes.

Steve

[Mark]

You could come up and check out my place in Nisula in The UP. One thing I wished I had done was spend some time with someone that was boiling on a large scale before I ever started.

I just got my website up and have to go through and change the wording in a few places.

http://danielsonssugarbush.com/

[dGarnier]

Thanks for the offers guys, I am going to try and take most of you up on them. Starting small I just didnt want to waste time and money on things that wont be used down the road. This way I can start small and build up with out a lot of redoing things.

[putzy]

I would be happy to help you get started ge tappn for 20 years started with 20 tapps up to 15000. We are about 20 min from you and can get you going in the right direction. Please feel free to give me a call 715-850-1603.

[dkr]

If you are still looking I'm in Aniwa,you could come check things out

[Typical8]

Thanks for the offers guys, I am going to try and take most of you up on them. Starting small I just didnt want to waste time and money on things that wont be used down the road. This way I can start small and build up with out a lot of redoing things.

You have the right idea. Go to as many different bushes as you can. I would take up everyones offer and see how they do things. You will learn something different from everyone you visit. I never miss a chance to go see a new bush, some good some bad. But I always will learn something. Best of luck to you.

[maplematt]

My dad and I started with only knowledge we found here and online...there are lots of possible mistakes, but also so much info about how to avoid them. Granted we are a small small operation and do it as a hobby. I can see making a business out of it being a lot more difficult. Good luck and have fun!