The Rural Voice, 1991-03, Page 31Bill and Susanne Robinson of Huron County have proven that it's possible
to make a full time living in the maple syrup industry. They do it by
using good production techniques, combined with strong marketing practices
tubing to the over 12,000 taps they
have drilled in around 180 acres of
bush. "It means we won't have to use
the snowshoes this year," says Bill.
Three of those people are employed
full time for the normal six-week
season which runs from the beginning
of March to mid-April.
The Robinsons have taps spread
out over five different bushes within a
seven mile radius of their "sugar
camp," which is more like a modern
processing plant than a traditional
shack. Three of the acreages are
leased, while they own one bush and
rent a fifth one from Bill's father.
Their operation is surpassed by only
one other in Ontario, a producer on St.
Joseph's Island near Sault Ste. Mane.
All the individual lines are hooked
up to main lines that run through each
bush and are connected to a central
vacuum pump and tank. When the sap
is running, these tanks are then
pumped into a 1,500 -gallon former
dairy tanker and hauled to the
processing plant. With up to 140,000
gallons of sap to haul in a good year,
To sort out 45 miles of vacuum line , a
sophisticated numbering system puts
the line back to the same tree each year.
Marcon Studios
100% pure maple butter, maple syrup
and maple jelly.
Bill and Susanne admit it gets a little
hectic at times. They're looking
forward to obtaining a 3,000 -gallon
tanker this year to cut down on the
number of trips.
It takes two hours to get all the
vacuum pumps up and running and a
nearly round-the-clock vigil to check
them when the sap is running full
blast. "On very busy days with a good
run, it can keep us going all day
hauling sap and checking pumps,"
says Bill.
The last two years haven't been
quite as hectic. Poor weather cut the
crop in half last year following a
lighter than normal run in 1989, and
Bill says for the past two years he
hasn't had to stay up nights to boil .
Although they leave the main lines
out all year, the Robinsons clean and
store the individual vacuum lines to
each tree, and using a sophisticated
numbering system, are able to get the
same line back to each of the 12,000
taps every year. This way, Bill figures
the lines will "last as long as I do."
As a licensed electrician, Bill is
used to a hectic pace. He was site
supervisor for electrical services at the
International Plowing Match from
1978 to 1988. That meant working at
break neck speeds for a few weeks.
"We started out with a field, wired the
tented city, and then left a bare field
when we were done," says Bill.
Although the Robinsons have been
in the maple syrup business since
1976, when they started out with
3,500 taps, Bill admits to a lifelong
fondness for the "sticky business," as
he calls it. He's been making syrup
since he was in high school.
Thcir processing facilities near
their farm feature the latest in
technology. When the sap comes in, it
is processed through one of three
reverse osmosis machines which
remove from 2/3 to 3/4 of the water.
The concentrated sap then goes to a
traditional wood -fired evaporator pan,
and then to a smaller propane -fired
unit for finishing. The finished syrup
is then graded and either stored in
large 32 -gallon galvanized steel
barrels for futher processing, or
packaged into one of six different -
sized containers.
Although the Robinsons have a
high capital investment in equipment
— each reverse osmosis machine is
worth 530,000 — they have been able
to finance their operation with profits
and carry only a small operating line
of credit. Like other farming, they
have high equipment costs. "It's just
The Robinsons have a state of the art
processing facility, including a bottling
line to help them package syrup .
MARCH 1991 25