Happy Thanksgiving 2025

Greetings from the snow covered hills here at Hi Vue!  Yes snow.  Yeah for skiing and you should check out the cabin!  Booo for Jessie not having everything picked up before it got covered up…….

It’s been so busy around here the last several months.  We had a crew that came and finished the exterior of the sugarhouse – there’s board and batten around the entire thing.  I’m so grateful that for the last 3 sides we have been able to use lumber that came from less than a mile from the tree to the building.  My Uncle helped plant the pines here on the farm, they were harvested then milled right here.

We have another couple of guys that have been working on replacing one of the central wet/dry systems on the farm.  The “wet” is the main sap line for that section, the “dry” is the air line that is connected to the vacuum system in the sugarhouse.  The longer version; the spout goes in the tree,  5/16th tubing connects the spout to the lateral line (also 5/16th tubing), this section is called  a”drop”, the laterals are connected to a 1″ main line, these main lines are connected to the “wet” line.  The dry line is connected to every 1″ line and creates a vacuum that helps pull the sap from the trees to the sugarhouse.  Our wet/dry system was off grade – there were dips and sags (from trees falling).  The easiest solution was to run a brand new system and reconnect the old 1″ lines.  We can re-use the old pipe for various other parts of the woods.  This will help increase our productivity.

We had another crew of guys that came in and did line maintenance.  They walked the 1″ lines, cut and removed all the trees that had fallen on the lines, tightened all the laterals and put spouts on about 80% of the drops.  They ran out of time as they had previous commitments to other sugarmakers, but will return as they have time.  I shall try to make the time to put on the remaining spouts and walk the lines again before I start tapping in January. If they have time this crew will also come back to help tap.  This is a huge weight off my shoulders.  I should be able to make good time tapping when I start this year.  I’m limited on how many hours I can tap and of course we want it done before the first big thaws come in spring.

The Natural Resource Conservation Services (NRCS) came hosted 2 events here on the farm in October and November.  The first one was a science class from the local high school and the second was within a series for sugarmakers. Lots of discussion about carbon, Bird Friendly habitat and water quality.  I also had someone from the Xerces do a site visit.  They will return in the spring to conduct some sampling of native bees, specifically within Bird Friendly sugarbushes.

• Focuses on conserving pollinators, protecting endangered species, and reducing pesticide use.