Search
Better Farming OntarioBetter PorkBetter Farming Prairies

Better Farming Ontario Featured Articles

Better Farming Ontario magazine is published 11 times per year. After each edition is published, we share featured articles online.


Sweet gadgets for modern maple syrup farming

Friday, June 6, 2014

A farmer's dissatisfaction with the status quo has led to new software that can help maple syrup farmers remotely monitor leaks using smartphones.

Doug Thompson, owner of Thompson's Maple Products in Hilton Beach, Ont., has kept up with the changes in the industry during his 37 years of production. But when it came to finding leaks in the plastic tubing that draws sap from the trees, he was stuck in the past.

"We used to have a man, full-time, the whole season walking the bush," Thompson told the Financial Post. Leaks can be caused by anything from falling branches knocking the tubing loose to animals chewing the line.

Existing monitoring systems all used sensors attached to wires, which could also be disrupted. So, according to the Sault Star, Thompson contacted a local computer company and found salesperson and electronics hobbyist Trevor Bryant. Together they developed Tap Track Technologies, a wireless system that uses solar-battery-powered radio-unit boxes strapped to trees to monitor line pressure. The information is transmitted in real time to a computer or smartphone and displays as a map of all the lines, with green dots indicating good sap flow and red dots showing leaks. Text messages immediately alert producers to problem lines.

The Associated Press reports that the system costs $1 to $2 per tap. Tap Track's website boasts a return on investment within the first season. Thompson's Maple Products won the Premier's Award for Agri-food Innovation Excellence in 2013. BF

Current Issue

April 2025

Better Farming Magazine

Farms.com Breaking News

U of G Students win Branded Farms.com Chairs

Thursday, April 3, 2025

Farms.com was pleased to support the University of Guelph’s annual College Royal which was held March 15th & 16th, 2025 – it was the 101st edition. Every March, the University of Guelph hosts College Royal, the largest university open house event in North America. This annual... Read this article online

Lynmark Farms named Master Breeder for 2025

Wednesday, April 2, 2025

The Canadian Milking Shorthorn Society has announced that Lynmark Farms has been named as a herd for 2025. Lynmark Farms is owned and operated by Tim Shearer and Irene Vietinghoff of Norwood, Ontario. They are the third Milking Shorthorn herd to be recognized as a since this... Read this article online

John Deere collaborates with Dovetail Workwear

Wednesday, April 2, 2025

Built by, for, and with women, Dovetail Workwear is teaming with John Deere ( Deere & Company) to develop a collection of apparel and gear specifically designed to address the needs of women in the agricultural industry. The companies said there’s a shared commitment to celebrating... Read this article online

BF logo

It's farming. And it's better.

 

a Farms.com Company

Subscriptions

Subscriber inquiries, change of address, or USA and international orders, please email: subscriptions@betterfarming.com or call 888-248-4893 x 281.


Article Ideas & Media Releases

Have a story idea or media release? If you want coverage of an ag issue, trend, or company news, please email us.

Follow us on Social Media

 

Sign up to a Farms.com Newsletter

 

DisclaimerPrivacy Policy2025 ©AgMedia Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Back To Top