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Cost of Maple Sap Production for Various Size Tubing Operations

Reports sap production costs for small (500 to 1,000 taps), medium (1,000 to 5,000), and large (5,000 to 15,000) maple syrup operations that use plastic tubing with vacuum pumping. The average annual operating cost per tap ranged from $4.64 for a 500-tap sugarbush operation to $1.84 for a sugarbush with 10,000 taps. The weighted average was $2.87 per tap or $11.48 per gallon (assumes four taps required to produce a gallon of syrup). The average annual investment cost for a plastic tubing system ranged from $7.90 for a 500-tap operation to $6.03 for a 10,000-tap system. The average labor time per tap was 4.74 minutes in 1998 compared to 9.60 minutes in 1975. The break-even (zero profit) size for a sugarbush operation was 900, 1,500, and 3,800 taps for a 3.0, 2.5, and 2.0o Brix sap, respectively.

Designing & Installing a Maple Tubing System 

Adam Wild, the director of Cornell University’s Uihlein Maple Research Forest located in Lake Placid, NY, shares information about basic tubing design and installation for both gravity and vacuum systems.

Developing your Maple Marketing Plan for wholesale and bulk sales

The development of a marketing plan allows the maple producer to evaluate options to determine the most livable and profitable marketing options for selling my maple products in the wholesale and bulk market. The finished plan then allows the producer to focus efforts on what has been decided are the most livable and profitable ways of marketing for the business. For many maple producers who are most in love with maple production the question seems to be ÒNow that IÕve made maple syrup what is the best way for me to sell it?Ó The approach used in developing the marketing plan here is that of asking and evaluating some basic marketing questions will lead to assembling a reasona-ble marketing plan.

Does FSMA’s Preventive Controls Rule Apply to your Maple Operation?

Some maple operations will have compliance requirements under the Preventive Controls for Human Food Rule of the Food Safety Modernization Act or FSMA. Determining where or if your operation falls under this rule is complicated, so our UNH Extension FSMA team has created an online tool that asks you a series of questions and based on your answers tells you where you most likely fall under the rule.

Ecommerce Strategy

The Internet has made it possible for maple farms to sell direct to customers everywhere. However, the online market is crowded and itÕs not enough just to put up an e-commerce website. Peter Cooper-Ellis of Hidden Springs Maple covers strategies and pitfalls for using the Internet to market maple products. This presentation also discusses the impact that Amazon is having on the on-line market and strategies for selling on Amazon.