Fosters Article

[Amber Gold]

I saw this article in Fosters Daily Democrat today.

http://fosters.com/apps/pbcs.dll/art...S_01/169507735

How many taps does Bascom's put out if they've already got 7,000 gallons of syrup and the season's not over yet?

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

They run between 40,000 and 50,000 taps including the sap they buy.

[royalmaple]

They had 53,000 (could have been 55,000) on the chart last year.

[Amber Gold]

That is amazing having an operation that big. It must be pretty cool to watch. If they're putting out that many taps, shouldn't they get almost 20,000 gallons of syrup a year?

I was talking to one of them last week and they're having an open house with equipment manufacturers and seminars. I think it is going to be first weekend of May. I guess there's a lot of new/used equipment moving around and I might be able to find some of the equipment I'm going to need to upgrade my setup for next year. I was thinking of going to it. Has anyone been to it before and is it worth going to?

Josh

[royalmaple]

Yes, every year, Last year I think it was the 4-5 of may. Should be able to find some info on exact dates for this year. Glen goodrich in Cabot, vt also does the same with seminars and buying syrup etc. Last year they were on the same day(s).

[DS Maple]

I went to the open house two years ago and it was OK. I suppose the seminars are good for people who really don't know much about sugaring, not to mention that a lot of the stuff in them has probably already been addressed on this site. The 10% discount is worth getting though. The way I understand it you get 10% off of everything, even if you were to buy a brand new evaporator. There's no question that if you plan of buying equipment of any type from Bascom's you might as well go and get the discount because it is the only time you will ever save any money with them. In conclusion, I wouldn't say don't go for the seminars, but rather my primary reason for going is to save a little money.

[Amber Gold]

I just looked at the date for the Goodrich Maple Farm Open house and it's on May 4-5th. Are they competitors and do they intentionally schedule them on the same weekend?

I've been doing this for a couple of years on a 2'x2' pan, but if they have anything on operating a larger operation, expanding, and making it profitable, I figure it can't hurt to attend. The main reason is to see what I can find for equipment.

Josh

[tuckermtn]

never been up to Goodrichs but there are always used pans at Bascoms...cross flow syrup pans, flues, etc...

we went to Bascoms a few years ago, but would like to check out others before going back...

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

The last time I talked to them about it a couple of years ago, they made 14,000 gallon off of 40,000 taps. They have expanded some since then.

[Bill'sSugarShack]

I just looked...Bascom's open house is May 2&3rd..
http://www.bascommaple.com/