2016- 50 buckets. Made 4 gallons
2017- 100 buckets, 50 taps on 3/4 mainline and 3/16th tubing + shurflo vacuum. Made 30 gallons.
2018- 1000 taps on 3/16 + vacuum, 60 buckets - made 378 gallons of syrup.
2019- 1713 taps on 3/16 + vacuum, NO buckets. Made 500 gallons.
Sure Vermont produced 2/3 of the us crop. GIVE ME A BREAK. How can they even print that in good conscience?
Ohio made more than 300,000 gallons. The 4 biggest bulk buyers in Ohio bought over 100,000 gallons alone. plus EVERY producer in Ohio has an excellent outlet for retail with 12 million people living in the state. New York PA and michigan are no different.
Last edited by fred; 06-17-2019 at 10:18 AM.
Fred Ahrens
330-206-1606
Richards Maple Products
Ohio CDL sales rep
1500 taps
dont take life too serious, nobody gets out alive anyways
fred,
Those statistics are presented in good conscience because those are the numbers that NASS has to work with. Many, if not most, sugar makers do not bother to report their production. As a result USDA under estimates the size and economic importance of our industry.
I've gotten a USDA census every year for maple syrup and then this year I didn't get one. Didn't even realize I hadn't seen one until mid May. Don't know why they took me off the list. I send them back every year.
Second generation sap rat.
Started taking over in 2012
2012-2016: 300 buckets 120 on gravity tubing. Waterloo 2x10 wood fired. Averaged 105 gallons per season.
2017: hoping for 300 on 3/16 with Shurflo and 50 buckets. New used 4x14 Algier wood fired cooker. 180 gallons of syrup
2018: 300 on vacuum 2 buckets, finally got a splitter!
So Ohio went from 90,000 gallons in the 2018 USDA report to 300,000 this year but didn’t report it to the USDA? That’s one whale of an increase.
Sugaring for 45+ years
New Sugarhouse 14'x32'
New to Me Algier 2'x8' wood fired evaporator
225 Sugar Maples Currently,(105 on 3/16" and 110 on Shurflo 4008 vacuum, 10 gravity), (16,000 before being disabled)
1947 Farmall H and Wagon with gathering tank
2012 Kubota with forks to move wood around
I also didn't get one. I heard they were just taking a sample and prorating from that. Seems like a faulty way to do it, especially if the pick the wrong ones to poll.
Dave Klish about 1320 taps in '15, doing fewer each year, about 450 planned for 2020 (and after?)
2012 Mahindra 36 HP 4x4/ loader/cab/heat/AC:-)
added a gooseneck equipment trailer and F350 to tow it to haul more sap
3x8 raised flue evaporator
250 GPH converted to electric, RO by Ray Gingerich
6.32 KW solar system, 1.48KW is battery backed up, all net metered
http://s1041.photobucket.com/albums/...anssugarhouse/
website: www.cnymaple.com
Fred Ahrens
330-206-1606
Richards Maple Products
Ohio CDL sales rep
1500 taps
dont take life too serious, nobody gets out alive anyways
There is no question that the NASS numbers are not perfect. Don't blame NASS -- they rely on people to voluntarily report. They use standard statistical approaches to estimate the actual numbers from the samples they do receive. That is not optimal, but since reporting is not mandatory, there isn't much they can do than ask, beg, and cajole people into sending them numbers. We know of at least one county in Vermont where a large operation expanded by 80,000 taps within the past few years, but the entire county has less than that reported. Eventually the numbers will get corrected.
I have been to at least 3 years of January Ohio Maple Days meetings over the past few decades. At ALL of them, I have heard Dr. Gary Graham implore those in attendance to report their numbers to NASS, because it was felt that Ohio numbers reported by NASS were far below the actual values. That message seems to have fallen on deaf ears. The result is that NASS has now proposed to drop Ohio (and other states) from their maple reporting altogether. Don't blame NASS. Don't blame OSU Extension. They did all they could do. Not enough people choose to cooperate or badger their neighbors into reporting.
Some may say "so what?" The answer to that comes down to $. If the government doesn't see a viable agricultural industry, they aren't going to fund things like ag marketing for maple, or regulatory/advisory services in those states. The Universities/Colleges in those areas are going to say "Why do maple...we don't have that industry here" and instead will choose to focus on other things to put their resources into. Energy efficiency programs will stop helping maple producers update to more energy efficient ROs and other equipment. So over a few decades, that few minutes of work you (and others in the maple industry) "voluntarily" chose not to do each year ends up costing you and your neighbors who make syrup tens of millions of $ in support. Basically....if you're not counted, you don't exist, and you don't get funding or resources because you're just not big enough to matter to the bean-counters and decision-makers.
I agree Tim , its a struggle especially with the Amish
Fred Ahrens
330-206-1606
Richards Maple Products
Ohio CDL sales rep
1500 taps
dont take life too serious, nobody gets out alive anyways
on a side note ive been in the syrup business (demos,seminars, syrup and equiptment) for 30+ years and was only surveyed twice. so Im partial to say they skew their own numbers too.
Fred Ahrens
330-206-1606
Richards Maple Products
Ohio CDL sales rep
1500 taps
dont take life too serious, nobody gets out alive anyways