Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

nice,

I think the local but online storefront has a lot of pontential and maybe helps keep you from having to idle in a store.

... or at a farmers market on your weekend.

If I get many orders I still need to idle around during the "pickup" time but that time would already essentially be paid for since it is pre orders so a good thing.

But this time of year, it is SLOW! Lost of people flee FL during the heat of summer and I only have limited offerings and most other farms around don't have anything but cover crops in right now.
I have had one customer order last week so that is a plus but she is still my only customer that has actually signed up.
Sigh.

Gonna be harvesting channel catfish over the next month. I have two tanks with 30-40 BIG fish each needing to be harvested so I can move the leftovers out of the little quarantine tank to make room for a new batch of fingerlings.

Do you have much luck selling the catfish TC? I know they're pretty easy to raise, and we have a lot of local places that sell frozen catfish, but it's all on the cheap side, and not sure if I could ever get them to pay considerably more for fresh fish. Tilapia has some higher price points, at least around here. Bonefish, Olive Garden, Longhorn, and then some locals are all in the 10-15.00 per plate range. The catfish at the local joints are usually around $8.00

That is the problem with selling fish in general on a small scale. People who are willing to clean them figure they can simply go out and catch them for free in the lakes and the people who would rather buy them usually don't want to do their own cleaning and without a commercial inspected kitchen and certified food safety manager, we can't clean the fish for them.
So it is really a very tiny market for the fish from a small scale aquaponic operation. In general figure that the fish are not a product that you are going to be making much if any money on, they are just the engine through which you provide nutrients to the plants.

That said, I have had some local customers that do like to come get fish on occasion but I don't count on fish sales doing much more than just helping to offset the cost of having them. The veggie/plant sales are what keeps this boat afloat.

Not to soap box or derail. And i know what you say is true but i dont think people realize that a fish caught in a lake is not "free". The states spend billions a year stocking those lakes and catching a 60lb catfish on a trot line... well.. that fish was probably 20+ years old. That's not free or easily replaceable.



brian

you are preaching to the choir here man!

Promoted the market on my FaceBook. My contacts are in Hialeah, too far, but they will be able to pass it forward to their friends.

And... Hi TC!!

Thanks

Not sure if it follows the fresh garden business, but raising your prices often puts you in a position of being superior in quality, and there by increasing sales, and helping bottom line. I know Ryan charges a premium for his produce, and since I have raised my prices last year in my other businesses, my bottom line has also seen an increase. My amount of jobs has stayed about the same, but gross and net income has increased. Just a thought. You're selling a premium product, and people should expect to pay a premium price.

Well, it's more organic than "Certified Organic" is, so that should count for something. Maybe a lot.

Duplicate post - deleted

Triplicate post - mulched.

Four-plicate post - shredded, composted, made into bio-char and buried.

Well, it's more organic than "Certified Organic" is, so that should count for something. Maybe a lot.

You could say that again, and again, and again, and again.

I've done the double post a few times...but you beat that.

Wow, I really sprayed that. I won't believe Tapatalk next time when it tells me the forum is not available.