Scaling down production?

[Haynes Forest Products]

I remember as a kid my dad got a new 12' boat with a 7hp Evenrude and dang we all had fun. 7 kids and a sand beach. Then came the 16 footer with the 28hp Evenrude. More work bigger cost more fun less kids in the boat. Then came the 24" Uniflite crappy engine, trailer, took all day to go anyplace I hated it and gave up boating. Im sorry were we talking about having fun. I found my passion at what cost.........................DONT CARE

[Revi]

I know exactly what you mean. We stopped lugging 50 buckets from all over the place and now have about 20, and 280 on gravity.

It is still fun, but it's enough for us.

We were thinking of getting vacuum, but we have enough sap to boil now and we don't really need any more.

There is a balance between fun and chore, and we keep it on the fun side.

We both have full time jobs, so we need to keep the maple from eating all our time.

[3rdgen.maple]

I hear ya Haynes. I hear ya. Let me put it this way my maple equipment is my 24 foot uniflite the dang crappy motor is mother nature. Love the boat hate the motor.

[JohnsSugarShack]

Upgraded to a 2x6 this year, really enjoy sugaring have always done it for fun. Thought I might make a little more this year to sell seeing that I could boil down more quicker. But this was the worst year for me as far as sap quantity and the sugar pretty much stayed at 2% or less. Looking to tap more trees next year would like to have 200. Just love making the liquid gold.

[Rhino]

Very stressful for me when we got to 4000 taps. Lots of stuff that can malfunction during good runs, weather not right, lots of pre-season expense with no guarentees, finding help. A 500 tap operation with a small evap. would put the fun back into it. It's crazy how when the season ends your looking forward to the next but thats the addiction. As the years go by I know the scale back is comeing.

[TF Maple]

Since this is only my second maple season, I wouldn't think of getting smaller. My oldest son and I happen to be unemployed this season so we have a lot of time to work the sugar bushes, so we wish we were bigger, especially with this slow year. I think if the work to collect and boil takes up more time than I have to spare, it wouldn't be fun and I would get smaller and probably enjoy it more. So, while a person could miss making a lot of syrup and using big equipment, scaling down would be better than not doing it at all.

[PerryW]

My tap numbers have bobbed around over my 22 years of sugaring in my current location. I have discontinued some of the less productive tubing runs and instead, hung a few buckets on the nice roadside trees. I definitely have less taps now than 10 years ago, but still make about the same amount of syrup.

Any increase in sap to me (by adding vacuum, significantly more taps, or some other new technology) would most likely require a significant investment in more equipment like R.O. or steam away, filter press, etc.) and would require developing more retail markets, or selling at a bulk price.

A bigger reason for keeping small is I can still handle a good sap run (for me) of 500 gallons with only 6 hours in the sugarhouse, including start up and clean up.

In an average year, I can sell my $5,500 worth of syrup with $1500 in expenses and pocket $4,000 for 2 months total work; and still keep my day job.

[BryanEx]

There is a balance between fun and chore, and we keep it on the fun side.

We both have full time jobs, so we need to keep the maple from eating all our time.

Thanks Revi... that's pretty much my concern. I may go ahead with the second evaporator anyway but with the intention of using for straight production during heavy sap flows. That way it's always around should I want to host additional families from time to time... without depending on it. Market and book for one evaporator with two available if needed so that I'm not obligated for too much at once.

[KenWP]

I had the chance to jump to a lot of taps this year but time and money got in the way. I am tired enough as it is just with 200. They haven't run all that well so I get some free time but when they do I am busy. She who has to be obeyed has helped out a lot by gathering it into pails and such so i just have to carry it when I get home at nights.

[markct]

i keep expanding but not gettin alot more syrup lol! my first year was 35 taps and 7.5 gal syrup, next year 300 taps and 15 gal syrup, this year 480 and about 30 gal syrup! mother nature just aint cooperated, but since we get the 10 months to improve im sure i will add more taps for next year and if we get a great year i will have more sap than i can handle, but if we get another crappy year i will make a bit more syrup! i can always dump extra sap, but its alot harder to make more syrup with not enough sap!