Goodrich installs more than 1500 new monitors

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Chris Elliott, foreman and woods crew manager at Goodrich Maple Farm in Eden, Vt. installs one of 1500 new Farmblox monitors at the farm this fall.
Glenn Goodrich of Eden, Vt. and crew are continuing on their massive installation of Farmblox monitors—upwards of 1500 of them, across the expanse of Goodrich’s 6,000 acre sugarbush.

Goodrich installs more than 1500 new monitors

Installation will cover 6,000-acre sugarbush

By PETER GREGG | NOVEMBER 26, 2024

EDEN, Vt.—The big monitor installation continues in Northern Vermont.

Glenn Goodrich of Goodrich Maple Farm along with Brett and Chris Elliott, woods managers, continues a massive installation of Farmblox monitors—upwards of 1500 of them, across the expanse of Goodrich’s 160,000-tap sugarbush.

More than 300 monitors were installed last season.

In addition to vacuum monitoring, the Farmblox devices will check tank fill levels, transfer pump line pressure, localized weather and doing a transfer pump control.

Like most sugar makers Goodrich seeks to make more effective use of their labor force to find and fix vacuum leaks while reducing yield loss.

Goodrich reports that he is happy with the long battery life and ability to leave the Farmblox monitors installed all year saving a great deal of labor not needing to change batteries, and takedown and install the system every season.