Commercial Aquaponic Farming

[kansasplantgirl]

Hello all.

I have read several posts today---awesome site for information!

My husband and I had a traditional retail greenhouse/nursery and closed it a year ago due to the extremely sluggish economy in rural Kansas. We have been researching commercial aquaponics but find very few located in the United States and none in Kansas.

Do any of you have a commercial aq. business? If so, how big and what are your main concerns or issues? We are considering 4- 42x96 structures with a building that sits behind to house the fish.

Thank you!

[commander]

Hi there. I don't really have any background in commercial or hobby aquaponics so I can't really help with your question. What I do have is a serious interest in both. I have a friend who is putting up a 24 x 50 greenhouse and we are about to start exploring aquaponics on a small commercial basis. He has a background in construction and farming and I have and MBA and a background in management. I have been doing research on the commercial feasibility of aquaculture and I have not had much luck. I am not sure yet whether it is such a new concept that no one has expanded it to a large commercial scale yet, or if it has been tried and wasn't commercially feasible. I am very interested in what you find and if you have any input or find any information

Good Luck

[urbanfarmer]

WELCOME!

[kansasplantgirl]

Hello again....

I will keep you posted on my research in trying to locate some viable information for commercial aquaponic production. I have read about some businesses in Hawaii and California and would love to visit them but that is not feasible at this time. So, more research!

Our first greenhouse was a 30x96. It was quite large but we are wanting to go just a big larger and want the top and sides to open to release heat. Our outside temps range from -0 to +100. We would like to keep the greenhouses between 75 and 82 degrees year round. More research on heating and cooling is necessary.

We know exactly what we want the greenhouses to look like and what we want to grow....now we just have to finance and implement it!
Our experience with growing traditionally in dirt in the greenhouse taught us the ropes of greenhouse growing and the labor hours that are required. We needed no additional lighting and our plants were very strong and healthy. However, we only grew from January through May.

We are excited to be a part of this learning experience and will hopefully provide all of you with some learning material as well!

[urbanfarmer]

HOW DARE YOU! IT'S CALLED SOIL NOT DIRT.

[bsfman]

Our experience with growing traditionally in dirt in the greenhouse taught us the ropes of greenhouse growing and the labor hours that are required. We needed no additional lighting and our plants were very strong and healthy. However, we only grew from January through May.

We are excited to be a part of this learning experience and will hopefully provide all of you with some learning material as well!

Welcome, Kansasplantgirl! I'll be following your progress with great interest!

What crops did you grow in your soil based greenhouse operation? What ones are you contemplating for aquaponic growing? Will you market your crops through distributors or direct to end users? What fish do you contemplate growing and do you have markets for them too? I have no doubt you can successfully grow crops and fish on a commercial scale, and probably with less labor than is required for soil based growing and very likely less unit production cost too, but the sucess will ultimately hinge on the availability of viable markets for what you grow.

Good luck with your endeavors and please keep us up to date!

[keith_r]

knowing what you want to grow doesn't necessarily equate to what your market area wants to eat..
not many truely commercial ventures, but growing power in milwaukee is getting there..
howling moose garden is in construction based on friendly aquaponics designs (out of hi)
look for multiple income streams incorporated into what you do..

[kansasplantgirl]

@ UrbanFarmer: LOL....it was actually Pro Mix and another bagged product mixed together to create nice healthy seedlings!

@BSFMan: We grew many types of flowers from seed and plugs, same with veggies. We had lemon and lime trees that were awesome! We want to grow tomatoes, gr. peppers, cukes, strawberries, etc. We would love to try everything! I love growing from seed and have a good success rate with it. I bought the plugs from North Carolina Farms. They were healthy and gave me a jump on getting crops out earlier.
Marketing is my biggest obstacle right now! We have spoken to various grocery stores and some are eager to buy fresh from the grower (us!). When we were a grower/retailer the business came to us, now, we will go to them!
We are considering Tilapia but will have to research the need for it a little more. Many people raise tilapia and I would rather provide some fish that are not so readily available. The laws in KS are very strict on selling fish. So, we will have to see what the best route is for us.

@Keith_R: My husband and I joke we are going to grow a salad bar! We want to grow what other people want to eat. We want it to be chemical free so our food can provide the nutrients the body needs. We want our food to taste great year round. Where we live, we do not get "fresh" produce from October -May. Sure, we have produce at our two grocery stores and at our WalMart but it is shipped from who knows where and from a great distance.It certainly is not picked fresh and delivered to the local store the same or next day. Wouldn't it be great if we could supply those stores with all the produce they need as well as surrounding communities? We think so!
We have considered going to Hawaii to learn from Friendly Aquaponics. We certainly want to visit a large operation to get the feel of it all. Of course we would like to visit one closer to our home but after much searching, I do not believe that will happen.

I welcome any and all suggestions and ideas. This is going to be a grand adventure!

Spending time in a greenhouse is a wonderful experience! In the winter when the snow is 3 ft deep and the temp. is -2 degrees, the greenhouse is a cozy 85 degrees and smells fresh and earthy! It is awesome therapy!

[commander]

Hmmm....lets think about this. Go to HI to research a business venture = all expense paid trip to HI = business tax deductions to visit the islands = a total win win situation.

[foodchain]

Business Tax ded doesn't = free. It just means it costs less. For the first few years, showing a profit for most businesses, a true profit, is difficult. I know this first hand...that's why I am not full comercial yet.