Tim designed Zac's farm so that as demand increased, all Zac needed to do was add more troughs (but no more fish tanks), going straight down the hill, without needing to level the ground completely or disturb production in the existing system. This was a new innovation of trough design, which came directly from Tim's brilliant, boat-building mind. Grading Zac's farm in the traditional flat and level pads would have cost Zac an additional $75,000 up front for the entire trough area that he has available to build now.

After one year, Zac has expanded out of cash flow from four troughs to 12 troughs, all 75 feet long, powered by the same fish tank and the same number of fish (though they are much larger, now, of course). He sells almost exclusively to local wholesalers, and has a business model that projects a very conservative 75 cents per hole, per crop rotation (how long each plant is in the system).

Zac has 33 holes per 2-foot by 4-foot raft, with a 6-inch on center spacing, for a total of 1,155 holes per trough. (We now demonstrate how to double this number of holes per square foot of raft area in our trainings and our DIY manuals, with only slightly more labor, without building any more troughs. Because Zac is working primarily alone, the 6" on center spacing is working well for him.)

Zac's farm is doing so well because he's such a hard worker: he is not sitting back and trying to "manage" other people doing this while he "studies" aquaponics. He's dug ditches, installed troughs, built sprouting tables and protective hoop houses; he's developed better ways of growing and marketing aquaponic vegetables for his location.

Zac makes projections based on a very conservative rotation of five weeks, though his actual rotation (how long each plant is in the system) is closer to three weeks. This means that for every 75-foot long trough he has, he harvests 231 holes from it per week (1,155 holes divided by 5 weeks = 231 holes harvested per week per trough).

So, using the above numbers, each trough is worth $173.25 per week, at $.75/hole. With 12 troughs in full production, at $.75/hole, his average earnings are around $2,000 per week, gross ($231 x $.75 x 12 = $2,079). Due to fluctuations in weather and his market, he's found that his income moves up and down, going as low some weeks as $1,500. He's expanding to 20 troughs soon, and then his gross income will increase to $3,465 per week ($231 x $.75 x 20 = $3,465). Taking into account these fluctuations, he'll move between $3,000 and $3,500 of produce per week.

Now, let's talk about expenses. Although it has been built in phases, he designed his entire 20-trough system at one time, and as a result, Zac's electrical bill is only a fraction of ours (only $250 per month), even though he has 70% of the trough area we do. This will increase when he has 20 troughs, to about $275/month.

Here are Zac's monthly consumables expenses:

Electricity $250.00
Water $100.00
Fish Food $240.00
Boxes $452.40
Misc Packaging $ 50.00
Farmer's Market Dues $125.00
Planting Mix - Coir/Vermiculite $151.67
Seeds $75.00
Additives/Sprays $150.00
Fuel $150.00
Misc. $250.00

Total Costs $1993.67

His expenses will increase to about $2750 per month (totaling $33,000 per year), when he expands to 20 troughs.To put this in plain English, with 12 75-foot troughs, Zac's current operation projects a potential gross income of around $108,108 per year. The projected consumables expenses are $23,924.04, which leaves a gross net of around $84,183.96.

When he expands to 20 troughs, his gross will be around $180,180 per year, with $33,000 in consumables expenses, for a gross profit of $147,180 per year.

Now, let's talk about labor costs, and the time Zac spends working each week. In his words:

"I added up my hours and I am working about 48 hours a week. I work Monday through Saturday; some days are 8 hours, some are 10 hours, but some are less than 8 (Saturday is a 6 hour day, and Tuesdays are usually less as well). The average is around 48 hours.