The Alcona FFA Sugar Shack Project got its start in March of 2005 when students in the Alcona High School Agriscience classes collected a small amount of sap and boiled it down to produce twelve gallons of maple syrup. That sparked interest in the process and construction of the current Sugar Shack began the fall of 2005. Agriscience students, FFA members, and community members volunteered to help with the project. After a year and a half of hard work, dedication and donations from many individuals, local businesses, and organizations, the Maple Syrup Production Facility was finally ready. The first gallon of syrup was bottled on March 15, 2007. The Sugar Shack is attached to a 980 square foot log cabin and consists of an Evaporating Room and a Finishing Room. In the Evaporating Room, sap collected by FFA members and agriscience students, is boiled down (at an average ratio of 40 gallons sap to 1 gallon maple syrup). In the Finishing Room the syrup is filtered and bottled for sale. FFA members and agriscience students not only collect, evaporate, filter, bottle, market, and sell the maple syrup they produce, but also provide educational tours of the facility, and utilize the log cabin as a classroom. For information on tours, please contact Mr. Michael Suitor, FFA Advisor at Alcona Community High School. Thanks for your support of our program!
To visit the Alcona FFA Chapter website CLICK HERE
