Good year so far

[Tim Wagoner]

Wow it has been a good year so far I am currently sitting at 95 gallons my goal is 100 but we are having a real warm spell here in KY and it is going to hit 70 degrees. Not sure but I believe this may shut things down. If so I will have to tap a sections on my farm that I was not going to. No lines in this area it will be all buckets with some really steep hills. Not bad until you trip on a root and spill 2 five gallon buckets and flip half way down the hill. Last year I did that twice. Which sucks! That is 20 gallons of sap plus a few good dents and dings on the body. Last year we did not get these temps until almost march. Someone should have been out at that groundhogs hole with a flash light so he would have seen his shadow. I know all you guys up north are just getting ready for the sap flow. Hope it goes good. Everyone have a good one.

[ennismaple]

Glad you've had a good year so far and I hope it continues. We've got a warm spell today and tomorrow but its not worth tapping this early to get a day's run. You'll be finished for the season and on the golf course by the time we're ready to start!

[afretired]

Tim
Just when I got started it shut down for me. Since Monday I have only collected 75 gallons with 200 taps. Only my sugar maples are giving anything. Today I got so upset I ripped out 600 ft of main line and taps that were mostly red maples and moved it to another section of the farm that is predominatly sugar maples. Hopefully I will get them tapped in the morning and be up and running.

David

[jimsudz]

Tim Caught your video on youtube looks like your running a new lapierre Just put together a 2.5 x8 last season only ran 3 times,becaue the pans wern't built until 3/26/10. Have you had any issues with it? Mine seems to boil real well. Where just about to get started up here in Western New York.Tapped 89 on vaccum 75%reds rest sugars got about 110 gals. need to finish installing 50 more on vac and hang 150 buckets on big sugars when it gets a lttle warmer. Glad to see your having a good season I hope I will be saying the same. Jim

[Tim Wagoner]

Jim my pan is good it is a 2x8 and I am pleased with it. A few things I wish I did have was a blower fan to make the fire hotter and insulation for the front door. I caught my coveralls on fire the first year I had it. I get an evaporation rate of about 30 to 50 gal per hour. Wish it was more I have more sap then I have time to evaporate. I had to dump about 300 gallon this year do to it going bad before I could evaporate it. I am looking at a steamaway pan. From what I can find out that should give me a evaporation rate of 80 to 90 gal per hour.and if the wife agrees to it we may even get a RO but we will see. I could always tap fewer trees but where is the fun in that. This doggone weather just may shut me down for the year we are going on 9 days of not having below freezing temps at night so we will see. Hope your season goes well

[Tim Wagoner]

Well CRAP!! they have changed the weather forcast and it is not looking good for the maple season here in KY. I believe it is done for the year. I missed my mark of 100 gallons I got 95. That is better then 94 and the 95 is 20 more then I had last year so that is good. I have several trees I can tap in another area but I am not going to do that if we don't get some freezing temps. I guess we will just have to see.

[v. Deschenes]

by the time i start here you will prob be swiming in the lake hahahah . i cant wait im a very small producer and its my first year i will have only 20 taps but looking for over 50 next year