A cost analysis: processing maple syrup products

Neil K. Huyler; Lawrence D. Garrett

Treesearch

A cost analysis: processing maple syrup products

Informally Refereed

Authors:

Neil K. Huyler, Lawrence D. Garrett

Year:

1979

Type:

Research Paper

Station:

Northern Research Station

Source:

Res. Pap. NE-430. Broomall, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northeastern Forest Experiment Station. 6p.

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Download (PDF 793 KB): https://research.fs.usda.gov/download/treesearch/14964.pdf

Abstract

A cost analysis of processing maple sap to syrup for three fuel types, oil-, wood-, and LP gas-fired evaporators, indicates that: (1) fuel, capital, and labor are the major cost components of processing sap to syrup; (2) wood-fired evaporators show a slight cost advantage over oil- and LP gas-fired evaporators; however, as the cost of wood approaches $50 per cord, wood as a fuel would no longer have this cost advantage; (3) economies of scale exist in processing maple sap to syrup; (4) in 1977 the total cost of production, including both sap production costs and processing costs, for a medium-size (750) gallons of syrup) operation was $8.36 per gallon of syrup for oil-fired evaporators, $7.97 per gallon of syrup for wood-fired evaporators, and $8.37 per gallon for LP gas-fired evaporators.

Citation

Huyler, Neil K.; Garrett, Lawrence D. 1979. A cost analysis: processing maple syrup products. Res. Pap. NE-430. Broomall, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northeastern Forest Experiment Station. 6p.