IMO as a producer that wholesales it is tough to do that when you also retail. I have a hard time making this great product and then allowing a dealer to make 30-35% as a markup. But if I don't give that level then they will just go to another sorce that will provide that markup.

I am fortunate in that I inherited our family operation and all the equipment. On the other hand I have added thousands of $$$ of equipment and retubing the bush. It is terrifically expensive to produce but I can make as much in 6 weeks as we do with the cattle over the course of nearly two years. Luckily we grew that business when we were young and now it is paying dividends.

Large producers of maple are just like dairy and beef farms: you must maximize your equipment while managing expenses if you intent to turn a profit. How many taps can one person install and maintain while boiling and packing bulk syrup to storage?

I need to do more advertising in a fashion that will give me the return and not others reaping the benefits of my investment.

My middle son is headed to a great marketing college and plans to make this his project.

We all need to market wisely and I agree that funding studies is important but it is just as important to have studies going on in the production areas of maple.

I remember when I first started changing our farm and trying new techniques...ones that were don't on test farms like our weather patterns were far more beneficial than those done even a hundred miles south. We can never plant oats by the 15th of April without compaction and poor stands. So many farms in our area quit doing oats just to find that our yields were as good or better than those that got them in the ground by the golden date.

Maple is less location related but I think more will listen closer when there is a producer near to them that worked with and had results included in a study.

Its like washing lines. When people saw how clean or lines are they started looking at if not doing washing. Sure it is work but it is also marketing at work. We even got a customer from a passer by that stopped to ask how is it running." All done but to wash the lines." we wash them to have a clean, more productive equipment for next season. He backed up and bought a quart...his guy said its a waist of time and makes no difference.

Thanks Dr Tim and Steve Childs for providing the data that it does pay off in at least better production.

Ben