May Journal

[maple flats]

Must be Dr. Tim is on vacation, he usually has started a new month by this time. How many out there are expanding and how many are cutting back? Since the bulk price is tied directly to the Quebec Federation price set coupled with the exchange rate I don't see the prices as being tied to production. However, since the clock keeps ticking (I'm not a young as I once was) I'm thinking of cutting back even more. This year I went from 1320 (after having big plans to grow to 1450-1500 taps) I cut to 700, might stay the same next year and then get rid of my last lease and just tap my own trees.

[heus]

Big changes for next year are beginning at our operation. Sold the 30x10 A&A evaporator and getting a new Leader oil fired arch and Smoky Lake raised flue pans. Selling the 375 Deer Run reverse osmosis and buying a used 600 D&G RO. Going to add on to the sugarhouse again. This time for a bigger RO room, and also an addition for sap storage. Have to run a buried triplex about 300 feet to upgrade the electricity for the new RO. Have to build a small shed to house the vac pump. I have to get it away from the sugarhouse because it is so noisy Im tired of hearing it when I boil. Going to increase taps from 952 to over 1000.

[Bruce L]

Ordered a steam away for the evaporator to cut down on boiling time between bus runs,and to keep inspectors off my back about covering the pans. Bought a new vacuum pump for bush up the road that will need sap ladders. Cutting and stacking wood now before bugs get bad.

[Sunday Rock Maple]

Ordered a steam away for the evaporator to cut down on boiling time between bus runs,and to keep inspectors off my back about covering the pans. Bought a new vacuum pump for bush up the road that will need sap ladders. Cutting and stacking wood now before bugs get bad.
I am considering a 3 by 14, how many gallons per hour now and then with the steam away?

[mellondome]

If you look at the steam a way charts in the leader catalogue, it gives you conservative numbers for your configuration both with and without the steamaway.

[adk1]

Upgrading to an ro upgraded to a filter press and expanding taps from 200 to 300+ with 200 being on vac

[PACMAN]

Going from 500 to 800 taps next year. Going with 3/16 on vacuum. Also buying 3 more barrels.

[mudr]

My first contribution to a monthly journal. I placed an order for a 2x6, should be here this summer sometime. It's crazy, I'd LOVE for it to be here sooner but, obviously there isn't any sap to boil. Very excited.

The other news- this may be crazy to many of you but we have our rationale. My wife and I spent this weekend planting 100 of the sweet sap silver maples. 20x20 ft grid pattern. The reasons are mutiple. My wife and I tap woods that my father owns, which he is fine with. It's a bit of a pain to get back to at times with our current equipment, it's a half mile on muddy lane. Also- I don't own the woods. Id love to own them, eventually but that will be a long time off (hopefully), and, I'm sure my brother might want it as well. We have about 1 acre of a former cow pasture on our own little farmstead that was sitting and doing nothing. 30 second walk from the house. Great location. We plan on being here forever, we are currently 30, and the kids are 1 and 4 yr old. From my math based on conservative estimates (10 gal/tap bucket production, low end of predicted sugar content, 4.0%, and retail price of $18 at the time of first production), we should not quite double our investment in the first year of production. That's after firewood and jug costs. We are looking forward to our little plantation. Need to stay on top of keeping it watered this first year.

[wiam]

My first contribution to a monthly journal. I placed an order for a 2x6, should be here this summer sometime. It's crazy, I'd LOVE for it to be here sooner but, obviously there isn't any sap to boil. Very excited.

The other news- this may be crazy to many of you but we have our rationale. My wife and I spent this weekend planting 100 of the sweet sap silver maples. 20x20 ft grid pattern. The reasons are mutiple. My wife and I tap woods that my father owns, which he is fine with. It's a bit of a pain to get back to at times with our current equipment, it's a half mile on muddy lane. Also- I don't own the woods. Id love to own them, eventually but that will be a long time off (hopefully), and, I'm sure my brother might want it as well. We have about 1 acre of a former cow pasture on our own little farmstead that was sitting and doing nothing. 30 second walk from the house. Great location. We plan on being here forever, we are currently 30, and the kids are 1 and 4 yr old. From my math based on conservative estimates (10 gal/tap bucket production, low end of predicted sugar content, 4.0%, and retail price of $18 at the time of first production), we should not quite double our investment in the first year of production. That's after firewood and jug costs. We are looking forward to our little plantation. Need to stay on top of keeping it watered this first year.

I do not see investing in the future to be crazy. Goals are good.

[maple flats]

Likewise, most maple producers and for that matter, most farmers are the ones in our society who invest in the future, for themselves AND future generations. Good job!

[Bruce L]

Current rate on the 3 x 14 is between 200-250 gal/hour,... with the steamaway Bruce tells me it will be 65% faster, that should equate to 330-412.5 /hour? Also looking forward to cutting down wood consumption like the new outdoor furnace, have two years ahead of it now because of lower consumption

[mudr]

Thanks guys. Hoping it works out, we have decent survivorship, and they they have as good a growth rate as I plan. They were planted on a damp but we'll drained plot if land that was a cow pasture for 60 years. Dark, and organic rich soil. Currently a grassy field, no canopy competition. It does feel good to invest in the future. That said, I know a lot (most?) farms in my arear operate "in the now", in my mind, to the detriment of future generations. Much of society is like that. But enough of social/societal observations.

[Sunday Rock Maple]

Current rate on the 3 x 14 is between 200-250 gal/hour,... with the steamaway Bruce tells me it will be 65% faster, that should equate to 330-412.5 /hour? Also looking forward to cutting down wood consumption like the new outdoor furnace, have two years ahead of it now because of lower consumption

Thanks -- those max flues are giving you a similar rate that I get with the regular flues on my 5 by 14, sounds very attractive.

[lakeview maple]

Upgrading to an ro upgraded to a filter press and expanding taps from 200 to 300+ with 200 being on vac ADK1 what kind of filter press did you get?

[adk1]

Wes fab 7" short bank

[nymapleguy607]

Adding another 200 taps on the vacuum system, and maybe another 75-100 on gravity. Just purchased a 1 season used MES 290gph 3 post ro, Clayton and Frank are putting in new menbranes and giving me the 2 year warranty just like a new one. Customer that had it first upgraded to an 8" machine they sell. I should be able to get 8% single passing but time will tell.

[BAP]

Sold my 20"x66" CDL Maple Pro evaporator and purchased a used 2'x8' Algier evaporator. Hoping to scrounge up enough used or cheap material to enlarge my sugarhouse this summer.

[DrTimPerkins]

Must be Dr. Tim is on vacation, he usually has started a new month by this time. ..

I wish. :lol: What with the end of the season being quickly followed by presentations at Open Houses (meaning analyze the data, figure out what it means, and put together PowerPoint presentations really quickly), year-end budget season at the University (so annual reviews and salary distributions for FY17), and writing papers/articles for various places....I'm busier than ever at this time of year. Should be slowing down soon though (at least I keep telling myself that), although there is the IMSI meeting and Maple Hall of Fame presentation in a couple of weeks in Croghan, NY (another road-trip).

On the positive side (at least for me), things should slow down considerably over the summer, as I will be taking a Professional Development Leave from mid-May to mid-September. I have a bunch of writing and editing to do during that time, so it won't all be fun and games, but it will mean being out of the office most of that time, and probably not on this list much during that time.

[lakeview maple]

Im converting another 200 taps to 3/16th , I would do the whole bush but the laterals on some are new and Im not going to waste it. Ill change it over as the squirrels and tree limbs take it down. Ive been hauling firewood like crazy, found a local amish sawmill who has a huge pile of slabs ,both hard and soft woods. Wants it gone , so Ive been filling the dump trailer when I can and dumping at the sugarhouse. There are at least 10 cord ,so no running low next season. I am also looking to install AOF , I have AUF and want to add on. I think it will help with my firewood consumption any insight would be appreciated. I looked at RO's as well at the open houses ,I grabbed a ton of paperwork and business cards , going to seriously look into it for the upcoming season. Have a great spring and enjoy the weather,Al

[ennismaple]

Now that cleanup is done we're compiling our to-do lists for the upcoming year to fix what we broke and make improvements prior to next season. We also have a long shopping list of items we'd like to buy to increase sap yield, speed up sap and syrup processing and generally make our lives easier in and around the sugar camp.

Plus there's a basement full of syrup that we need to sell!

[n8hutch]

Looking Hard at RO'S, haven't pulled the trigger yet but I am getting excited about the Idea of one. Going to build a new sugar house this summer so I can get some room, running water , wash sinks, handwashing station , all that good stuff.

[adk1]

Don't wait till summer start that job now!

[PerryFamily]

Deposit check going out to Thor equipment for new cross flow pans
Adding another atlas copco vacuum pump from MES because they really suck
With some luck we will be adding a 14'x16' addition to the sugarhouse
Probably will only be adding a couple hundred taps of our own but I think both of the bushes we buy sap from are going to be adding on so time will tell

[Tweegs]

We’re not going to adjust our tap count for next season. Instead, we’ll be trying to improve production on the taps we have. First by getting more taps up on vacuum, second, by improving vacuum transfer throughout the system and third by replacing all of the drops…they’re due.

Need a stand for the tanks built and better wood storage.

Also going to set up a wireless link between the house and the 500’ out to the shack.
It would be nice to wake up in the morn, scratch, grab a cup of coffee and see what’s going on out there…without having to put on a pair of pants.

[Chicopee Sap Shack]

So big things happening this month. I just made a deal and bought a tubing system that has not been used in several years on leased land. Former owner said it was 1800 taps but he was over tapping bad. I counted 1300, bringing me to about 1500 for next year. I pulled the taps yesterday and will start getting it back into shape this summer it needs a bunch of work. Picked up a nice M series pump and new airablo Releaser, permeate tank and sap tank for the woods. Hopefully wood will be done soon I'm having hydraulic issues with the splitter. Then next month the addition should start. Pheew what a year this is going to be.


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[adk1]

Bought a spring tech mini elite with 2 4" membranes. Allot of plumbing to do

[steam maker]

No maple here today !! Taking my help to a clambake instead.. Then back to whipping them next weekend 😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅

[BAP]

Working on dismantling my old sugar house. Plan to pour a new concrete pad over the old and enlarge it to a 12'x20'. Will reuse the old building materials along with what I have been able to obtain for free by salvaging at the town recycling center.

[lakeview maple]

Its been a busy couple of weeks, trying to get everything done before the heat of the summer hits. Not quite done and the last 3 days have been pretty brutal with the heat. The house firewood is all done , gardens are all in and the new beehives are doing great, something Ive always wanted to try so I took the leap. I bought a nuc and built 3 of my own hives. I built extra for hopeful expansion. Well we were truly blessed , I didn't have them a week and I got a call from the local school there was a swarm at there ball field and did I want it? My wife and I loaded the truck and went and got our second hive, there both doing well. Going to try and finish hauling all the slabwood for the sugarhouse on Friday, Ive got about 5 loads to go . Hope everyone has a great summer , Allen