maple grove

[DrTimPerkins]

With the new check valves in the woods and everyone of them increasing volume just a small amount,....

There are probably at least 55+ million taps put out between the U.S. and Canada. There will be maybe 3 million of the Leader Check-Valve spouts put out this year. Probably not enough to make a dent in the supply....yet.

What I hear is that the markets are still quite strong and demand is still growing despite the big crop this past year. Probably that is because there is essentially no strategic reserve in Quebec as of this past year. Unless we get another huge crop, I suspect prices will remain about the same. Only time will tell.

And if you think the CV spout will revolutionize the industry.....just wait a few years.

[tom jr.]

sounds like you got something up your sleeve dr. perkins
can you give us a hint ?

[NH Maplemaker]

I know! How about fiberoptic built into every maple pipeline and tubing system, Have it carry UV to every tap holes! Tap holes will be kept sterile and will not dry up for the entire maple season!! Remenber you heard it hear frist!!JimL.

[syrupkid]

i personally dont think us in wisconsin will have any kind of a good season this year after the bumper crop we had last year one has to think that this year will not yield as much sap or as good of sugar content last year my uncle here got and im not embellishing the story here 138 gallons yes gallons of syrup out of his 200 trees granted his woods is usually pretty high production woods but still i personally think if i cook for 350-400 trees this year i will produce 80-95 gallons of syrup this is just my rookie prediction though and i could be wrong (like alot of the time)

[DrTimPerkins]

sounds like you got something up your sleeve dr. perkins
can you give us a hint ?

At this point I cannot comment further. Sorry.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Either way, we look forward to what you will come up with next and it will more than likely be beneficial to many producers.

[farmall h]

jlemieux
Evidently Haven is Maple Grove's one and only buyer and he keeps wierd hours. Last year I tried to get 4-30 gal drums from them. They only had 55's. Did get the drums but it takes longer to fill them and by that time the price changed dramatically. Have you tried the folks that bought "Bucky's" just outside of Barton/Glover? From what I understand they make maple candy and such.
ps: How many taps you folks have on the hill?

[markcasper]

Reading this thread brings a few comments. Yes it is/was true that there is alot of syrup sitting around Wisconsin yet. I am one of them! It is true that many producers were unable to market it bulk this past year, me being one of them. I understand that many had to get on the "sign up sheet" to sell to the packers.

There are a few things to consider.

1) Wisconsin produced 200,000 plus gallons, a mere record setting crop, the highest ever and up from the normal 110,000-120,000 gallons.

2) There has been installed, over the past few years, more vacuum systems than at anytime in history. (This is unchartered production territory.)



3)Tapping is more attractive since the lumber markets have fell into the gutter.

4)There are huge property tax breaks in Wisconsin for tapping a woodlot. This has happened all within the last 8-9 years. Before that, there was no tax break.

5)The huge price increase in bulk prices sent new people flocking to get into the syrup business, and this continues on this year.

6)I have heard from a very reliable packer that sales are holding there own if not increasing a bit, due to people not eating out as much. They are staying home and for the price of a night out for a steak, they can buy a gallon of syrup which will last a long time.

7)If bulk prices drop and the newbies start not breaking even, thats gonna slow down the expansion like shutting a light switch off. Then a bad year comes along, and it could create another roller coaster like we have all seen. I personally know of one young, newbie producer that thought he had the world by the tail. He was a laid off in the winter concrete worker who spent 1000's a year ago. He didn't own a tree. He now has been permantly laid off, had a huge debt going on in the vast dream of making $$$$$$ it in syrup. Now he lost a big woods after torking the landowner off. Not a good situation, and you know there are others out there like this.

8)I bought 700 cv's today and will begin replacing. I am convinced that there will be extended sap flow, especially at the end of the season. But thats a big problem right there. In my opinion, alot of the increased syrup made from the sap of these adaptors is going to be very low quality. It was tried on like 12000 taps. Thats nothing compared to the 3 million or whatever that are going to be going in. We will all be able to witness a wide geographical summary of the performance of these spouts within 90 days.

If there gets to be too much of this low quality syrup out and it doesn't have a market, then its as good as not being made in the first place.

[Randy Brutkoski]

Never really thought about that for the end of the season. I believe that there will be alot of low quality syrup, which will probably make the cv adapter and and that extra week of sap running not sound as good as what it really should be. But we will see. Some poeple like to make mud.

[802maple]

This is the first that I had seen this thread, I guess I was out riding around in my new Hummer to much, what you guys missed though was the new Porsche LOL.
A good share of you know I no longer buy for Maple Grove, but I am trying to become a buyer for another packer, whether that works out is still to be determined. I became mixed up in that we aren't going to buy from sugarmakers that saved our butt issue that many of you mentioned and therefore I left them. I just don't operate that way.
I will answer some questions that have come up here though. I heard why don't they use just Vermont syrup? That reason is if they bought every drop of syrup that Vermont made it wouldn't begin to fill there orders, for that matter if you added in Maine, New Hampshire and New York it wouldn't do it either. It is much easier to get it by the tanker load from Canada all blended and ready to go.
Another question that I can respond to is the added amount of lower quality syrup that is directly attributed to the small spout technology and and new spout replacement. I personally had in the range of 20 percent more of the lower quality brought to me from this technology alone. I know that this will be the first grade shutdown if there is another bumper crop.
As far as prices go this will be a very interesting year depending upon the crop size.
From my experience if there is another bumper crop, sugarmakers better not let grass grow under their wheels getting to their most popular packer as they will be for the most part be done buying by the end of May
An average year you can expect it to be like this year and below average to poor the ceiling could be the sky, who knows.
My Hummer is nearly warmed up, so I must leave