Cost of production

[blissville maples]

1500 hrs in the woods what?????? Oh my God. No wonder folks losing money....Did u mean 150 hrs...1500 hrs is 25 weeks of 60 he weeks...Must have alot of squirrels or doing something wrong.....As I said those used to hard work make money sugaring, it cost me about 1000 dollars in electrical, supplies, another 10 weeks in la or if I were to count it( I don't too.muxh because unlike most here in Vermont we have the farmer like work ethic...If we weren't sugaring we'd be doing something else that didn't make money, like picking sticks up off the yard raking gravel from snowplow, cutting wood...None of which are paid for). I've been self employed since I was 22 now I'm 35 I built a 2300 foot house 3 years ago in 6 months of 16 hr days....Some of us are born to work all day every day we dont need to calculate money for every hour of the awakn day....Farmers and self employed folks don't look at it day to day, we get paid on weeks or months time, as long as the dough is stacking up and not disappearing- your making money....U all need to realize sugaring is a hobby for most probably 50perecnt or more of all who boil are hobbyist, they never gonna make money, lol sometimes reading these posts are like watching the news........Good luck

[blissville maples]

I think if you are more likely to help your wife bake cookies than cut wood, you should not be including time as a cost cuz most of ur time is likely watching NASCAR drinking beer spending money....So just cuz ur out for 4 weeks doesn't mean u need get paid to make it sound good

[BAP]

I think if you are more likely to help your wife bake cookies than cut wood, you should not be including time as a cost cuz most of ur time is likely watching NASCAR drinking beer spending money....So just cuz ur out for 4 weeks doesn't mean u need get paid to make it sound good

Must be you work for free at your regular job and give your syrup away for free too if you feel your labor for sugaring is worth nothing. Counting your labor in any business is important if you truly want to know how much money your business is making.

[GeneralStark]

First thing is you ha e to stop buying Al this new stuff.....Any stainless will do, lol....Last year I invest 6k invaccum, everything else been used for years, made 16k insyrup, no labor paid father boils 3-4 hrs a day and I have roughly 6 weeks invested. 2400 taps, this year on track to make 18k syrup nothing new all equipment is paid for year by year going g forward...... if I could make 3-4k a mk that all year I'd be set....... Really depends on how you can "make it happen". Sugaring is not like watching football, and I think some see it as an easy buck, those of us used to hard work make money!!!!!

Is that 16k before or after your expenses such as utility, insurance, property taxes, supplies, etc....?

[blissville maples]

Bap, lol no it's what you call efficientcy, 90 percent of my syrup is sold 22 a gal bulk, love to get 45+55 like some you folks, but try selling 700-1000 gals out of your driveway!! At 22 I'm making a helacious profit. I run a business with 3-4 employees, I gross about 250k a year from that.......But I run a big block high horse​ motor inside of me so I think that's why I'm more profitable....Nothing like getting her done, put the hammer down, let that animal out, most guys tip toe thru the tulips, I've seen it, not too many can run with me, lol sorry no offense to anyone just trying to help some understand why at 22 a gal I profit and this one guy says he could sell for a hundred a gallon and still not break even.....If so I would just give it away you'll feel better inside......No offenses o tell it like it is

[blissville maples]

That 16 k is after I deduct 500 for electricity, supplies like filter aid soap new taps etc another thousand....Taxes, lol trees don't incur much taxes, it's the 3400 sq foot house and the dam school board making my taxes go up and all these dam immigrants, but to satisfy you of my 4000 property taxes take 1500 off my profit and I'm still 15k. But I forgot to.mention the 18k was figured at 900 gals @20 a gal for quick math plug in 22 to 750 gals and then 40 for the 150 gals I sell local......
I just recoup that tax money pretty fast with correct math

[blissville maples]

Don't you have to pay property taxes either way, sugaring income is just an added offset......I guess I'm looking at things from a larger scale efficient operation, I suppose if you want to recoup a thousand dollars investment with 10 gals of syrup good luck Yea 100 a gal will break u even bit you can't look at it like that.....I believe I'm speaking with folks who are on a different sugaring level than I am

[AdirondackSap]

22$ a gallon is giving it away. Do all that hard work to sell it for less than half of what the syrup is worth. To me thats just stupid. I fill my truck and trailer with syrup. I go to where ibget premium prices. Down south ots more than just making syrup you got to sell it and its not hard to sell wholesale 40$ a gallon

[Homestead Maple]

Blissvile, you must have more taps than the 1,500 taps that your profile shows if your making between 700 - 1,000 gals of syrup a season. Maybe your taps yield 1/2 gal a year though.

[hookhill]

Yeah after all these years we finally figured out that it was easier to make it then it is to sell it. A friend of ours peddles his syrup in Rhode Island somewhere. He goes down on summer weekends to farmer markets. He at least gets 2.5 times the bulk price. The only drawback is that its a real nice summer day here in Vermont and he is sitting at a farmers market in Rhode Island. Selling is extra work, it is another job. Making the sale, packing it up and shipping. There is also the part called getting it into jugs. All that is work, and plenty of it. There is something to be said for dropping off 40 gallon drums of syrup and getting a check. What I would like figure out though, is how to get $40 a gallon wholesale the easy way. Any suggestions appreciated.