phil@thesidehill
5 year old buck +
i'm fairly certain S Mo is not maple sugar country. Every see how much a gallon of real grade A amber maple syrup fetches? its hard work, has a lot of expensive equipment required and is highly dependent on the weather year to year. I used to sugar on a fairly large personal scale...never sold it though. It was part of an educational program i worked for. I have a friend that has a 9 acre "you pick" blueberry patch and 70 acre sugar bush on his property. In addition to the you pick operation he also harvests and sells to a local business (fairly large national business) as they add blueberries to their product. he also contracted a commercial kitchen and packaging business to make and bottle his recipes for preserves and such made from his berries. He doesnt live off the income for either, but they have paid for them selves already an now that income is used improve the property further for deer primarily and other wildlife in general.