Field Notes

Corse Maple Farm and the sweet stuff

3 min read / February 9, 2023 / By Rachel Mullis

Roy and Vanessa Corse love sugaring and continuing the family tradition at their 150+ year old maple business.

Vermont maple syrup: A sweet reward

Vermont has its fair share of snowbirds—the human kind— who fly south each winter in search of sun and warmer weather. But as any sugarmaker will tell you, they are missing out on the best time of the year: maple season.

Late winter, when the sap starts to run, is a demanding time for tenacious tappers. But the season bears a sweet reward for us all.

Roy and Vanessa Corse of Corse Maple Farm in Whitingham have made it their life’s work to sate the state’s sweet tooth.

They run 12,500 taps and average about 6,000 gallons of pure Vermont maple syrup each year.

A family sugaring tradition

The family tradition has been going strong since 1868. Roy’s grandfather started keeping a note of daily production in 1918. Today, their records of annual maple syrup production, for over 100 years, are displayed on the sugarhouse wall.

1920 was a “bum year,” 1931 was the “bumist year since 1920.” 1988 was the “64-hour boil” and 1992 was “finally, a real sugar season.”

2022 was a good year, too. Roy was named the year’s Outstanding Sugar Maker by the Vermont Maple Sugar Makers’ Association.

Roy and Vanessa also worked with us to conserve 166 acres of sugarbush and farmland; the proceeds will allow them to buy more land for their business.

“I just totally enjoy maple sugaring”

But Roy and Vanessa aren’t motivated by accolades. They love sugaring. “I just totally enjoy maple sugaring,” said Roy. “It’s my hobby as well as my business and I never get tired of it.”

Corse Maple Farm is also a community affair. The Corses rely on supportive neighbors who help out and on nearby landowners who lease their sugarbushes.

“We’re very grateful and thoroughly enjoy the help of many people that work with us,” said Roy. “And we’re happy that we can continue the tradition of a family that has stayed on the same farm for so many years.”

“Sugaring is a Vermont tradition and way of life, with roots that go back to indigenous communities,” said VLT’s Donald Campbell. “We’re thrilled to help the Corses take their sugaring history into the future.”