[compost_tea] Gallons/Acre/Price

From: kevin john richardon <kmagic_at_backpacker.com>
Date: 12 Sep 2003 11:57:25 -0000

How does the cost of this [probiotic] product compare to compost tea? If you
were to cover say 10 acres with ACT it would cost from $ 450 plus of
miinus about $250.

Bob, how many gallons undiluted ACT per acre goes on at that price?
Dennis

YO!

Local Solutions has a well recieved price schedule in Anchorage, Alaska for residential and commercial clientel. The rates are by SQFT. It is not a linear thing because, as is the case with many industries, costs decrease with an increase in volume. An attachment with a published, yet subject to change, price schedule is enclosed.

The part that tells you a full season includes three applications got cut off.

For these prices, the rate of application is fifty gallons of Alaska Humus Tea and five or ten gallons of Organic Gem Fish per Acre.

In the process of developing a price schedule for agricultural applications. Application rates will vary, but will hover around five to fifteen gallons tea and five to ten gallons fish, depending on situation. This application rate is primarily due to budget considerations of ag. Ray Gore helped clue me in on how to approach big ag from a economic standpoint. Golf coarses are in the same category.

I am guessing that the high end will fall somewhere between $100 and $300 per Acre. I am wanting it to be as low as possible of coarse because of the budget per acre issues Ray Gore explained to me, yet we all understand economics, "the great equalizer", if you're too low and give it away you won't be around doing it later for anyone to enjoy!, if you're too high, ditto. The economics, marketing and logistics of running a business are an interesting, steep learning curve (I thought I could just do the science!). Many variables, a lot to keep sorted out at once! Fun.

The clientel base for the business is building steadily. I am comfortable with the pace and rate of growth this year. Much more may have seemed better, yet this season has allowed a relatively relaxed look at our operation. Many unknowns have been worked out and nobody got hurt. Our investments in research and development were efficient. Wise use of limited capitol. I think if business boomed I may not have been capable of providing a satisfactory service. I feel like we now know much about how we do what we are doing. Our reputation is clean. Everday seems to bring more positive developments for the business. Indications are that this has a viable future. We are blessed with good fortune; we must be doing "The Good Work".

We are delivering tea to a small nine hole, par three golf coarse who are thrilled with the results, "Believers!"; a neat story really, I had to do a midnite mission on the place mid summer to keep them on the program (they were under the impression that they could use the tea and completely stop fertilizing; did I say that?; they "weren't sure the tea was working"), two weeks afterward they called me and told me I HAD TO get over there and see the place. The greens are incredible, a miraculous improvement over what they had been. We did a total of about one Acre this year, all the greens. Next year we're doing the whole twenty acres.

We just did three acres of ballfield for the Muni; they are impressed and "will be using a lot of it next year". We're going to a neighboring town next week to do four acres of community playing fields.

Sports clubs are calling, the school district is giving us a football field, the Hospital wants to talk over the winter along with the University. The Rail Road is interested. Muni Horticulturalist is devising and setting up for trials in the spring.

We brought in a prestigious golf coarse yesterday for some fall trials with expansion planned for the spring. Today another golf coarse decided it is going to do the same. Four more to go in the area.

Networking at the farmers market yesterday proved fullfilling as a gentleman with boytridus in his green house invited me over next week. He's also got fifteen acres of ag and is expanding.

Tomorrow...?

The trailer we put together is super sweet and doing impressive work. Pics? Havent got digitized, yet. But I know how to build one! Actually think I might be building several. Even got blueprints on the back of a napkin. The trailer can be brewing enroute to a delivery; apply via hose, boom or pump into irrigation lines, other spray rigs... It can push and pull a 30+ gallon volume per minute. Passes 3/16 inch solids. Can run dry, easy on the microbiology. Air driven,low mainteance, dual diaphram pump, many advantages (pump research is cool). Dual 500 gallon horizontal leg tanks with a 65 gallon fresh water wash tank. Super clean. Nice layout. Working with Bob Norsens brewing system makes the operation extremely versatile (the next model has some cool bells and whistles; Storage for brewing and other materials so a brew can be begun immediately after application and the rig can remain mobile; no brick and mortar.). We're putt'n out some stuff! And people are im
 pressed.

My folks reported two days after application a geranium who hadn't bloomed in years, had over a dozen buds! Two weeks later, their small. unproductive garden (its been a wet, tuff year) was showing marked improvement, growing much faster and more substantially and producing friut. They are stoked.

Residential customers are thrilled. Everyones turf is thick, full and beautiful, healthy. No more patches or clumps. Dead spots vanished.

At my place, rock was dumped in the front yard for a fire place five years ago. The compaction left a twenty foot diameter of turf unable to recover. It is no longer distinguishable from the surrounding area. The grass is so full and consistent. No more empty spots. Great color. The yard is unneffected by moose droppings and urination. The owners tried to be skeptics, and they are now amazed. They have been told "it looks like a golf course". We have awesome games of bocci ball on Sunday evenings.

One woman "blesses my heart" and "thanks God". She is a widow and very moved. She says her gardens are more beautiful than ever and she has hardly done any work. She used to spend hours a day for less result. Hysynthias who had not previously bloomed are big and beautiful with flowers and grass is growing where it would not before. I hope the neighbors are watching!

Another customer has been frustrated for three years with areas of her lawn which were burnt by a chemical fertilizer company when their equipment malfunctioned and put down too much (not a problem with TEA!) One application has completely mitigated the problem. Bioremediation. Lush and green, right up to the hot driveway which used to dry out th grass next to it. Their neighbor (who has all the neighborhood kids watering his lawn) is watching, four more acres of lawn next spring. We're gonna cut their water bill in half!

So this is Local Solutions, September 11, 2003. I hope what I've written is enjoyable and informative. I look forward to hearing about your successes and how you do it. I really hope I can participate with many of you in collaborative efforts in the future. It sure is a good time. I welcome an opportunity to discuss further with you. Please contact me if you are interested, or for support. Let's make it happen!

Stay cool with one another,
Kevin

ps attachment!?!

Kevin John Richardson
Local Solutions
19025 Villages Scenic Pkwy
Anchorage, AK 99516
(907) 522 0679 Land
auto forwards to :
(907) 317 8455 Cell
kmagic_at_backpacker.com



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Received on Fri Sep 12 2003 - 10:57:32 EDT

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