4 ms·
I was trying to do the math here too. Here's what I came up with. 1) Shipping Container - ~$2,000 2) Tin Shed - Maybe another ~$1,000 3) Hoop Greenhouse - ~
by atourgates 10y ago
I was trying to do the math here too. Here's what I came up with.
1) Shipping Container - ~$2,000
2) Tin Shed - Maybe another ~$1,000
3) Hoop Greenhouse - ~$400 [1]
4) 3Kwh Solar Plant with Batteries - ~$8,500 [2]
5) 2 Acre Drip Irrigation System - ~$3,000 [3]
6) WiFi Access - $1,000 (I have no idea what hardware/capabilities they're delivering here, but it seems like that's a safe number)
7) A Bunch of Hand Farming Tools - $1,000 (Another guesstimate)
8) A 1,000 gallon water storage tank - ~$700 [4]
So that takes us to about $17,600. Let's add another $5,000 for preparation, packaging, research and educational materials. Let's add another $5,000 for stuff that's more expensive than my guesstimates, and remove nothing for the article's claimed efficiencies that makes this so much more cost-effective than buying a la carte.
That still only puts us at $28,000, so either there's something I'm totally missing here, or this is total BS.
[1] http://www.greenhousemegastore.com/product/16-foot-wide-cold-frame/cold-frames http://www.greenhousemegastore.com/product/16-foot-wide-cold...
[2] http://www.bimblesolar.com/3kwcomplete-sunny-island http://www.bimblesolar.com/3kwcomplete-sunny-island
[3] https://www.berryhilldrip.com/Kit-Pro-2-This-Complete-Kit-will-includes-all-the-essentials-for-a-2-ACRE-crop-using-a-Pond-or-River..html https://www.berryhilldrip.com/Kit-Pro-2-This-Complete-Kit-wi...
[4] http://www.plastic-mart.com/category/9/plastic-water-tanks http://www.plastic-mart.com/category/9/plastic-water-tanks
- RyJones 10y agowhere are you getting WWT containers for $2k? Last one I was involved in was about $8k for WWT + shipping and picking, which was about another $2k with some minimal site prep (pea gravel and railroad ties). Prices were slightly lower to buy them in Seattle instead of the closest port, but the lower purchase price was offset by the much larger shipping costs
- netcraft 10y agoI imagine theyre cheaper away from the coasts. Here in Memphis, TN you can get CWO for cheaper than that, including delivery https://westerncontainersales.com/shipping-container-prices/memphis-shipping-container/ https://westerncontainersales.com/shipping-container-prices/...
- RyJones 10y agoInteresting. An 8x45 WWT is indeed ~$2k on that site, and CWO is only marginally more. Thanks. Guess I should have looked for prices in SLC - $6k would pay for a lot of shipping
- jartelt 10y agoIt's common to include a profit margin in pricing. Apple makes an iPhone for <$300 and sells it for >$600.
- chrissnell 10y agoI see a Davis Instruments weather station there, too. Another $600.
- appleiigs 10y agoI have 4 acres. The last thing I need to grow vegetables is a weather station, wifi and a storage container. For $50K I'd want a backhoe/tractor - that would allow me to do some real work. Also, where'd would I get the water for that water tank?
- atourgates 10y agoOr this one for $139: http://www.costco.com/AcuRite-Pro-5-in-1-Weather-Station-with-my-AcuRite-Remote-Monitoring.product.100291909.html http://www.costco.com/AcuRite-Pro-5-in-1-Weather-Station-wit... Actually, they do mention "sensors" - I wonder if that includes anything beyond the weather station?
- jaclaz 10y ago>That still only puts us at $28,000, so either there's something I'm totally missing here, or this is total BS. Excellent, I roughly computed 26,000 US$ (actually 25,000 Euros), I was lower on the connectivity and on the solar plant and missed the water tank, but I will gladly accept a 10% increase, let's call it rounding. Still we are around 100% margin, which should mean that the "manual" and "lessons" must be overpriced.
- extrapickles 10y agoDon't forget the refrigeration system, which can easily cost $10-20k if they are getting a walk in one like the ones used by restaurants. And they are doing this in San Francisco, which would greatly up the costs of everything vs doing it pretty much anywhere else. If they aren't careful with shipping everything to them that can easily eat $5k or more (a shipping container can cost more to move than the cost of the container itself).
- jaclaz 10y ago>Don't forget the refrigeration system ... WHICH refrigeration system? I cannot find any mention of it: "Every unit comes equipped with a renewable power system, internet connectivity, basic farm tools, micro-drip irrigation system and water pump that can be adapted to fit either a groundwell or municipal water supply. Every Farm from a Box unit can be customized with optional components including sensors, water purification units, and even remote monitioring technology." And it would IMHO have merited an icon in the picture here: http://www.farmfromabox.com/about http://www.farmfromabox.com/about
- Twirrim 10y ago"A new thing that we’re deploying now is an internal cold storage system to make sure that we’re able to keep the crops fresher, longer, post harvest, before the crops actually get to market."
- jaclaz 10y agoYep, but then there wil be a "new price" corresponding to the "new thing". AFAICU the US$ 50,000/60,000 is for the "current" thing, not for the "new" one.
- semi-extrinsic 10y agoAka. an $800 fridge that they'll add in for another $5k.
- mywittyname 10y agoProfits: $22,000.
- sweettea 10y ago3) is underestimated. A typical shipping container is 40 feet long, so I think they ship a 32' not a 24' one. Also, 4' centers are necessary in most parts of the world: 6' will collapse under snow load in half the US. That's $600, not $400. The benches shown are at least another $400. Finally, the most expensive part of a greenhouse is the endwall and the plastic; probably +$500, making it $1500. (I am a small farmer with a side job in tech.)