HydroponicsBSBC

financial page

2007-09-04T14:47:00.000-07:00

http://www.businessplanarchive.org/
Welcome to the Business Plan Archive. In partnership with the Library of Congress, the Center for History and New Media, and the University of Maryland Libraries, the Archive collects and preserves business plans and related planning documents from the Birth of the Dot Com Era so that future generations will be able to learn from this remarkable episode in the history of technology and entrepreneurship.

see what 3rd world entrepeneurs are getting loans for worldwide
h ttp://kiva.org/

Kiva.org is the world's first person-to-person micro-lending website. By enabling people to connect with and make personal loans to low-income entrepreneurs in the developing world, Kiva.org is revolutionizing the fight against global poverty. You can make a direct loan of as little as $25 to an entrepreneur to purchase business-related items such as sewing machines or livestock. This can dramatically improve the life of an entrepreneur and his/her family, empowering them to earn their way out of poverty.

recycle fertilzer

2007-09-04T13:16:00.000-07:00

http://www.championtrees.org/topsoil/bioponics.htm

In their closed cycle, self balancing system, mineral salts as plant food are replaced by natural nutrients from a biological source: fish effluent. This practical, ingenious system needs no expensive equipment or patented parts, and uses easily available materials to grow safe, chemical-free, superior quality food. And is adaptable enough to provide family food supply, or expand to commercial scale.

grow walls, vertical growing, container farming

2007-09-04T08:45:00.000-07:00

Oct. 8, 2007

Could vertical farming be the future?
Farm able to feed 50,000 people could 'fit comfortably within a city
block'

Farming of the future?
Though vertical farm prototypes likely would rise just two or three
stories, some researchers imagine industrial-looking, transparent and
square buildings rising up to 30 stories.
Rice on the seventh floor. Wheat on the twelfth. And enough food
within an 18-story tower to feed a small city of 50,000.

Vertical farms, where staple crops could be grown in environmentally
friendly skyscrapers, exist today only in futuristic designs and on
optimistic Web sites. Despite concerns over sky-high costs, however,
an environmental health expert in New York is convinced the world has
the know-how to make the concept a reality — and the imperative to do
so quickly.

With a raft of studies suggesting farmers will be hard-pressed to feed
the extra 3 billion people swelling the world’s ranks by the year
2050, Columbia University professor Dickson Despommier believes a new
model of agriculture is vital to avoid an impending catastrophe.

“The reason why we need vertical farming is that horizontal farming is
failing,” he said. If current practices don’t change by mid-century,
he points outs, an area bigger than Brazil would need to become
farmland just to keep pace with the demand.

Working the soil has always been an uncertain venture, and Despommier
argues that the price of crop failure is growing ever steeper as the
global population mushrooms. “The world,” he said, “is running out of
resources faster than what it can replace.”

Critics like Bruce Bugbee, a professor of crop physiology at Utah
State University in Logan, see improvements in how future farmlands
are managed as more practical and cost-effective. To Despommier,
though, the world already has the need and the technology to
dramatically improve yields and reliability by adjusting its point of
view: from out to up.

The Columbia researcher said his interest in vertical farming is an
extension of his long-standing work on disease transmission among
humans. Among the laundry list of benefits he cites, Despommier
believes vertical farming could help break the transmission cycle of
diseases in traditional agricultural settings. But it’s the potential
to help solve impending food shortages that really excites him.

A recent exercise conducted by students in his medical ecology class
found that a self-sustaining vertical farm able to feed 50,000 people
could “fit comfortably within a city block,” rising perhaps 18
stories. With adequate funding, a smaller prototype could be up and
running in seven to 10 years, he predicts. Eventually, full-scale
versions could be a new feature of city skylines, climbing as high as
30 stories and filled with automated feeders, monitoring devices and
harvesting equipment. And, of course, they would feature crops such as
wheat, rice, sugar beets and leafy greens grown in mineral nutrient
solutions or without any solid substrates at all.

These hydroponic and aeroponic growing techniques, respectively, have
benefited from NASA’s strong interest because any long-term venture to
the moon or beyond would require the use of self-contained and
resource-limited growth chambers. Despommier concedes that current
practices must be improved and systems put in place to quickly
identify and quarantine plants stricken with pests or disease. “No pun
intended, but the bugs need to be worked out of this thing,” he said.

He insists, though, that money is the last major obstacle. To his
critics, that hurdle has tripped up past entrepreneurs and may yet be
insurmountable. “I can’t be very optimistic about this study,” said
Utah State’s Bugbee. “None of this is very new. But it doesn’t mean
the whole concept is without merit. It just means the claims are
greatly exaggerated.”

Bugbee’s chief objection is the exorbitant power requirement for such
a vertical structure. Plants on the lower floors would require
artificial light year-round or expensive mechanical systems to get
more light to them. And during a typical winter in northern U.S.
cities, he said, average sunlight is only 5 percent to 10 percent of
peak summer levels due to sapped intensity and shorter days.

“November, December, January and February are really dark,” Bugbee
said. “Plants aren’t limited by the temperature, they’re limited by
the light.” High-pressure sodium lights may be a reasonable stand-in
for sunlight to maintain plant growth, he said, but the electric bill
is enormous. “Boy have a lot of people gone bankrupt trying hydroponic
greenhouses for that reason.”

Nevertheless, greenhouses such as Arizona’s 265-acre Eurofresh Farms
are thriving with their hydroponic tomatoes and seedless cucumbers.
Gene Giacomelli, Director of the Controlled Environment Agriculture
Program at the University of Arizona in Tucson, said questions of
safety, quality and sustainability are pushing agriculture in a host
of other directions, including Despommier’s vertical farming
idea. “He’s one extreme – a very good one,” Giacomelli said.

Several years ago, Giacomelli and collaborators in Arizona explored
another extreme when they won a contract to design and build a growth
chamber within a new building at Antarctica’s Amundsen-Scott Research
Station. The chamber can be tweaked remotely by scientists back in
Arizona but is now largely managed by volunteers at the station.

Besides supplying some much-needed color and light for the research
station’s residents during Antarctica’s bleak and bitterly cold winter
months, the indoor chamber has yielded a range of crunchy greens,
tomatoes, cucumbers, hot and sweet peppers and even cantaloupe. Next
year, a student will try to grow watermelon in what is arguably the
worlds’ most inhospitable place for a garden. Remarkably, the plot has
produced about two-thirds of what top greenhouses in North America can
deliver.

“I like to say that we can grow any plant anywhere and any time, but
for a price,” Giacomelli said. The catch in Antarctica is that
electricity for the lights and pumps has inflated the cost to about
$50 per pound of fresh vegetables . “Now, the local person at the
supermarket would say you’re crazy for spending that much money on
vegetables,” he said. “But you give that number to NASA and they’d
say, ‘Wow, that’s a good number.’”

Transportation costs
Back on Earth, Despommier said urban farms could defray some of their
own expense by significantly cutting transportation costs. And as the
local food movement gains in popularity with environmentally conscious
consumers, he said, what could be more local than vertical farming?
Despite a lack of major technological advances, the effort also stands
to benefit from small but steady improvements in hydroponics and
automated systems to control temperature, humidity and nutrient
delivery, according to Giacomelli.

To curb the excessive reliance on electricity, Giacomelli’s own group
is planning to experiment with fiber-optic tubes called solar pipes
that can capture sunlight from the Antarctic growth chamber’s roof.
Meanwhile, Utah State University researchers have developed a clear
piece of curved polyethylene that can retain heat in the ground and
extend the growing season by up to four months for summer squash and
tomatoes.

As for keeping up with global food demand by growing crops such as
rice and wheat, “we’re going to have to get better at farming
marginal lands,” Bugbee said, “but it’s still going to be done outside
because the sunlight is so cheap — well, free — and the sunlight
levels are so high in the summer.”

He agrees that some farming will move toward more controlled
environments, especially for high-value crops like fresh herbs that
otherwise would be difficult to supply year-round. “Chefs will pay a
lot for fresh basil,” Bugbee said, “but we’re not going to feed the
world with that.”

IGS Indoor Growing System

http://homeharvest.com/index.htm

http://homeharvest.com/hydroponicsindoorgrowingsystem.htm

IGSIndoor GrowingSystemStraight from the commercial greenhouses of Holland comes the incredibly practical Indoor Growing System. With the Indoor Growing System, it is possible to grow your own vegetables, fruits or herbs on a professional base. The system is designed to be used both inside and features integrated holders for the plant container and a vertical lamp-holder that can also serve as a plant support.
Capable of growing crops as large as corn, the Indoor Growing System is based on well-established commercial designs and built by professional horticulture engineers. IGS technology is used extensively by commercial growers in Europe and has been fine tuned to their demanding standards. It was designed to be modular, with each unit covering approximately 10 square feet and holding 20 individual pots. The IGS is trouble-free, in that it does not leak, is easy to set up, and is very reliable in producing great crops.
The IGS is a drip emitter system for which the recommended medium is the new Crop Circles Coco Disc, sold separately below. An attached light stand, drip emitters and tubing, twenty (20) 1 gallon pots, UL Listed submersible pump, ph test kit, Ionic nutrient pack, and detailed instructions are included.A reservoir is not included. Minimum recommended reservoir size is 15 gallons. Grow light not included.
Also available is an add-on kit which effectively doubles the capacity of the Indoor Growing System. Kits can connect together end to end to fit virtually any growing area.The Indoor Growing System is an easy and reliable way to grow virtually any plant, hydroponically!
Order #INDGROSYSIGSIndoor GrowingSystem199.00
qty:
Order #HH2137AIGSIndoor GrowingSystemAdd-On Kit99.00
qty:
Crop CirclesExpandingCoir FiberCoco PeatGrow DisksAn organic potting medium made from natural coconut fibers, this medium is ideal for hydroponic and mixed media cultivation.
Each disk expands to over five times its compressed size, or approximately 1 1/2 dry gallons.Coco Peat loosens clay soils and is highly porous to aid in strong root development. It has a soft fibrous texture that does not crust when dry. pH ranges between 5.7 and 6.3, making it ideal as a soil amendment. Coco Peat is free from weed seeds or diseases, and can be used as a peat moss replacement in potting mixes or alone as a potting medium.To use, simply fill a bucket with 3 gallons of water, and place one disk in the bucket for 1 hour. The disk will slowly dissolve and coconut fibre will be ready to use. Can also be mixed with any other growing media such as perlite, grow rocks or potting soil to make the final growing mix.Each package contains 20 coco disks.
Order #CROPC20Crop CirclesExpandingCoir FiberCoco PeatGrow DisksPack of 2034.95
qty:
Click Here For Drip Irrigation ComponentsReturn To Hydroponic Growing Media

Full Table of ContentsGardening Books Container Gardening Fertilizers & Plant Food Hobby GreenhouseHydroponics Pest & Disease Control Plant Grow Lights Plant PropagationGarden Seeds Soil Amendments Tools & Accessories Water Delivery
Copyright © 1997-2007 Home Harvest® Garden Supply All Rights Reserved
Home Bulletin Board Visit Our Retail Store Privacy StatementAbout Home Harvest® Contact Home Harvest®

Posted by HydroponicsBlog at 2:00 AM

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http://www.shopsmartorganics.com/hydroponics.html

http://journeytoforever.org/garden_con.html
lots of reference. very practical. we can also check UN sources for dirt cheap methods used in 3rd world countries with little capitalization.
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http://echonet.org/
ECHO is a Not-for-profit 501
(c)(3) Christian organization located on a demonstration farm in North Fort Myers, Florida.

Our vision is to bring glory to God and a blessing to mankind by using science and technology to help the poor.

We strive to provide ideas, training, information, and seeds critical to those working in agricultural development in third world countries.
-------------------------------------
http://tilz.tearfund.org/Publications/Footsteps+11-20/Footsteps+15/Growing+walls.htm
[barbara, to make a clickable link like the one above:
copy(control-c) the web page address you wish to refer to. paste(control-v) that text to the blog entry you are making. select that text. look in the tool bar for the little anchor chain icon. click on that. a window will open. paste (control-v). and then click OK. the webaddress you linked should change appearance in the blog text. usually turns blue and is underlined. that lets us go right to the referenced website very quickly.]

This is an interesting and very practical idea developed by Gösta Nilsson, the Director of Sanitas in Botswana. He has developed a container gardening system based on walls with built-in growing boxes, made of hollow concrete blocks. The blocks are made using a simple, hand-operated block-making machine. With such a machine, two persons can make 100 blocks a day from a mix of 1 part cement and 4 parts sand. This is the size block which is used at Sanitas, but blocks of similar size would be fine...
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http://www.omegagarden.com/index.php?content_id=1521&gclid=COy63pCTqo4CFRcbWAodv3KIYQ

High tech, electric lights

The Omega Garden™ Carousel is our answer to commercial-scale urban agriculture.

Each carousel carries six, 8ft. long Omega Gardens™; equaling as much as 1500 sq. ft. of greenhouse yet only using 150 sq. ft. of floor space, including access!

This is a fully automated system. Each rotating garden is in turn rotated on the carousel down to the water/feeding tray at floor level, minimizing plumbing, while providing easy access.

This unit can be operated in an insulated structure in any climate, with unprecedented efficiency.

------------------------------------
http://vertigro.com/

natural light

The Verti-Gro Systems provide for very high density production for the Commecial Grower and space saving for the hobbyist or casual home Gardener. Whether for the purpose of small farms, large scale agricultural operations or reasearch, the space saving is significant.

Anyone can assemble and operate our Vertical Gardens.

--------------------------------

Comments Page

2007-09-04T02:04:00.000-07:00

A&M may have a lot of this info. Also the UN for low cost methods.
-------------------------------
I want to know more about Dr. Lucian's cactus .....

Also, note the product page I posted. I think I would probably start with something like this to grow specialty products in a garage or something - maybe not as expensive to start up. Building a large green house sounds rather expensive and more mechanically complex. I did not know how to post the picture so you will have to go to the website to see the set up....

product site

2007-09-04T02:00:00.000-07:00

http://homeharvest.com/index.htm

IGS Indoor Growing System http://homeharvest.com/hydroponicsindoorgrowingsystem.htm

IGSIndoor GrowingSystemStraight from the commercial greenhouses of Holland comes the incredibly practical Indoor Growing System. With the Indoor Growing System, it is possible to grow your own vegetables, fruits or herbs on a professional base. The system is designed to be used both inside and features integrated holders for the plant container and a vertical lamp-holder that can also serve as a plant support.
Capable of growing crops as large as corn, the Indoor Growing System is based on well-established commercial designs and built by professional horticulture engineers. IGS technology is used extensively by commercial growers in Europe and has been fine tuned to their demanding standards. It was designed to be modular, with each unit covering approximately 10 square feet and holding 20 individual pots. The IGS is trouble-free, in that it does not leak, is easy to set up, and is very reliable in producing great crops.
The IGS is a drip emitter system for which the recommended medium is the new Crop Circles Coco Disc, sold separately below. An attached light stand, drip emitters and tubing, twenty (20) 1 gallon pots, UL Listed submersible pump, ph test kit, Ionic nutrient pack, and detailed instructions are included.A reservoir is not included. Minimum recommended reservoir size is 15 gallons. Grow light not included.
Also available is an add-on kit which effectively doubles the capacity of the Indoor Growing System. Kits can connect together end to end to fit virtually any growing area.The Indoor Growing System is an easy and reliable way to grow virtually any plant, hydroponically!
Order #INDGROSYSIGSIndoor GrowingSystem199.00
qty:
Order #HH2137AIGSIndoor GrowingSystemAdd-On Kit99.00
qty:
Crop CirclesExpandingCoir FiberCoco PeatGrow DisksAn organic potting medium made from natural coconut fibers, this medium is ideal for hydroponic and mixed media cultivation.
Each disk expands to over five times its compressed size, or approximately 1 1/2 dry gallons.Coco Peat loosens clay soils and is highly porous to aid in strong root development. It has a soft fibrous texture that does not crust when dry. pH ranges between 5.7 and 6.3, making it ideal as a soil amendment. Coco Peat is free from weed seeds or diseases, and can be used as a peat moss replacement in potting mixes or alone as a potting medium.To use, simply fill a bucket with 3 gallons of water, and place one disk in the bucket for 1 hour. The disk will slowly dissolve and coconut fibre will be ready to use. Can also be mixed with any other growing media such as perlite, grow rocks or potting soil to make the final growing mix.Each package contains 20 coco disks.
Order #CROPC20Crop CirclesExpandingCoir FiberCoco PeatGrow DisksPack of 2034.95
qty:
Click Here For Drip Irrigation Components Return To Hydroponic Growing Media

Full Table of Contents Gardening Books Container Gardening Fertilizers & Plant Food Hobby Greenhouse Hydroponics Pest & Disease Control Plant Grow Lights Plant Propagation Garden Seeds Soil Amendments Tools & Accessories Water Delivery
Copyright © 1997-2007 Home Harvest® Garden Supply All Rights Reserved
Home Bulletin Board Visit Our Retail Store Privacy Statement About Home Harvest® Contact Home Harvest®

Reference Page, Links, Brainstorming

2007-09-03T09:20:00.000-07:00

different ways to look at it:

40 Ideas For A New Business. From the Canada/British Columbia Business Service Centre. Concise ways to think about new products, new businesses and extensions of your current business. Helps you look at product development in a new light.

Add Value To Existing Products

Assemble A Product

Become A Distributer

Become A Supplier

Become An Agent

Become An Export Distributor

Become An Import Distributor Or Agent

Buy A Franchise

Capitalize On A Growth Trend

Cater To Discarded Markets

Combine Components

Cover Market Gaps Or Shortages

Create A Market Demand

Expand Market Areas

Find A Good Product That Has Failed

Find People With Under-Used Skills

Find Uses For Waste Materials

Franchise Your Business

Identify Opportunities Arising From Your Current Business

Identify The Full Scope Of Your Business

Imitate A Successful Product Or Idea

Improve An Existing Product Or Service

Invent A New Product or Service

Locate A Patent Opportunity

Manufacture And Market Under License

Market Someone Else’s Product

Offer Discount Goods For Resale

Package Or Unpackage Existing Products

Plan And Promote Events

Provide A Consultation Or information Service

Recycle An Existing Product

Replace Imports

Serve Unique Client Groups

Substitute Materials In Existing Products

Take Advantage Of A Market Switch

Take Advantage Of Circumstances

Take Advantage Of New Fashions Or Fads

Target A Small Part Of A Large Market

Transfer A Concept From One Industry To Another

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this is the draft of a chapter i wrote for High Frequency. A specialized farming theme like we are talking about.

Dr. Lucien and his cactus

Lucien took the stairs, leaving the clinic floor of his house to go down to his lab. A cloning lab. The ordinary sort long used by botanists and growers to propagate plants. He had hundreds of young plants growing from clumps of a few cells in test tubes. The test tubes were filled with liquid nutrients including rare earth elements used to make super fast computer chips. He walked through the lab, grabbing a sandwich and a drink from the refrigerator by the back door.

Outside he walked the hillside along a limestone ledge and sat down on a large flat rock, serving as a table top where he took his lunch. He looked out around his property and felt satisfaction. This was his 'farm', invisible to the untrained eye. Thousands of his cactus species thrived here unnoticed. They were so tiny, never growing beyond the size of a fingernail. They grew in the cracks in rocks, in between the pebbles of the top soil. If you didn't know what you were looking for you would need to get on your knees with a magnifying glass.

Lucien finished his lunch and walked his cactus farm, checking the antenna cables that collected the special frequencies they emitted as sometimes deer, raccoons or javalinas would disturb them.

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http://www.hydroponics.com.au/php/viewtopic.php?t=53
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This is a start. I am having to go look on my old desktop computer. There is more.

Growing for Market - Farm Tours
Herbal Product Business, Herb Farming Business - SmallBizBooks.com
PlasticultureAmerican Society For Plasticulture Other Sites
PlasticultureGreenhouses
Fungi Perfecti® gourmet and medicinal mushrooms
SBA Small Business Administration Home Page

EcoGardenGreen


World Water Council
$50 and Up Underground House Book – Underground Housing and Shelter
American Forests
American Oceans Campaign
Center for a New American Dream
Center for Marine Conservation
Center for Maximum Potential Building Systems - Building a Sustainable World Since 1975
Citizens' Environmental Coalition
Deltec Homes - America's premier round home builder, hurricane resistant and energy efficient
E Magazine
Earth Institute at Columbia University
EarthNet News
EnergySmart electric A-C inductive motor controls will save you energy and money
Environment News Service (ENS)
Environmental News Network
Environmental Working Group
Ferro CementWavyChickenWire
GreenMeans Menu Page
Home Power Magazine - Your Small Scale Renewable Energy (RE) Source
Homepower.com
http--www.prwatch
http--www.purefood
Hydrogen from Oil
Institute of Soil, Water and Evironmental Sciences
InterAction.org
League of Conservation Voters
Millennium Project
National Environmental Trust
Nature and Environmental Writers - College and University Educators
North American Association for Environmental Education
Off grid
Pesticide Action Network Updates Service
Pico Hydro low cost hydropower
PlasticultureAmerican Society For Plasticulture Other Sites
PlasticultureGreenhouses
Rebecca's Garden Home
Reuters 'World Environment News' from Planet Ark
SeaKeepers
Shadeport Residential
Smart Communities Network Green Buildings Affordable Housing
Smart Communities Network Hot Spots--the Top Websites on Sustainable Community Development
Top Housing - Manufactured housing and buildings
UN WIRE
UNDP's Shelter InitiativesFerroCement
Water for People
World Environmental Journalists E-Group
World Resources 2000-2001
World Resources Institute
World Watch Institute
www.wri.org-wr2000-page.html
Yestermorrow Design Build School
Zero Population Growth
Growing for Market - Farm Tours
Herbal Product Business, Herb Farming Business - SmallBizBooks.com
Pure Energy Systems (PES Network, Inc.) home page

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