ChickenFeed
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- May 3, 2014
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Good morning growers! This is my very first post on the forums and it's time to begin asking for advice from the seasoned growers. I've been tasked with completing cost projections and planning a commercial medical grow operation for a group of individuals in the US in a state that is not yet a legal grow state but will be soon.
My time frame for completing the project is to have the build out completed by the time the state is legal so the crops can be planted once licensing is finalized. Right now that's probably 12-18 months down the road. My previous experience is in the consulting world, having retired from a profession where I was hired to advice businesses on improving profit and decreasing defects, improving production, etc. (Ambiguous, I know, but I am capable of tackling on this project from that perspective.) My personal growing experience has been of the small scale, non-legal, indoor, soil based type beginning in the 1970's - 1990's. I may or may not be the head gardener once this project is up and running, but will most likely manage the operation for this group of individuals/owners.
After lurking here for many months and catching up on current industry standards, what's working for some and not working for others, it is time for me to throw myself into the lion's den (so to speak) and see if my ideas can withstand the critique of the professionals or if I have missed the mark totally and need to call in some reinforcements.
Where the project currently stands:
Property is available - and owned by one of the individuals who have hired me. The site is rural and was previously used in agriculture. Is currently zoned for commercial agricultural production.
Buildings are available but will need refitted for the grow out operation. The current building has a 40'x 300' foot print (12,000 square feet). It is equipped with water lines sufficient to refit into an indoor grow, natural gas heat and electric (not exactly sure of the system, but I believe it to be 3-phase) with an onsite diesel generator capable of supporting the farm's previous operation. I have another site visit scheduled for this afternoon to check the electrical system. My suggestion to the owners at this stage of the operation is to begin by refitting one building, there are multiple building available at this site, all identical in layout, with additional build outs to bring increased production online one building at a time once the production process has been tweaked to optimal performance in the first building.
My preliminary plan is to house an entire operation in each building - clone/mother room, veg room, flowering room, quarantine room, and drying/curing room to reduce labor and time moving product from building a, to building b, etc. This would be an indoor grow, in soil, pots vs. beds has not been determined at this point.
Soil and equipment for moving materials and plants are available and additional equipment purchases will be included in the budget. I haven't done the physical layout of the operation yet, that's the plan for next week, then I can begin the cost projections for lights, watering system, ventilation, electric use, etc. After those are complete will begin to look at build out of each specific room in the location and projecting costs per room, then labor and plants, etc.
The project owners have capital, experience in large scale growing operations (different commodity), the medical research field, business and law. Me, I'm the youngster and the low man on the totem pole so to speak - the let's make this happen person. I am not opposed to taking advice from others.
Here's today's question which may or may not (depending on the solution) add substantial cost to the project:
Flooring and sanitation: the buildings are set on a concrete block footer, framed in wood, with corrugated siding and roofing. Roof is currently insulated and walls extend approx. 4' up from ground with a 4' opening covered by hardware cloth (wire) and side curtains that can be rolled up or down to provide ventilation and temperature control. Above the side curtains there is approx. 2' of siding before the roof joists.
The floor of each building is approx. 18" below grade and is compacted clay and soil. Previous tenants of these building were living on 18"-24" of sawdust litter that would be removed and replaced as it became soiled. Each building is approx. 18 years old so the floor material is solid and compact, suitable for driving heavy farm machinery without problem.
I'm ready to evaluate flooring types - i.e. a modified greenhouse op using 30 gallon grow bags or pots vs. raised beds. I'm looking for advice on flooring material. Do I lay concrete to help control humidity and enable better control over sanitation and pest eradication or has anyone done an indoor grow on a floor similar to what I am beginning with here? I'm open to hearing the pros, cons and horror stories. Please share.
Thanks a million,
ChickenFeed
My time frame for completing the project is to have the build out completed by the time the state is legal so the crops can be planted once licensing is finalized. Right now that's probably 12-18 months down the road. My previous experience is in the consulting world, having retired from a profession where I was hired to advice businesses on improving profit and decreasing defects, improving production, etc. (Ambiguous, I know, but I am capable of tackling on this project from that perspective.) My personal growing experience has been of the small scale, non-legal, indoor, soil based type beginning in the 1970's - 1990's. I may or may not be the head gardener once this project is up and running, but will most likely manage the operation for this group of individuals/owners.
After lurking here for many months and catching up on current industry standards, what's working for some and not working for others, it is time for me to throw myself into the lion's den (so to speak) and see if my ideas can withstand the critique of the professionals or if I have missed the mark totally and need to call in some reinforcements.
Where the project currently stands:
Property is available - and owned by one of the individuals who have hired me. The site is rural and was previously used in agriculture. Is currently zoned for commercial agricultural production.
Buildings are available but will need refitted for the grow out operation. The current building has a 40'x 300' foot print (12,000 square feet). It is equipped with water lines sufficient to refit into an indoor grow, natural gas heat and electric (not exactly sure of the system, but I believe it to be 3-phase) with an onsite diesel generator capable of supporting the farm's previous operation. I have another site visit scheduled for this afternoon to check the electrical system. My suggestion to the owners at this stage of the operation is to begin by refitting one building, there are multiple building available at this site, all identical in layout, with additional build outs to bring increased production online one building at a time once the production process has been tweaked to optimal performance in the first building.
My preliminary plan is to house an entire operation in each building - clone/mother room, veg room, flowering room, quarantine room, and drying/curing room to reduce labor and time moving product from building a, to building b, etc. This would be an indoor grow, in soil, pots vs. beds has not been determined at this point.
Soil and equipment for moving materials and plants are available and additional equipment purchases will be included in the budget. I haven't done the physical layout of the operation yet, that's the plan for next week, then I can begin the cost projections for lights, watering system, ventilation, electric use, etc. After those are complete will begin to look at build out of each specific room in the location and projecting costs per room, then labor and plants, etc.
The project owners have capital, experience in large scale growing operations (different commodity), the medical research field, business and law. Me, I'm the youngster and the low man on the totem pole so to speak - the let's make this happen person. I am not opposed to taking advice from others.
Here's today's question which may or may not (depending on the solution) add substantial cost to the project:
Flooring and sanitation: the buildings are set on a concrete block footer, framed in wood, with corrugated siding and roofing. Roof is currently insulated and walls extend approx. 4' up from ground with a 4' opening covered by hardware cloth (wire) and side curtains that can be rolled up or down to provide ventilation and temperature control. Above the side curtains there is approx. 2' of siding before the roof joists.
The floor of each building is approx. 18" below grade and is compacted clay and soil. Previous tenants of these building were living on 18"-24" of sawdust litter that would be removed and replaced as it became soiled. Each building is approx. 18 years old so the floor material is solid and compact, suitable for driving heavy farm machinery without problem.
I'm ready to evaluate flooring types - i.e. a modified greenhouse op using 30 gallon grow bags or pots vs. raised beds. I'm looking for advice on flooring material. Do I lay concrete to help control humidity and enable better control over sanitation and pest eradication or has anyone done an indoor grow on a floor similar to what I am beginning with here? I'm open to hearing the pros, cons and horror stories. Please share.
Thanks a million,
ChickenFeed