Plans For Urban Organic Farm Projects

Ok I have been awake too many hours and these ideas that come to my head just before I fall asleep need to be documented. I present this thread as an open source blueprint for my personal plans and for the convinience and feedback of the global community, of which ATS is obviously a part of.

Anyways down to business. My goal: I want to run an urban organic farm without worrying about maximizing profits like a bloodsucking parasitic boardroom, but still make a healthy income to support a family of four. I am almost certain that an organic farm run with proper discipline and accounting can provide at least an equal standard of living as a 40 hour a week job in retail, service, or sanitation industry.

As my eyes get drowsier I am just going to spill it.
IImagine a sustainable fleet of warehouse farms in metropolitan markets to address a growing shortage of unmolested fresh fruit and vegetables at an affordable price. After all if the price of food is dictated by the distance it travels before you eat it, something homegrown should be a little bit more affordable.

The following are points I will address when I am more awake and sober.

• Energy
  
• Square Footage/Acreage
  
• Water
  
• Marketing
  
• Quality Control
  
• Department of Agriculture
  
• Certified Organic
  

I never jot anything down and I figure it is not as if this anything that can be stolen and patented by another individual or corporation. I just figure I will use this to document my research and hell start colaborative effort. Human being have lived all its existence interacting with the creation of their own food, Now we just buy things and never truly know what is in it besides a list of alien and foriegn sounding ingridients as long as the Constitution. Might as well make an attempt to make an effort as a free human bieng to regain control of my food. If relatively few numbers of people can make unfathomable quantities of cash controling the production of the worlds food, surely a much larger number of invidiuals, families and communities can make a liveable wage utilizing technology and good conscience to assert control of the food they consume.

Im thinking multistory skyscraper style poultry farms with downstream waste management and feed control on every floor. I want to keep it mass produced, I just want to spread it out more. Instead of large tracts of land to feed entire regions, we simply allow technology and a lack of greed to use smaller tracts of land in every locality for any imagineable import.

Everyone can get their pecans, blueberries, carrots, lettuce, and squash for much lower prices if every metropolitan market produced its own in some form of cooperative, so thats also an idea.

I think im down with my soapbox, I will return at a more appropriate hour with rest and continue to jot down what I find as far as commercial and industrial HVAC systems and the prices and energy consumption as well as options and tax credits for solar energy . Usually local government councils and corporations pay people thousands to write this stuff down in those plans. I also forget to add impact study for every property in each community. whew what am I getting into.

Vertical farming is a brilliant idea. The above is TEDTalks.

Here is another interesting video.

You mean something like this?

urbanhomestead.org...

I believe the family that owns and runs this home-based farm makes a pretty good living at it. Check out the shop on their website. I think everyone should use their own yard as a mini-organic farm. Unfortunately, some cities have restrictions against this sort of thing. But it is really cool that you don't have to own a lot of land to be a successful farmer.

good idea ... but ... over there too much government regulation of everything .. they either would shut you down or charge you a fortune for licenses ... permits... safety inspections ... etc.. etc ...

quite common over here for most people to have small gardens at home and to sell the extra .. luckily life here isnt strangled by government regulation as it is over there ...

reply to post by DYepes


Star and Flagged for later

I'm planning on doing a similar thing, some of the things I have been looking at is lights and the cheapest way to run them. The plan is to produce as much of my own food as I can and sell the rest locally.

It will be interesting to compare the food I'll grow indoors in hydroponic sets to the food grown naturally in the garden. The best thing about indoor growing is control, full growing potential all year round.
I'm tempted to try growing some expensive crops like Saffron or something too, see how it goes.

Originally posted by Expat888
good idea ... but ... over there too much government regulation of everything .. they either would shut you down or charge you a fortune for licenses ... permits... safety inspections ... etc.. etc ...

quite common over here for most people to have small gardens at home and to sell the extra .. luckily life here isnt strangled by government regulation as it is over there ...

I agree 100% there are so many regulations that are TAXING people for just growing food and eating it.. I know of neighbors in our rural area that have been shut down AT GUN POINT for selling goat milk! There are other neigbors that grow their own, consume, and sell to just close friends..

I am putting in a shade cloth greenhouse this year (4 bad years weather, & I don't want to lose another garden) and am growing vertically, plus using "pallet gardents and buckets and tubs. I am handicapped and cant bend or kneel much. The excess food will be canned, frozen, eaten and or fed to chickens. The most blessed part is that I will have enough to donate to the food pantries.... If EVERYONE that could would grow a small vegetable patch in their yard or patio.. we can all help each other and the planet! economy....

*** I plan on "bartering" with local stores and merchants in this area for goods and services!!!!!! as well as establishing a few trusted accounts for good home grown foods to serve at restaurants....*** Imagine we can get free restaurant meals or IOU's "credits" for bringing the restaurant fresh eggs and produce.. It will cut their costs and get us a treat once in a while. ****

Ok well using strawberries as a personal favorite that is always a healthy snack and guaranteed to sell I have found the following prelimenary numbers. Weekend Gardener says the following.

Today more than 30,000 acres of strawberries are grown in the United States. Each acre can produce up to 20 tons of strawberries.
....
Most strawberry plants will produce a pound of fruit a year. Plant as many plants as you want pounds of strawberries.

So based on the wal-mart sale prices of $1.50 for a pound of strawberries an acre can generate about $60,000 of retail strawberries. Ill be conservative and figure whoesale price which I have not researched yet will be up to half that. Either way in a climate controlled setting I am figuring to attempt multi seasonal harvests year round. I still have to figure equipment and certification but theres plenty of time for that. I am just addressing the numbers for 1 or 2 variables right now.

Going through various USDA directory I found the only locally based certifying agent in Florida to certify organic.
americertorganic.com...
as well as the fee schedule

Its not looking too bad for now.

Umm, I think I was drunk when I made this thread. I do not really plan on building any kind of urban warehouse farms, although the concept is compelling. PROJECT ABANDONED