Sugar Bush
The Sugar Bush is a hands-on, multidisciplinary project aimed at supporting specific components in a variety of courses at the college. History, anthropology, chemistry, agriculture, business, marketing and environmental sciences are just a handful of the courses that can take advantage of The Sugar Bush and related operations in their coursework.
In the future, there are plans to run educational programs for K-12 students, offer noncredit courses, create a syrup making co-op and maybe even have a syrup festival.
MCC is one of four colleges in Michigan and one of just 27 colleges in the United States to run a Sugar Bush operation.
2026 Sugaring Season
The 2025 sugaring season is well underway! As you look around the Sidney Â鶹ӳ»´«Ã½, you will see sap buckets below many trees and smoke billowing out of the sap house. Check out the weekly schedule below:
Sap Collection Days: Monday and Wednesday
Boil Down Days: Friday (and occasional weekends depending on the amount of sap collected that week.)
General Work Days: Every day! Help with sap collection, bucket and tap maintenance, Wood collecting/splitting/stacking, cleaning, bottling, and anything else that might pop up during the season.
If you're interested in volunteering or wanting to learn about the sugaring process, please contact Seth Sutton at seth.sutton@montcalm.edu or call 989-328-1008.
Watch for more information about the sale of our syrup and sugar products later in the season.