Vermont Maple Sugaring in Morgan: Hard Work, Sweet Rewards
March 14, 2026
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Vermont maple sugaring is a tradition built on hard work, risk, and reward. At Judd’s Wayeeses Farms in Morgan, Jim Judd and Donna Young have honed their craft for decades.
Their sugarbush stretches across 45 acres of thick maple woods, with almost 90 trees per acre, which is nearly twice the Vermont average. The land sits between Elan Hill and Lake Seymour, about five miles from the Canadian border.
“We’re just fortunate,” says Judd, a fourth generation Vermonter. “We didn’t do anything special; the trees were already here.”
For sugar makers, the days are long and the season is short. And the work never stops. All year, the couple is in the woods, fixing storm damage, replacing pipeline chewed by squirrels, and preparing for the brief but demanding sugaring season.
-Jim Judd at his sugarhouse. Main image: The sugarhouse that Judd built. Courtesy photos by Judd’s Wayeeses Farms.
Taste of Place
The maple trees produce something unique every year. Over the past decade, the maple farm has hosted syrup tastings, surprising visitors who never realized how much maple flavor can shift from year to year, or even batch to batch.
Before settling into maple sugaring in Vermont, the couple spent time working in California. In their free time out west, they developed a passion for wine tasting, often seeking out small, off-the-beaten-path wineries. The experience later inspired their own maple syrup tastings back home.
“With a single terroir sugarbush, you’re going to get the syrup that the tree gave you that year. So it’s always going to be slightly different (each year), which is wild,” Judd says.
-Jim and Donna in March 2026 at their sugarhouse in Morgan.
A Good Team
Judd worked in sales before becoming a sugar maker. Young, who worked as an engineer, says she enjoys the complexities of sugaring. The two complement each other’s strengths.
“I’m really stubborn, and he’s really flexible,” Young says with a smile. “There’s more than one way to get this done.”
For Judd and Young, sugaring connects them to the land, the seasons, and a beloved tradition. It also keeps them active and outdoors.
“You can’t get off the couch and go make maple syrup. You have to sort of be in shape, and you have to be ready to work hard,” Judd says.
Even though the job is challenging, the couple love returning to the sugarhouse every year.
“We built this, so now we can’t let it go. It becomes part of who you are, and you need to be a bit persistent and stubborn to do this,” Judd says. “We like calling ourselves sugar makers.”
-photo by James Kellogg / Flickr Creative Commons
Happy Vermont Podcast
In this episode, we talk about this year’s maple season, the uniqueness of each sugarbush, and the realities of life as a Vermont sugar maker. Listen to the podcast episode
Buy Vermont Maple Syrup from Judd’s Wayeeses Farms
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