Case Study
We asked a gardener what a general 1500 m2 foil tunnel he operates costs during a given growing season.
This farmer’s facility is a rigid frame, double-foil, thermal water heated, coconut fibre duvet covered foil tunnel with roof vents.
In this case, work should start as early as January, since precise preparation for planting is also essential to achieve a good yield.
In this particular case, the major works such as internal and welding works, and arrangement of the growing medium have already been done in the previous year, so only the maintenance and cleaning of the capillary irrigation pipes remain.
This takes a total of 2 working days, one day with 2 workers and the other day with 3 workers, which means a total cost of EUR 120.
Every year our gardener replaces the inner foil used as a so-called “skirt”, which costs EUR 160, the work is carried out by 2 people, which costs EUR 30. One of the cornerstones of the preparatory work is the disinfection of the growing equipment before planting, which is carried out by a specialist, in this case EUR 95.-. As it is an early planting, it is necessary to build a so-called small-ribbed foil tunnel for the cultivation, the labour cost of which is EUR 51, and is carried out by 2 people for 2 days.
It's time to prepare for planting.
Seedlings are delivered the day before the planting day, at a cost of EUR 162– for transport and loading. A total of 7 people work on the day of planting, with a labour cost of EUR 165. Our gardener grows 5,500 pieces of 10×10 rock cube seedlings grown at a gross cost of EUR 2320.
Our plants require continuous monitoring for about a month, since the first phenological phase of the plant can determine the size and quality of the subsequent yield. The duration of the phenological phases is determined by the amount of heat the plant accumulates, so after reaching a certain value, the plant enters a new phenological phase during its development. This is why the microclimate of the growing facility is very important. In this case, since the gardener’s equipment is far from his home, this roundtrip means a daily fuel cost of EUR 7. Should he have to travel several times a day for reasons beyond his control (e.g. sudden storms, increased winds, heavy rainfall), the cost would be multiplied.
In March, since our plants have already sprouted, we can remove the small-ribbed foil tunnel to maintain the right microclimate, and at the same time we can start the tying up. The small-ribbed foil is removed by 2 people for 2 days at a cost of EUR 64. The tying work will be carried out by 3 people for 3 days, costing EUR 230 plus EUR 107 for raw materials. Then the pruning period starts, which is repeated every two weeks during the growing period, at a cost of EUR 1805 for the whole growing period, in each case with 3 workers for 2 days.
Furthermore, pest control is also very important. Our gardener has minimised this cost in February and March by creating the appropriate microclimate and carrying out initial disinfection. He was thus able to set up a stock with effective biological control in his farming facility. The cost of implementation of biological control is EUR 305.
Proper nutrient management is also essential to achieve good yields.
Our gardener calculates a fertilizer cost of EUR 1670 for this particular growing season.
Once the fruits of our labour have ripened, our gardener can start harvesting efficiently with the help of hired workforce. The cost of this is EUR 1910– for a given growing season. The sale is done locally with the help of an acquirer.
In addition to wages and salaries, our gardener also has overhead costs of course which include heating, water, electricity and agricultural services, making up EUR 5570– yearly (so not only for the growing season).
Our gardener provided these figures for one growing season, which in his case lasts from January to August.
It can be seen that countless tools, raw materials and, not least, a lot of labour must be used to be able to produce professionally and profitably. In order to improve from year to year, it is no longer enough to keep up these days; we have to adopt other technological innovations, which often take a huge burden off our shoulders.
Forgetting to open a vent can cause millions of EUR in damage, so a few hundred thousand EUR for an automation can recoup its price over the course of a season, not to mention the more optimal time spent on our farm or even our family.
With our product, you can quickly and easily smarten up your farm, the benefits of which you can enjoy immediately after installation.
Smart Greenhouse Control team is committed to supporting technological development of farmers involved in plant propagation industry, so they welcome enquiries and comments from interested parties at the email address or phone number on the contact page.
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