(Beginning) Commercial Production

General Overview

Maple sugaring, like any other business, should begin with a business plan.  This plan should include the main resources available to the future producers.  These resources include time (and hopefully alot of it), knowledge and finances.  Setting up a small sugaring operation will be expensive.  Reasonable expectations of income and cost should be taken into consideration.  Costs of equipment (which are long-term investments and pretty much fixed costs) should be projected several years into the future.  A five or ten year period is reasonable.  Income will very greatly between years.  Some years will have tremendous production and other years will be much less productive.  While income should be expected every year, profits beyond the initial investment will not be realized for several years.  In addition, few producers will be able to survive off of the sugaring season alone.  Sugaring is better as a part of a diverisified farming operation or a supplemental income for seasonally employed tradesmen (i.e. construction etc.).