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It’s Infrastructure Week on the Small Farm!!

What We Talk About When We Talk About Infrastructure

Permanent

● Water lines, electrical lines, seedling greenhouses, wash stations, walk-in coolers, high tunnels

Seasonal

● Low hoops, caterpillar tunnels, drip/overhead irrigation,

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Basically...

it’s a support structure that helps you succeed at growing vegetables.

Things to consider:

● Your farm’s production priorities● Financial resources● Skill set/Capacity

● Who will be using this?

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A Little Bit About Us

Mad Farmers Collective

● 1.5 acre mixed vegetable farm in downtown Indianapolis● Primary crops include: salad greens, root vegetables,

tomatoes, herbs● Vegetables are sold to 5-10 restaurants throughout the

year, as well as a summer and winter farmers’ market● 3 owners, 1 full-time employee, 1-2 part-time seasonal

employees

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Production Priorities

High-quality produce and transplants

Production Priorities

Chemical-free Production Practices

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Production Priorities

Growing Season: February through December

Production Priorities

Generate Sufficient Revenue

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Financial Resources

● Modest

● Reluctance/inability to take out loans for capital improvements

● Pay-as-we-go for investments

● Fundraising strategies

Skill-set/Capacity

Diversified

Multiple owners, broader skill-set

Lean Crew

Limited time during the season

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Who Will Use This Infrastructure?

● Owners

● Employees

● Volunteers

● Random farm visitors

Infrastructure Choices to be Discussed

● Seed Starting/Transplant Production

● Season Extension

● Wash/Pack Infrastructure

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Seed Starting/Transplant Production

Starting Off Strong

Seed Starting/Transplant Production

GREENHOUSE

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Seed Starting/Transplant Production

GREENHOUSE IMPROVEMENTS

Seed Starting/Transplant Production

Reasons for the improvements:

-ambient temperature needs to be higher

-airflow needs to be increased

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Seed Starting/Transplant Production

COSTS OF IMPROVEMENTS

● Added about 40% to the initial costs

● Is it worth it?

Seed Starting/Transplant Production

OVERFLOW TUNNEL

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Seed Starting/Transplant Production

SEED STARTING

Seed Starting/Transplant Production

HEATED BEDS

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Seed Starting/Transplant Production

HEATED BEDS

Seed Starting/Transplant Production

GERMINATION CHAMBER

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Seed Starting/Transplant Production

GERMINATION CHAMBER

Seed Starting/Transplant Production

FUTURE ADDITIONS?

LED Grow Lights

.●Use less energy and produce less heat than full spectrum lights.

●These lights have a repeating pattern of 3 red and 2 blue LED bulbs.

This combination will visually produce pink light.Different color light helps plants achieve different goals. For example,the blue light helps encourage vegetative leaf growth. Red light, when combined with blue, allows plants to flower.

(From Nolts Greenhouse Supply Catalogue)

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SEASON EXTENSION

● Year-Round Income● Serves Multiple Roles

SEASON EXTENSION

WIRE HOOPS

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SEASON EXTENSION

LOW HOOPS

SEASON EXTENSION

FARMERS FRIEND TUNNEL

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SEASON EXTENSION

FARMERS FRIEND TUNNEL Improvements

SEASON EXTENSION

FARMERS FRIEND TUNNEL Pros and Cons

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SEASON EXTENSION

FARMERS FRIEND TUNNEL

SEASON EXTENSION

NIFTY HOOPS

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SEASON EXTENSION

NIFTY HOOPS

SEASON EXTENSION

NIFTY HOOPS

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SEASON EXTENSION

NIFTY HOOPS Pros and Cons

SEASON EXTENSION

NIFTY HOOPS

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SEASON EXTENSION

PAYING FOR THE TUNNELS

● Crowdfunding (Barnraiser, Kickstarter, Go Fund Me)

● Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) - EQIP

● Out of Pocket

WASH/PACK INFRASTRUCTURE

Reasons Why This is So Important

● Attractive, high-quality product

● Minimizes Spoilage

● Minimizes Contamination

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WASH/PACK INFRASTRUCTURE

ELEMENTS of OUR SYSTEM

● Roots and Bunching Greens

● Salad Greens

● Walk-In Coolers

WASH/PACK INFRASTRUCTURE

Roots and Bunching Greens Wash Station

● Materials

● Purposes

● Flow

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Roots and bunching greens wash station

WASH/PACK INFRASTRUCTURE

Salad Greens Wash Station

● Rationale

● Equipment

● Costs

● Assessment

(image from Dry Your Greens)

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WASH/PACK INFRASTRUCTURE

WALK-IN COOLERS

● 1 large● 2 small

WASH/PACK INFRASTRUCTURE

WALK-IN COOLERS

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Every Week is Infrastructure Week!