Aquaponics:How To Start Small And Grow From Cash Flow

There was an awesome article in the recent newsletter that Tim & Susanne put out with aquaponic tips and advice that I thought I'd share because it has a wealth of good info and advice for folks starting out or thinking about aquaponics. 

How To Drive Success: Don’t start big with lots of expenses and hardly any cash flow; rather, start small and generate cash flow right away!

It's funny how many people claim to be "commercial aquaponics experts", but have never done it for a living themselves. From a couple of people who have done so, and who came up the hard way (we didn’t have our manuals, our CAD drawings, and our unlimited support services to draw on when we started!) here's our short list of what's necessary for success in commercial aquaponics.

1. Research thoroughly and learn everything possible you can about aquaponics before starting. Doing your due diligence first can save you from mistakes costing hundreds of thousands of dollars, or worse, thousands of hours of your life! How do you do this?

Contact people who are doing it, and confirm that their approach really works. Insist on numbers, contacts to call, and real people that you can confirm are actually operating the farm. Ask for the number of their produce distributor, or three of the markets they sell to; then call these people and confirm. You get the idea.

Why This Is So Important: There’s one aquaponics farm that recently lost their $1.4 million investment after only 5 months in actual operation. When we analyzed their failure mode, we realized immediately (from publicly-available photos) that they were planting their lettuce at one-third the density we successfully grow ours at, and only using 70% of the available floor space inside their greenhouse for vegetable troughs.

They had also paid three times as much for their greenhouse and aquaponics systems as they should have cost, because they simply hadn’t educated themselves and shopped around first.

(Below) After the $1.4 million was all gone: dry troughs, no fish, no income, and no more aquaponics. This is not where you want to end up.

They were only getting one-third of the production that was possible out of their greenhouse and raft area; and their farm cost them three times what it should have. The solution would have been so simple: all they needed to do was to drill more holes in their rafts, and use the planting and transfer technology that we teach.

The really sad thing about this failure is that if they’d simply invested $1,495 in one of our trainings before investing $1.4 million in their farm, they wouldn’t have made this mistake, and might still be in profitable operation.

Insist on getting information from people who are actually doing it, not just talking about it. See their operation, don’t just listen to “how much they know”. If they truly want to help you, why don’t you have them send you a copy of the cash flow spreadsheet from their profitable commercial aquaponics operation? And remember: keep a sharp eye on your wallet!

2. Don't wait until you have lots of money to invest in your operation: start building and operating an aquaponics system now! Build a small backyard system if that's all you can afford; the food you grow with it will save you money. You will gain valuable experience with even a small system that will be critical to your success at a commercial-scale venture.

There are many reasons to start small, even if you have several hundred thousand dollars burning a hole in your pocket. Here are five of the most important ones:

A. Even we have no idea what will grow best in your location, with your greenhouse, your sunlight exposure and hours, temperature, humidity, etc. After doing two or three “test grows” in a small, affordable system (and greenhouse, if necessary in your location), you will know what grows best.

B. Even we have no idea what will sell best in your location, with your local economy, your local produce distributors and outlets, and your local consumers. After each of the “test grows” mentioned in “A” above, you will have produce to do test marketing with. Take this produce to all the outlets you identify that might be interested, and find out what they’re willing to pay, as well as the quantities they need. Yes, need, because commercial aquaponics is not about the “great produce” you have, how cool your aquaponics system is, or what a great farm name you’ve come up with, but about your market’s needs! If you don’t supply what the market needs, you can forget staying in business.

C. Even if the aquaponics technology you are starting with is well-developed and already profitable (as ours is) your situation will be different than ours in ways we can’t predict and you can’t plan for. You will discover new information while operating your first small system which you can apply to your large commercial-scale system.

If you’ve built your 20,000 square feet of aquaponics and then discover something that gives you 20% (or 100%) more production or income, it’s too late: you’ve spent your money and have to live with your system the way it is.

D. If you make a mistake starting with a small system, it's far easier to correct. Let's use a metaphor to understand this statement: imagine learning how to drive in a Toyota Corolla with an automatic transmission; it's a maneuverable little car that turns and stops on a dime: you'll learn pretty quickly, and even if you run into something it hopefully won't do much damage.

Now, picture learning how to drive in an 18-wheel Peterbilt semi truck with a full load. It weighs over 40 tons, and doesn't accelerate or stop very quickly; it makes huge wide turns, and you can't ever see directly behind you; you're always inferring what's there from what's in your side mirrors. In order to stand a chance in a semi, you need to already be a good driver before you even step into one!

What we can guarantee is that, in your physical environment, with your market, your temperature regime, and your skill sets; you will learn so many things in your first few growing cycles (in your small test system) that you will be able to build your large commercial system more economically, and also operate it more productively, than if you hadn’t done the test grows with the small system.

E. It’s also fun: it’s easy to get started with a small system, but they’re just as much fun as a big one to see the little sprouts and fish get big, and finally harvest and eat, or share with your friends.

How did we choose our aquaponic training?

   During tours or general conversation with my customers, I am often asked how I learned to grow aquaponically and what brought us to this point. In 2013 when we were contemplating the purchase of this land, I knew I wanted to get more experience with organic vegetable growing so I signed up for a 6 month internship at White Violet Center for Eco-Justice, which is an organic farm in Indiana owned by Catholic nuns.  At that point I think I knew very little about aquaponics or why someone would even consider growing food that way. As part of our internship we were required to do a project before we left the program. Since I had spent 30+ years in  food service management, with the last 18 of those years being in institutional food service management, I decided to do an analysis to see if the land that White Violet owned could supply most of the food that the sisters needed for their facilities. In doing my research I came across information on aquaponics and the high density level of growing that you could do in a small footprint of land. Aquaponics seemed to be very well suited to what we wanted to do with our farm, since most of our land is comprised of a steep slope. We needed a way to grow efficiently and since we are on a well, we needed to be able to grow food without the need for lots of irrigation. I also knew that I would be the main person to take care of the crops and I wasn't really fond of spending my days weeding.
   In case you haven't figured it out by now, I'm the type of person who researches any large investment extensively before pulling the trigger. And that is exactly how I viewed going to aquaponic training...as an investment. An investment in the future food supply for me and my family and an investment in something that I could build upon for the future. Sure there are lots of videos out there on You Tube that will teach you how to build different types of aquaponic systems but what would happen when I have a question down the road?..."Will there be a video that addresses my specific question?" I chose Friendly Aquaponics training classes because of the experience of the instructors. They have real world experience and have grown large amounts of produce for close to 10 years. They don't sell expensive equipment packages, like some of the other companies I researched, but would teach me how to build a system myself and they would be there to answer any questions I would have for as long as I have my system.
 One of my favorite sayings is something that one of my college professors used to say, "You don't have to know everything...you just have to know where to find it." I "found it" when we went to the training that Friendly Aquaponics held in Tennessee. I didn't have to know everything but I knew that if I went to the people who could show me how to build a system and give me step-by-step manuals that would help me design and run a system that I would have peace of mind in knowing I could do it. And if I get really stuck and need help, they have been there to answer my e-mails and help me out.
 It seemed like a lot of money when we signed up for the training because we had to take a week off of work, plus pay for a hotel and gas to drive to Tennessee. But it's been worth every penny to know that we are able to grow our own food supply and have chemical-free food throughout the year. I've spent my life in the food service business and I don't know about you but when I see the decline in food quality on the supply side of the industry, it scares me to death and makes me proud to be a primary food producer.
   It makes us really proud to be able to "pay it forward", by being a training center here in the Northeast. By working with Tim & Susanne, from Friendly Aquaponics, we want to share with people the step by step process of creating a system, whether it's a small table-top size system or a huge, commercial one) so you can return home and become primary food producers too. To sign up for training, just like what we went through, go to http://www.friendlyaquaponics.com/pennsylvania-training/

Summer 2016

  It was a busy spring, even though the weather was really cold and odd. We had a stretch in April or May where we had constant rain and cool temps and then we got hit with summer-like temps. Of course all the trees started to blossom and then in early May we had the biggest snowfall of the entire winter....4". Since then it's been very dry. We've had 9.72 inches of rain so far for the year and we should be around 11.57" by now. That 2" shortfall sure makes a huge difference if you are a soil-based grower. If you grow aquaponically, you know you don't have to worry about irrigating (or weeding) and you are going to use up to 90% less water to grow your products.
  We only have a tiny amount of land that we can "use" at this point. Most of our land is still in CREP (conservation program) and we can't do a thing with it. Most days I've cursed that I can't use that land for something but it's taught me a really important lesson in this first year of growing. Weeding is a time consuming job and when it's just one person that is taking care of everything, every minute counts. It takes so much water (especially this year) to irrigate and keep things growing as they should. Like many households in our area, we operate off of a well and you cannot do a lot of watering without drawing too much off your well. Ask me how I know this...  Even though we capture all of the rainwater that comes off the barn and greenhouse roof and can hold 750 gallons, it can't get you through long dry periods. It sure helps but if you're doing a lot of soil based growing, you're going to have to run a bunch of irrigation lines and drill another well. That is why I love growing aquaponically. No weeding and No watering!
   We finished off the outside trough in early spring and got it up and running in April. We purchased 37 fish from the guy we usually get our fish from in the Williamsport area. With an outside system the fish density needs to be greater due to dilution from rainwater in the outside trough. We put the fish tank inside of the greenhouse, hoping that would extend our growing season even longer, since that space will stay warmer than being outside in the elements. We plumbed everything outside so that we just have to undo two clamps and we can pull the pump off and not have any freeze-ups. We have a clean-out on the other line so we can take a shop vac to suck out any remaining water after we cap the line coming out of the trough. Time will tell this winter if I thought through everything. We're hoping to be able to grow in that trough into later fall/early winter months (maybe November).
    In June we started selling at Farm Days, on Fridays from 3 - 6 p.m. It's a collaboration with our neighbor who has a yarn and spinning shop. It's just the two of us for now. Yorkshire Meadows (my neighbor) sells all sorts of baked goods, jams and jellies, lemon and lime curd and yarn supplies. We sell on Fridays, at 9646 N. Elk Run Rd., Mansfield, which is the location of Yorkshire Meadows. We also sell our products here on the farm and have a wonderful following of folks for the honey and maple syrup products, along with the eggs and produce that we raise ourselves. Farm Days will run until the end of August.
     It's hard to believe how far we've come in our first year. We've learned so much about growing aquaponically and in extreme weather conditions. I think every day there is something new to learn. Right now I am experimenting with a new fish food in our smaller system. The tried and true fish food comes from Idaho and the shipping cost is outrageous (3x the cost of the food itself). I found a local aquafeed company and I am testing their food to see if the plants like it. Yes, you read that correctly. The fish sure do by the splashing I hear when I feed them. The most important aspect is whether the waste that the fish create is something that the plant roots can uptake nutrients from. If the roots turn black and the plants die off, then it's a no go. If the roots stay white and the plants continue to thrive, then it's a winner. See what I mean about learning new things. Always something to expand our minds and our comfort zones. Information like this will be in the commercial training that we just announced that we'll be hosting Sept 26 - 30. For anyone wanting to learn about aquaponics, this is your chance. For more information, go here .
  Till next time, enjoy your summer!
    

Commercial Aquaponic Training - Pennsylvania

We’re excited to announce that we’ll be hosting a commercial aquaponic training September 26-30, 2016…just like the one that Linda and I attended. All the nuts and bolts of starting a system for anyone that wants to grow food, whether it be just for your family or to do it on a commercial scale. This is a must attend if:

• You’d like control over how your food is grown and want to grow food for your family in your backyard without weeding and watering.
• You want to make money selling food
• You want organic produce without paying organic prices
• You want a small tabletop system for your apartment or condo

Space is limited. For more details, go here
 

Almost There

Final Stages of Greenhouse Construction VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

The builder and his crew worked yesterday. The good news is they got the last of the steel on and the solar fans installed. One screen door has been hung (two more to go) and downspout for one side of the roof has been completed. The bad news is that they still have two more screen doors to put on, one more downspout and the double poly for the roof. They will wait till we have a “calm” morning with very little to no wind to come back and finish. A warmish day would be nice but last night we slipped into the icy abyss of another polar vortex that is going to last through the weekend. The wind chills today are in the –25 range, which is dang cold. The kind of cold that makes your nose hairs tingle when you go outside. Thank goodness for the alpaca ski mask and gloves I bought at White Violet Center, during my internship last year, that got me through Indiana’s polar vortex. Nothing like alpaca fleece to keep you warm and dry, without the bulk.
The inside of the barn looks like a construction zone, due to the builders using it for material prep and a place to go to get warm. Anxious to get the greenhouse painting done so that I can build the troughs, etc. but nothing can happen till the plastic goes on and the space warms up. So we wait…

Winter Doldrums

We left the mud in December to plunge head-long into snow and bitter cold temps. The builders haven’t gotten everything wrapped up because one of the last crucial things to do is put up the double poly roof on the greenhouse. Ideally , it would be nice to have no wind (nothing like fighting a 25’ x 55’ long “kite” when it comes time to put the plastic on) and a day that isn’t freezing cold. We have not managed to have these two characteristics intersect so they can finish up. They did get the steel on the west and east walls.
There’s a strip that needs steel on the shared wall between greenhouse and the barn (see the silver area on right wall of barn). The builder was hoping for a good day next week to finish up but the weather is looking like another storm is going to come through on Monday.
When the cold weather came (and didn’t leave), each snowfall kept adding to the previous one because the ground was cold. We currently have about 8” on the ground but the wind has created some snow drifts that are up to my knees in the yard. We have a micro climate in this spot that produces extreme cold temps (last night it was –21) that are far colder than surrounding areas. The local weather station reported that for most areas around here, it was –5 degrees. The extreme temps will be a challenge for winter growing and a test to see how well the growing troughs can maintain their temps. A fellow aquaponic grower near here, who uses the same type of growing system, only loses 2 degrees of warmth over the entire length of the system. This is due to the trough sides and bottom being insulated to maintain the water temps. On top of that, the raft that the plants are growing in is a 2” piece of Dow insulated board. Insulation all the way around to keep the water temps consistently warm and that keeps the plants happy.
I placed orders for some of the organic items that the seed companies tend to run out of early, potatoes and garlic. The potatoes won’t ship till after April and the garlic doesn’t get shipped till fall but this way I know it’s ordered and I’ll get some. Not much I can do till the greenhouse is completed. I’ve been working on the paperwork for the organic certification. My brother is starting to tap trees and I hope to help him out with boiling this year and learn about the whole process. Can you believe, that in another week, February will be half over already. You know what that means….Spring is just around the corner!

Busy Month

It’s amazing what can happen in just a month’s time. Last month, things were moving really slowly and we were trying to get all of our utilities hooked up so we could park our RV on-site to be close to mom to help her with daily chores. All of that got done and we spent our first night on the farm on Sunday September 21. It did take a little longer to get the electric hooked up and not without issue.
We spent the week of Sept. 29th in Tennessee, at aquaponics training. We had about 17 other folks there from all over the country and a young man from Moldova, in eastern Europe. His name was Simion and he flew to the US (after many hours on buses, etc to get to an airport). Moldova is an independent state, landlocked between Romania and Ukraine. Simion is too young to rent a car in the US so we gave him a ride to and from class each day. It was a great way to learn more about him and his country. He is studying IT back home but wants to start growing food aquaponically when he returns home.
Talk about busy brains during the week of training ? We had such an inspiring group of classmates, all with neat projects in mind for growing food aquaponically for their respective communities. Aquaponic food systems are so efficient and would help wherever there is a need for conserving water, growing nutritious food without the use of harmful chemicals and growing lots of food in a small footprint. For anyone who currently buys organic food, at the grocery store, you’ve heard the rumors that many so called “organic” farms actually do use pesticides and herbicides on their farms. Since it’s hard for certifying agencies to police day to day practices, sadly there are some farms who don’t follow true organic measures and the consumer pays the price. With aquaponics, our fish are the “canary in the coal mine”. If harmful chemicals are used, the fish die. It’s as simple as that ! Since we grow food in a closed loop system, where the fish provide all the essential nutrients that the vegetables need, anything that would be sprayed on the plants gets back to the fish. They need clean water to live in and harmful pesticides will kill them. Clean water = healthy, nutritious food.
We learned about different construction methods for greenhouses, depending on the climate where the vegetables will be grown. Since our climate here can get brutally cold we’re still working on what style will work best for us. We want to be able to grow year round in order to provide fresh, local vegetables when everything is getting shipped in from thousands of miles away. We’ll keep you posted on construction as it gets underway.
Construction will begin on the storage barn/packing center in two weeks and we’re super excited. Lots of planning going on at this point. Our web site is up and much more will be added to it in the very near future. www.newviewfarm.com  We’ll be getting  items in the “store” for on-line purchasing. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook. Lots of ways to stay connected to what we’re doing. Happy to have you along for ride….

Slow Progress

It seems that nothing moves as fast as I’d like it to. It has been so frustrating working with contractors around here. They are not prompt in getting back to you with quotes or to return phone calls. It’s not the way I’m accustomed to doing business. A customer shouldn’t have to hound a contractor to see when he’s going to show up to work. Our excavator hasn’t put in more than one full day on the job, per week, since he started over a month ago. Now that we have to have everything done by this weekend, I thought that we had lit a fire under him but he only worked a couple hours this morning and is now gone again. Ugh !!! We need to have all of the utilities hooked up by Saturday so we can get our motorhome on-site and hooked up. That way we’ll be close to mom to help her out and check on her.   He got the water hooked up but now we need the sewer and electric done.
Right after I put the last post on the blog, my mom wound up in the hospital for almost a week. Her gallbladder got terribly infected and her heart was in A-Fib so she had a tough time of it in the hospital. She’s been home now for about 10 days and I’ve been staying with her to change the dressing on her surgical area and flushing the drain that they have sewn into her side near her gallbladder. Lots of doctor’s appointments to take her to so it keeps me hopping. Two weeks from today we have our aquaponics training to go to in Elora, Tennessee. My brothers and sister will check in on mom while I’m gone. If anyone is interested in learning more about aquaponics, it’s 5 days of hands-on training in system design, the business side of things and pretty much everything you need to know to get started. For a training site closest to you, go to http://friendlyaquaponics.com.
We’ve got some exciting marketing stuff going on ! I spoke with the local grower’s market about putting together a survey to see what people would like to see offered in our area. I asked if I could attend some of the market days to hand them out and get feedback. They said that if I put a survey together and would be willing to share the data with them; that they would e-mail the survey out to their mailing list of folks. How cool is that !  So I used Survey Monkey to create the survey and it will tabulate the results as they come in. A unique identifier is created for every survey and the results are linked back to the person who created the survey.  A great way to get a professional looking survey and tabulated results to boot.
While researching the mechanical components needed for our aquaponics system (air pumps and water pumps), I came across some neat info on the internet concerning water aeration using alternative energy. There are wind mills on the market (for under $2000) that are used to aerate ponds which help to eliminate or reduce the amount of algae in the water. Using super efficient designs, they can generate 3 – 4.5 cfm with even very light winds. These are generally used to aerate ponds that are 10-30’ deep so I think there would be a great application for use in troughs that are only a foot deep. Plus they have a controller module that senses when the turbine is not turning so your regular air pump would kick in to make sure the plants and fish have oxygen. How cool is that ?! Something to check out further…for sure.
Hoping to have more pictures of our progress and another update soon.