Western Wisconsin

[motowbrowne]

Got about 1/3 of our taps in. Started on the south side. Some trees running, but so far only on the southernmost edge. Already over 40 today. Didn't freeze last night. Snow's disappearing fast. Almost feels like 2012. Forecast looks better in a week, but so far I'm not seeing anything that makes me want to put in more taps and clean the evaporator. If the buds hold off, things could shape up, but it doesn't look good if this warmth keeps going. Anyone else thinking about skipping this year, or at least waiting to see what happens next week?

[maple flats]

Keep going, the sap will run as soon as mother nature says so. Right now the ground is frozen hard too deep.

[motowbrowne]

Well I cooked a decent amount of syrup between the 6th and the 13th. Probably have made about 40 gallons so far, with enough in the rig to break 50. I'm really hoping for another few days of sap starting Friday. They're giving us some decent overnight lows later this week including 25 degrees on Friday night.

It would sure be nice to cook some more. If we are done now, it would be the second worst year on record for us. At least we've done better than 2012, but there's still lots of room for improvement. If there's one thing I've taken away from this season, it's that I'm gonna install a bunch of 3/16" tubing for next year. Seeing the numbers some other folks are coming up with on days when we're twiddling our thumbs makes it seem like a no-brainer. One one hand it's tough to go spend money on new equipment after a poor year, but if it means we actually get some sap during marginal weather in the next few years, then it will be worth it. Plus, a few less buckets to empty would be just fine with me!

[Cody]

If you have descent slope go for it.Yesterday on our 900 taps we collected 997 gallons.3/16 line is crazy.

[motowbrowne]

If you have descent slope go for it.Yesterday on our 900 taps we collected 997 gallons.3/16 line is crazy.

I'm not positive of the total elevation drop, but the app on my phone puts it at around 40-45 feet. Some trees in the middle of the run obviously won't get the full effect, but we haven't had any sap since Saturday whereas you've been pulling sap every day. I think it's worth a shot.

[Cody]

I'm not positive of the total elevation drop, but the app on my phone puts it at around 40-45 feet. Some trees in the middle of the run obviously won't get the full effect, but we haven't had any sap since Saturday whereas you've been pulling sap every day. I think it's worth a shot.

No expert on it but it is amazing what it has done for our woods.Last year after no freezing our runs dropped right off to a trickle.Yesterday was a pleasant surprise.If you want we could look at your woods or vice-versa.

[motowbrowne]

Well, it's been fun visiting everyone this week.

On Tuesday I got to go see Mark Casper's setup in Knapp and see how fast syrup comes out of a 4x12 when the sap goes in at 10%. I think we made more syrup in an hour and a half than I can in a day.

Just this morning I went to see the woods Cody and his dad are tapping. I definitely don't have the slope these guys are working with, but I hope with the addition of a Shurflo at the bottom of my hill that I'll be able to see some numbers like they're seeing next year.

We had a decent run yesterday and it ran even a little better today. If Cody and Mark aren't posting, it's probably because they're trying to keep afloat in all the sap they're pulling in. We finally got enough to fire up the rig again. I cooked about another 8 gallons of syrup this afternoon, and I've still got about 300-350 gallons of sap on hand.

Many of our tapholes dried up, so we decided to put out another 80 or so this morning. There's no way that this will be a bumper year for us, due to the warm weather in the middle of the season, but we may manage to eek out a 70-80% crop. If that happens, it'll be much easier to swallow the price of installing new tubing on the majority of our woods. Plus, there's that new chainsaw I've been eyeing...

Anyway, I'm gonna shut down the rig for the night and come back in the morning. A big thanks to Cody, Todd, Mark, Mark, and to mapletrader for putting everyone in touch!

[Balsam Hills]

My trees mainly face south. So far nothing is running. I learned a long time ago to never make early predictions about the season. Heck, last week it was well below zero. Who knows what will happen in a week or two? Patience...

[markcasper]

I learned along time ago when all the BTO's get their taps in, you have at least another week before things really like to happen. Yes it feels like 2012, BUT 2012 had one of the warmer February's on record, while this year was the 3rd coldest. There is a fair amount of frost where there was no snow cover and with every day being plain jane and fair weather, that is not conducive to good sap flow. We need some storms and weather systems moving in, thats when we get the best runs. With that being said, I'm not optomistic that it will be a barrel buster year. I will be getting all the vacuum taps in and going, but will hold off on the bags until next week and then determine weather it will be worth doing them or not.

[Ray Maack]

My Southside reds just started giving sap today. Got a couple of gallons out of 36 taps.