Replicable CSA
Methodology
Using the Toothbrush Principle for food, the average American eats a significant amount of food that can be produced via a small CSA operation by the digital age farmer scientist.
Groceries are a $1T market in the USA alone.
Take the key crop that have large value, and find out average per person consumption. Start with those that have the highest value, and prioritize by ease of production. Taking this approach, the list may look like this:
- Chicken - seasonality addressed by freezer. 26 chickens per year average. Take a chicken of 5 lb at $2/lb, and you have $260 per person.
- Bread - nonseasonal. average of one lb per person per week. Assume 1 lb at $3/loaf, that is 56*3=$168.
- Take eggs at an average of .7 egg per day - 250 eggs per year, or 20 dozen at $3/dozen - that is $60 per person. Seasonality addressed by sheer overproduction, if a flock of 50-100 laying hens is involved.
- Lettuce - seasonality addressed by aquaponic greenhouse. 1/2 lb per week average - so say 30 heads per year - at $2/lb - $60.
That is a total of $550 per year. 50 customers like this would support a farmer scientist.
Since there are startup costs, we suggest that the first month is spent in immersion learning of an Open Source Extreme Manufacturing Distributive Enterprise, which is used to capitalize the agriculture operation.
Review
Andre from Jacob Springs Farm - I think the CSA plan is basically good - need to refine by adding estimated costs of production and effects of seasonality - also regulations and legality complicate yoghurt, meats and in some jurisdictions eggs. Chicken meat and egg prices could be adjusted upwards - consider adjusting all prices upward in line with premium prices of the organic market.
