Simple Greenhouse Projections for Perpetual Harvest System - 2006

Industry standards:

…claim a typical, commercial greenhouse (9 months) can produce between 6 and 12 lbs. of tomatoes per square foot per year. They estimate that the cost to operate runs between .75 and 1.00 per pound which includes the current cost of energy. They estimate product to sell for $1.25 to 2.25/lb. depending on the time of year.

So…

A 25' x 90' greenhouse = 2,250 sf. (Stelle greenhouse shell)

@10 lbs./sf x 2,250 sf = 22,500 lbs. of tomatoes

Conventional Expenses, Income and Profit

Estimate Operational costs at .90 sf (x 22,500) = $20,900 to operate

 (Heating and electrical, labor, debt repayment and interest, operating supplies, and taxes.)

Gross sales @ $1.30   = $29,250 gross revenue

Gross Profit (before management & sales costs) =  $8,350

What is Possible with Perpetual Harvest System?

New Jersey greenhouse operation using CO2 and supplemental lighting produced 40 lbs./sf on a year round operation. Chris Marron is confident his system will do much better. This needs to be tested, so for now we will use what we know is possible.

40 lbs./sf x 2,250sf    =    90,000 lbs. of tomatoes annually

Gross Sales @ 1.30   = $117,000 in gross revenues

Operational costs (Double $20,900) =  $42,000

Gross Profit (before Mgmt. & sales)  =  $75,000

If we triple Operational costs  =   $63,000

   Still Gross =   $54,000

Contacts:

Bill Wilson

Center for Sustainable Community

123 Crescent Lane, Stelle, IL 60919

www.CenterforSustainableCommunity.org

CSC@stelle.net   815-256-2204

Dan Anderson

Agroecology/Sustainable Agriculture Program
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
1102 S. Goodwin, Urbana, IL 61801 MC-047
http://www.aces.uiuc.edu/~asap/

aslan@uiuc.edu 217/333-1588

 

Appendix:

http://www.hydro-gardens.com/planning_your_house.htm

    TOMATOES require from 4.0 to 5.0 square feet of greenhouse area per plant. Therefore, the plant population in a 30' x 132' greenhouse will range from 990 plants to 792 plants. Plant population is affected by greenhouse style, time of year you're in production, and your location. Production is normally calculated in pounds per square feet of greenhouse area. It can range from 6.0# psf to well over 12# psf per year with currently available varieties. (See production estimates at www.hydro-gardens.com/tomato_seeds.htm)

    The cost of producing vegetable crops varies substantially from season to season and year to year. It is generally accepted in the industry that this cost can range from $.70 per pound to $1.00 per pound. A few of the many factors that affect this cost are heating and electrical, labor, debt repayment and interest, operating supplies, and taxes.

    The average selling price for vegetables in your area times the total yearly production gives you gross income. This will also vary substantially from season to season and year to year. Traditionally this yearly average has ranged from $1.25 per lb. to $2.50 per lb. for tomatoes.

High Production Green House (40lbs. sq. ft. annually)

From (Source: http://www.pacpubserver.com/new/news/4-30-00/greenhouse.html)

It takes only about 90 days to go from seed to harvest. An automated irrigation system waters and delivers nutrients to the plants, and is almost completely re-circulated.
   Special lamps augment the natural light and carbon dioxide is introduced to further boost production. The entire tomato-growing technique is very high-tech, except for one aspect: a hive of bees pollinate tomato flowers in the old- fashioned way.
   The end result is a red, delicious tomato. Only a food snob could tell the difference between one of these greenhouse babies and one grown in Jersey's summertime fields.

"We produce about ten times the amount of tomatoes that would be grown outdoors in a similar space," said Mr. Specca. The hydroponic growing process utilizes technology from the Netherlands and requires only about half the manual labor normally required.
 

FYI….

'Goodness Greeness' wholesale prices from October 2005   Wild Oats 1/06 Retail

Broccoli                             1.50 Bunch   2.60

Heirloom tomatoes             3.60 lb.   5.00

Romas                               1.32 lb   3.00

Cucumber                          1.50 lb   4.00

Green Peppers                  3.25 lb   5.00

Yellow Peppers                 4.55 lb   9.00

Cauliflower                         1.88 head   4.00

Mesclun Salad Mix             4.00 lb   7.00