I was outside most of the day today and these are the kind of sunny days we need to knock down that snow pack.  The temperatures are beginning to look promising once we get past this storm tomorrow.

SAP PRICES:  People have asked what sap prices will be this year and how do you calculate them.  The price is determined by the “bulk buy” price of syrup which today is about $2.00 per pound.  A gallon of syrup weighs 11 pounds.  Using the rule of 86(86/sap sugar content) for computing how many gallons of sap does it take to make a gallon of syrup and using a sap sugar content of 2%, It would take 43 gallons of sap to make 1 gallon of syrup if the sap was 2%.  So…  if bulk syrup price is $ 11.00 per pound, then the sap value(2% sugar) is obtained  by: $11/43   which is equal to 25.5 cents per gallon of sap.  Most all buyers will pay by the “point” so they will pay you between 12 t0 13 cents per point(1%) of sugar.

Last year I paid 16 cents per point which was high even for last year.  This year I pay between  of 13 to 14 cents per point.

I hope this helps

Don

-23 F here in the St. Croix River Valley this morning, over 36 inches of snow in the yards and woods and as much Frost.   We will finally get above 32 F next weekend. My thinking now is that we will tap closer to the end of March and the  beginning of April.  With all the snow in the woods there is no way we could carry sap buckets out of the residential yards even if I tapped the trees in snow shoes.  It will take at least 4-5 days of above 40 degrees to knock that snow down so we can at least walk in it.   The season will just  be later than what we are used to in the past, although last year was somewhat similar as  my first boil last year was March 22, and it was a small sap run.  I am beginning to get the evaporator set up and smoke and steam stacks will go up next weekend.  Get your supplies now, when the temperatures do warm up everyone will be anxious to get started.

Don

There is at least 30 inches of snow in the woods in the St. Croix Valley on top of 24-30 inches of frost with subzero temps coming the first week of March.  I’ve been asked what I thought the season would be like.  My thought is that it will be a  late March start, with a big finish like last year given the amount of snowpak.  I have in the past, tapped in snowshoes and said that I would never do that again. I did it one more time and again said I would not do it ever again.  Its lots of work, the buckets are really high when the snow melts and the sap runs were minimal at best early. plus we trudged through knee deep snow, which is a tough.  I think I will wait for a couple of thaw events before I get out there with 2500 pails.

This is a good time to check your evaporator, clean the flues, get the pans ready and supplies.  There is going to be a rush when the weather does warm, so if you need supplies, now is the best time to get them.

Have a great weekend,

Good Luck to all the Birkie participants in Hayward, WI

Don