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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

May 2025

Better Farming Magazine

Farms.com Breaking News

New board members for Ontario Pork

Friday, April 25, 2025

Ontario Pork, an association representing the 1,898 pork farms that market 5.9 million hogs in the province, has announced its new board lineup for 2025. As a Guelph, Ontario-headquartered organization, Ontario Pork is engaged in the areas of research, government representation,... Read this article online

Sheep farmers win Ontario’s Outstanding Young Farmers

Thursday, April 24, 2025

Sheep farmers and wool producers from Wallenstein, Ont. are Ontario’s Outstanding Young Farmers for 2025. “It’s great to be recognized by your peers in the industry with an award like that,” Ryan Schill told Farms.com. “When we started the sheep farm, there were people questioning us... Read this article online

Ontario ag connections in the NHL playoffs

Tuesday, April 22, 2025

The 2025 NHL playoffs are underway, and some of hockey’s biggest names got their start on an Ontario farm or have invested in agriculture since becoming professional athletes. Farms.com went through each of the 16 playoff team rosters to uncover which players have a connection to... Read this article online

New Alcohol Trade Freedom in Ontario

Thursday, April 17, 2025

The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) has welcomed Ontario’s bold step in eliminating trade barriers and allowing direct alcohol sales to consumers. This new legislation aims to ease internal trade across provinces and support small businesses. One of the key changes... Read this article online

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