Episode-2568- A Small Commercial Hydroponics Farm Model
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (13.9MB)
Let me start out with a disclaimer. I am very new to hydroponics and I am not laying this out today as a cut and paste template. Additionally there are already hundreds of highly successful hydroponic farms out there form 1,000 square feet to 10s of acres. Some of them are highly efficient to the point of not much more can be leaned out. It is a business and a highly predictable one compared to many other forms of farming. So some of what I say today may be totally wrong.
It is a thought experiment I have been running though based on a few concepts. First that when it comes to farming growing is not as critical as marketing and sales, specifically at small scale and non storable commodity crops. I have no doubt I could set up a system that produces 100 or 1000 heads of lettuce a day, but it if doesn’t sell, what do you have.
The next concept is that local food is a huge movement right now. So many “farm to table” restaurants and stores have popped up. Yet having visited many of them I can tell you there is a LOT of room in this space. A typical meal with 5-10 ingredients will be lucky to be 50% truly locally produced.
The next concept is that restaurants are very good at forecasting need. When we had restaurants for our duck egg business, one store took 20 dozen a week, every week for two years. We loved them and they loved us. Due to this need though many restaurants use big companies. They have catalogs and you want 8 pounds of arugula every Tuesday, tick a box and it shows up. Yet what if we took that concept to local year round production?
Then how much expense can we learn out, how much premium can we charge our customer and justifiably so? I would much rather increase my revenue by 25% via charging my customers more then producing 25% more product. There will be major holes in the concept I lay out today, but it will be a fun thought experiment. It also may lead some of you down the road to running a farm based business. Perhaps hydro, perhaps aquaponic, may be typical market gardening. The over all concepts here are designed mostly around getting customers, making them feel special and doing for them what they didn’t realize can be done. Trust me that works in any business.
Join Me Today to Discuss…
- Why I am considering hydroponics for this concept
- Honestly it is my current obsession
- Tailored to year round consistent production
- Can be climate independent
- Modular expansion on demand
- Ideal for short duration crops
- With Kratky it can be almost zero energy input
- What I would consider doing for production in my climate
- Greenhouse based, shade in summer, sun in winter, minimal supplemental heat
- Most crops done with Kratky shallow flat beds – zero energy inputs
- Trail hundreds of varieties of crops, build a catalog on what works, include seasonal variations
- Get absolute rock solid cost of goods sold numbers, time to market form sowing, etc.
- The marketing and sales presentation
- Catalog of produce would be 15-30 items (again seasonal variations)
- One grow bed/section would be designated the marketing production bed
- A chef would be given a full assortment of produce as a sample
- Full professional sales presentation including the value add sales material for them to use
- Chefs could select exactly what they want with know costs and delivery for a full season
- They would get a designated space (added when they sign) for their production
- Its all just an idea but one that could scale easily and apply to other markets, products and methods
Resources for today’s show…
- Follow Life With Jack on Instagram
- TSP Facebook Group
- Join the Members Brigade
- Join Our Forum
- Walking To Freedom
- TspAz.com
- Christmas for Cowboys – John Denver
Sponsors of the Day
Remember to comment, chime in and tell us your thoughts, this podcast is one man’s opinion, not a lecture or sermon. Also please enter our listener appreciation contest and help spread the word about our show. Also remember you can call in your questions and comments to 866-65-THINK (866-658-4465) and you might hear yourself on the air.
Want Every Episode of TSP Ever Produced?
Remember in addition to discounts to over 40 vendors who supply stuff you are likely buying anyway, tons of free ebooks and video content, MSB Members also get every edition of The Survival Podcast ever produced in convenient zip files in blocks of 24. More info on the MSB can be found here.
Jack, you referenced a video of a 4×8 setup but I didn’t see a link.
Thanks and it was a great show!
Trent
Sorry off my game, here is part one https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QvmH0xky5E and part two https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFZCZHWjdhg
He doesn’t get super specific with how to build it but I think looking at it you can figure it out. If you want full prints the kid sells them on his site here https://www.fairfieldcountyhydroponics.com/product/4×4-deep-water-culture-system-blueprints/
I checked out those videos. Looks like he’s using a Venturi pump for the air. I’ve been doing this for a long time.. dwc, aeroponics, many different set ups. I never knew of this. No one ever told me of this. I saw the pump and did some research. The water pump pulls vacuum and injects air. Like a syphon. No air pump! ? maybe everyone is hip to this and I’m ignorant. But this is awesome. Thanks
Thought maybe that fitting comes w the pump and I never noticed.. but they sell them. $9 on az. I’m gonna just drill a hole and thread on a 1/4” drip fitting. That’s a whole $0.15! Double badass
Hey how about a link to the pump and fittings.
Sent u an email with pic of the kids pump and the links to fittngs
Thanks I went and looked at the vid and paused it on the pump. Could not see the exact model but it is just a fitting on a standard pump with that fitting above the water line, simple and smart.
But on wonder on scale? If you wanted to run 4 beds, would not an actual air pump with lines and stones do more for less money both upfront and long term?
Check this btw never got your email, you are fee to post links here BTW https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=huwgwTHZmPE
Friendly note, your title 2569 on the site and the download 2568 are off by one number. Not a huge deal but, figured you might want to know given your thing with numbers. I know I reference numbers for my favorite shows.
Keep up the great content
Fixed it thanks.
My cheap idea for this. My kids put a larger hole in a above ground swimming pool that Intex makes. I am just going to use a chunk of this to make the beds. I think it is already UV treated and saves me some garbage space for now.
Good idea, if you watch CL a lot of times pools are given away for free to anyone who will come take them. I know one guy that turned one big pool into three small ones for big time aquaponics.
Another source of cheap liners is rejected billboard material.
Despite your voice challenges I thought this show was great and full of valuable business wisdom. I’m wondering how far from major restaurants and markets would be too far for a business like this. I know it’s not the same business model, but I see many people at farmers markets that regularly travel from 1-2 hours away to sell.
I’d like to find someone who is seriously interested in starting a business like the one you described. I would be willing to help donate/sponsor to offset startup costs and I have some additional connections and resources that might be beneficial.
I planted a small trial of bush beans two days after this episode. I just harvested my first beans after 5.5 weeks. I am growing them under t5 lights in peatmoss.
Just thought I would share.
Really cool Randy.