Sugaring for 45+ years
New Sugarhouse 14'x32'
New to Me Algier 2'x8' wood fired evaporator
2022 added a used RB25 RO Bucket
250 mostly Sugar Maples, 15% Soft Maples. Currently,(110on 3/16" and 125 on Shurflo 4008 vacuum, 15 gravity), (16,000 before being disabled)
1947 Farmall H and Wagon with gathering tank
2012 Kubota with forks to move wood around
Wow, one guy now owns 25% of the taps in Maine and now he wants a ransom? That's not a very good situation.
I hope this turns out better than the way it appears to be heading.
2014 Upgrades!: 24x40 sugarhouse & 30"x10' Lapierre welded pans, wood fired w/ forced draft, homemade hood & preheater
400 taps- half on gravity 5/16, half on gravity 3/16
Airablo R.O. machine - in the house basement!
Ford F-350 4x4 sap gatherer
An assortment of barrels, cage tanks & bulk tanks- with one operational for cooling/holding concentrate
And a few puzzled neighbors...
http://s606.photobucket.com/albums/t...uckethead1920/
If his trees are worth more for lumber than for maple syrup production, he should cut them down and sell them.
By his logic, every maple tree of similar size would be worth more for lumber than for syrup production. So maybe I should contact the government to pay me not to cut down my maple trees.
Seems like an extortion plot to steal money from the government (and a government to which he has make significant campaign contributions, according to the article).
Mark
Last edited by mspina14; 05-12-2017 at 12:23 PM.
Mason 2x4 w/raised flue pan, 240 gal. sap tank, 80 Reds on 5/16 tubing and Lunchbox releaser/pump, 20 sugars on buckets
I like maple as much as the next guy but these seems like it's a sweetheart deal for the Canadians that run the leases. They are close to the border and don't have to abide the quota in the states. With that said if they want to contact me and I will gladly go setup shop up there. lol In my opinion market forces should play out. If the lumber is worth more log it. Seems doubtful if this has been sugared for a long time. If the leases generate enough revenue to pay for the land so be it. Seems wrong to ask taxpayers for money for something like this.
Last edited by VTnewguy; 05-12-2017 at 12:32 PM.
CDL 2.5*8 Venturi with all the bells
Leader Clear 5 bank filter press
Memprotec 350H RO
600ish taps and looking for more.
In the long run it's better to have the leases. You cut the timber and it's not ready to cut for another 40 years or so. What usually happens is it gets cut then put back on the market. And the owner uses the profits to buy the next piece.
" A man who carries a cat by the tail learns something he can learn in no other way."
Mark Twain
900 plus taps , 435 vacuum, 565 gravity
2.5 x 10 Thor on Tsunami arch
H2O Concentrater 300
Squeezing Bees
and
Draining Trees
Since 1980
http://www.sparkyshoneyandmaple.com/about.html
Most of the woodlands in Maine are owned by timber companies and the roads are only plowed in the areas where they're harvesting. These huge sugar bushes are only accessible to Canadians which seems like a shame to me.
So Maine state generated money to purchase easements on timber land that will benefit one individual significantly and then benefit Canadian producers who compete directly with the Maine maple guys? Maybe I'm missing something here but seems like a ransom that does not benefit the local tax payers.
Leader 3x8 Patriot raised flue
800 taps on vacuum
100 buckets around the yard
A lot of help to make it fun
Many of the smaller more southern producers do in fact buy syrup for the bulk producers in that region. We have customers and retail sales and not enough trees. They have trees and good conditions but no customers other than large bulk buyers or the smaller guys in state. Most of the Canadians are members of Maine Maple producers association. They are good people who take pride in making good syrup and do support the maple industry.
There are Maine and US sugarmakers in that area and could be more. There are a few leases available however putting together a 20-50,000 tap operation get expensive there. One lease required proof of financial backing somewhere around $2.5-3,000,000 before being considered for the lease.
1700 Taps /1600 on Vac. 3x10 King evaporator
20 head Charolais cattle
8 head Lowline Angus
28 Miniature horses
90 hives honey bees
JD 4430 tractor
23600 acres! Poor old Paul Fortin. He is to big to fail, We bail out banks that are too big to fail in the US of A. Hey Paul sell a few acres of your 23 thousand, make a payment. I have a soft spot for a guy who can buy 23600 acres in the first place! Wonder what he paid per acre, at 50 dollars an acres that is 1.180000 dollars? Poor Paul?
Mark 220 Maple
1100 taps on low vaccum, 900 on gravity.
900 plus taps leased and on high vacuum
35 cfm Indiana Liquid Ring Vacuum Pump
80% Sugar, 20% Red MAPLES
http://s247.photobucket.com/albums/g...Maple%20Syrup/
Does anyone know what happened to this story? Did the state of Maine end buying the property?
CDL 2.5*8 Venturi with all the bells
Leader Clear 5 bank filter press
Memprotec 350H RO
600ish taps and looking for more.