buying land

[Gone Maple]

I need some help or imput. I have ben making maple for over 10 years. I have come across a 58 acer maple lot with 3500+ taps I want to buy it but is it the right choice. I currently tap ,rent 2200 taps but want my own lot to build up. It is a perfect lot that would run into the maple house, with the potential of tapping rights to a 300 acer lot right above this one do it or not

[wiam]

I would have a herd tome turning away from sap that would run to my sugarhouse n

[Bucket Head]

I agree with William. Sap directly to the sugar house is a beautiful thing.

You might be very sorry if you decide to pass on it. One of those, "man, I should of bought that back when I had the chance" things.

[mellondome]

They print money every day.. but no one is making more land. If it is doable, I would do it.
But make sure of what you are buying. Do you live where maple rights are separately deeded? Does it include OGM rights?

[BreezyHill]

Sap in the sugar house is great. All of ours comes right in with the turning on of the vac pump. I have a great truck to haul sap IH 2000 gallon capacity with a 2" Hyd driven pump and it does around 300gpm thru the 2" suction line and has a 3" that I didn't use much. It wtill would take me an hour to go collect and come back and unload. That is an hour I don't have.

As MD said they don't make more land and to find land with tapable maples on it is even rare, then to have a good gravity setup is even better yet...IMO you would be crazy to pass this up.

You already know what you can make on maple so if the taxes, payments and the work all all in the black then jump on it.

Good Luck!

[Gone Maple]

Trust me it is hard to just turn away. It is a lot of money but it is what I wanted for a while. Just knowing there is a good chance on a lease on the property right above it with over 300 acers that look just like this one. All I am wating on is my loner and just set up a plan to take it futher.

[spud]

Trust me it is hard to just turn away. It is a lot of money but it is what I wanted for a while. Just knowing there is a good chance on a lease on the property right above it with over 300 acers that look just like this one. All I am wating on is my loner and just set up a plan to take it futher.

You need to define (a lot of money). What are we talking for the 58 acre lot with 3500 taps? You mention all the sap would run into the sugar house but is that your sugar house now or one that would need to be built? Just setting up the woods and buying a tank and vacuum with releaser will cost $40,000+. If you need to build a sugar house that will be a bunch more. You're going to need a bigger RO and a bigger evaporator unless you want to boil all night and work all day. You would have 5700 total taps and based on your 23 gallons of syrup made per hour you could be boiling 6-10+ hours a day. You not only will be buying the land and setting it up but you will have to spend money setting your sugar house up to handle the increase of sap. If it takes longer then 10 years to pay everything off then you're putting yourself into more trouble. After ten years all new tubing is needed and all the equipment in the sugar house will need to be replaced. Sugaring can be a money pit and I would hate to see you go from loving sugaring to hating it because you put yourself into such debt. If a person just sugars to pay their sugaring bill then what is the point of sugaring? I am not saying this would be you're case but sit down and do the math and make sure this is right for you and your family. Best of luck.

Spud

[markcasper]

After ten years all new tubing is needed and all the equipment in the sugar house will need to be replaced. Sugaring can be a money pit and I would hate to see you go from loving sugaring to hating it because you put yourself into such debt.

Spud

It will be a money pit if you replace everything in 10 years. If everything needs to be replaced at 10 years, then I would get a different manager. I end up replacing things because of expansion, not wearing them out. You cannot tell me that welded evaporator pans, ss barrels and ss tanks wear out in 10 years. If thats the case, then I better give it up because I'd be broke. IMO

[spud]

It will be a money pit if you replace everything in 10 years. If everything needs to be replaced at 10 years, then I would get a different manager. I end up replacing things because of expansion, not wearing them out. You cannot tell me that welded evaporator pans, ss barrels and ss tanks wear out in 10 years. If thats the case, then I better give it up because I'd be broke. IMO

Mark- I should have worded it a bit different when I said 10 years. The trend in sugaring is to always have shinny new equipment in the sugar house. I am not saying that everyone follows this trend but the vast majority of sugar makers do. I know countless sugar makers in my area and NONE of them have an RO or Evaporator older then 10 years. These people follow the trend that MOST sugar makers do. Tubing should be replaced every 10 years if you're hoping for max GPT. After the sugaring season dealers have to go pick up equipment that was sold on credit. The sugar maker has high hopes of a great season but that does not always happen. My advise to GoneMaple is just to really think out every aspect before buying a very expensive piece of property.

Spud

[Ed R]

For me I would factor in all the other intangible factors before buying a piece of property. What other recreational opportunities could this open up like hunting/fishing/snowmobiling. Is their any other timber value other than maple?