Friendly Aquaponics in Honoka’a, HI

[oboeash]

http://www.friendlyaquaponics.com/

Has anyone visited the Friendly Aquaponics Farm in Hawaii or ordered any information? I will be in Hawaii next week and am very interested in their set up.

[davidstcldfl]

Hi oboeash, I haven't been there...'yet'....Sure would like to someday...... :mrgreen:
My system is based on their's.

You might consider checking out Chris Smith at 'Coastview Aquaponics' too. They do free farm tours on Saturday. They use rafts / DWC too.

Hope to hear all about it when you get back.... :D

[jackalope]

I've heard a lot of good things about them, never had any dealings with them tho ...

[keith_r]

the owners are facing some legal stuff.. marijuana was found in the homes of 2 of the owners.. i don't think they were using ap to grow it..
one of the managers of the operation recently moved to ohio

from what i've read around the net, they barely break even on fish, and do ok with the veggies (many people seem to think that their numbers are fudged, but they pretty much have ideal climate) - i think that they were trying to make the $ on the "training/consulting"

[rfeiller]

going to their website it was obvious that the purpose was income from training. the profit margins on farming are just always very tight at best. i would think it would be worth while to go visit the place just to see how it is run and to see the equipment etc. you are bound to gleen information from it.

i can't imagine growing pot with ap the tech used to make it profitiable is not possible with ap.

[keith_r]

there's a guy in michigan growing in ap, for personal medicinal usage (it's legal in mi, i think up to 16 plants)

there's a pretty big aquaponics place in the virgin islands that i think would be pretty beneficial;

http://www.uvi.edu/sites/uvi/Pages/AES-Aquaculture-International_Aquaponics.aspx?s=RE

[rfeiller]

You can grow it just about anywhere, but the master growers produce several huge harvest in total controlled inviornments per year. Light duration and intensity with total humidity, co2, ph, tds, fungal, pest, and temp. I wasn't clear sorry.

[davidstcldfl]

from what i've read around the net, they barely break even on fish, and do ok with the veggies (many people seem to think that their numbers are fudged, but they pretty much have ideal climate) - i think that they were trying to make the $ on the "training/consulting

Good points Keith,
Friendly's, themselves say they basically break even on the fish. They consider them a source of free fertilizer... :) They are working on developing low density DWC systems, just to see how few fish are actually needed to provide enough nutriants. (less fish food, smaller water pumps/less electric...more profit margin)
They also tried prawns, guess they grew well in the troughs, but again...they didn't seem profitable enough.

Your right about the 'ideal' climate.
Plus, considering most veggies are imported there...local grown and the fact they do have an organic cert, has got to help the profit margin. I belive they now supply the Costco's with organic veggies.

[jackalope]

Your right about the 'ideal' climate.
Plus, considering most veggies are imported there...local grown and the fact they do have an organic cert, has got to help the profit margin. I belive they now supply the Costco's with organic veggies. That must help a lot ;)

[oboeash]

Thanks for all of the feedback. The weather was rainy and I didn't get a chance to get out to the friendly farm. I appreciate all of the comments. Their website claims profits from farming, less focus on selling products, and that herb doesn't grow with the system. It's funny to hear otherwise.

Ashley

[urbanfarmer]

Thanks for all of the feedback. The weather was rainy and I didn't get a chance to get out to the friendly farm. I appreciate all of the comments. Their website claims profits from farming, less focus on selling products, and that herb doesn't grow with the system. It's funny to hear otherwise.

Ashley
Well if you still go out there, could you take lots of pictures for us? :D Thanks, and enjoy Hawai'i

[grimsteph]

I have heard that the only money Friendly Aquaponics makes is from their tours and video sales, and that the actual farming activity breaks even or loses just a little bit.

[tmcmaster]

I am late to this party, but will share what I know... I read an online 'review' of their intern program, and the guy that wrote it was most unkind, taking personal shots at the owners for 'abusing intern labor' and effectively running a sweat shop. Haven't found any other similar reviews, so I took it as one disgruntled, angry guy... Take it for what it's worth...

[David - WI]

The pressure, Friend said, led them to try growing marijuana in their aquaponic system. Half a year later, in August 2009, Friendly landed Costco as a customer and began delivering 400 pounds of lettuce to the store in Kailua-Kona every week. The farm was making a profit selling organic lettuce for $6.99 a pound — $1 less than a mainland brand, Friend said. "We were on our way," she said. "The demand was so great." Annual revenue in the first year with Costco was $96,000 and headed toward $200,000 in the second year, Friend said. Expansion plans were drawn up to produce 1,400 pounds of lettuce a week.?

But then federal Drug Enforcement Administration agents came calling. "I?was trying to save my farm in a stupid way,"?Friend said. "We sullied our name." Friend and Mann had agreed to grow marijuana for Roger Christie, a Hilo resident and church founder who promoted marijuana use under religious freedom. Friend and?Mann, along with Christie and others, were arrested in July 2010. - See more at: http://www.japan-aquaponics.com/economi ... QCeMT.dpuf (http://www.japan-aquaponics.com/economics-of-aquaponics.html#sthash.PCIQCeMT.dpuf)