Let’s conclude the discussion on profitability in space by comparing a few crop families commonly grown in Eastern Canada. (This discussion began here.)
To make today’s comparisons, I assumed the following:
- Yield estimates are from the low end of our farm yields
- Prices come from discussion at an ECOSGN meeting
- Weights are quantities a small seed company might buy.
- $/g ratio varies with the amount sold. The larger the quantity; the lower the $/g.
- These values are not recommendations but examples.
Profitability in Space ($/bedft) of 4 Crop Families
| Crop | Yields (g/bedft) | Price ($) | Weight (g) | $/g | Profitability
($/bedft) |
| Tomatoes | 3 | 30 | 25 | 1,2 | 3,6 |
| Brassicas | 25 | 20 | 100 | 0,125 | 3,125 |
| Beans | 75 | 12 | 400 | 0,03 | 2,25 |
| Cucurbits | 25 | 60 | 400 | 0,15 | 3,75 |
A few comments
- Three crops fall into the $2.5-5/bedft range. They should be profitable on most small farms (providing you have clients to buy them.)
- Beans are lower than the profit range. However, many small seed companies are looking for beans and might buy most of what you can produce. (Contact them before growing a large seed crop on speculation.)
- The profitability in space of these bulk seed formats and prices are comparable to growing many market vegetables.
- Remember, if you can increase your yields, your $/bedft will go up.
This concludes the overview of seed crop profitability in space. The other way I look at crop profitability is profitability in time ($/hr). Next post, we will do a quick overview of that topic.
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