SPIN Farming

[GaryD]

Hi,

I recently came across something called SPIN Farming.

SPIN (short for Small Plot Intensive) farming is the brainchild of Canadians Wally Satzewich and Gail Vandersteen.

They’ve evolved a system of farming using urban plots which they claim is easy to learn and inexpensive to implement. Their system removes the two most significant barriers to entry for ‘wannabe’ farmers – land and capital.

Unlike other (Earn a Million Dollars in Your Backyard) approaches, SPIN Farming uses precise revenue-targeting formulae to give a predictable annual income.

To achieve maximum profitability, urban farmers need to target high value crops and market them effectively.

The SPIN model offers a templated approach to urban farming – for hobby, intermediate or deluxe - that can be operated on less than an acre of land. Some of the people who are involved actually utilise a number of small urban plots......even to the point of leasing unused backyards from other people.

Prospective SPIN farmers can purchase and download a range of inexpensive guides that lead them through the whole process from designing a SPIN farm, growing the produce and then marketing it.


Key Concepts

• Standard size bed - 25’ long x 2’ wide.
• High value crop – one that produces $100 per harvest per bed.
• Relay cropping – the sequential growing of crops.
• Intensive relay cropping – growing 3 high value crops per bed per season.
• Bi-relay – growing two lesser value crops per bed per season.
• Single relay – growing one low value crop per season.
• 1-2-3 rule – divides the farm into three different areas of crop intensity.
• Land allocation – the smaller the farm, the more of its area needs to be devoted to intensive relay production.
• Revenue targeting formula – one acre accommodates 480 standard size beds – including paths, walkways and infrastructure. If all are intensively cropped they will produce $300 per bed per season – 480 beds x $300 = $144,000 per acre per season.

I haven’t got my head around all of it yet, so I can’t comment on the projected income, but as someone who is interested in business systems and integrated backyard food production, I find the concept very interesting.

It certainly ticks several of my Microponics boxes. I can see several ways to integrate micro-livestock and fish into the SPIN model, too.

Anyone come across SPIN Farming before?

Gary

[maximus]

Hi Gary,

Interesting idea, however I think aquaponic FARMING has a better ovrall chance of success. What I mean is that fish will be the by product and vegetables tha main target. In this case:

-It can be produced in infertile soil or polluted brown field (so extremely inexpensive)
-The production per m2 is greater.
-Can be labelled as organic
-Use fish as mere fertilizer consequently with a low density fish stock (7-10kgm3) ph at 6.2 6.4 (ideal for plants nutrients uptake and avoiding ammonia toxicity that is pH related, as they do in Brooks Canada) and a water volume ratio ft:gb 1:10 (as friendly aquaponic commercial system 10m3 FT 400m2 GB)

This should allow for a low capital intensive system (single lined FT and single GB as as done for hydroponic herbs, easy planting and harvesting, although the construction cost are greater than soil based farming)
However both system have their weak point in marketing and selling the product that is intimatly related on local setting.

What do you think

Cheers

[GaryD]

Hi Maximus,

You could insert a fish tank or two into a SPIN Farming model for the cost of the tanks, pumps and some basic filtration systems.....much cheaper than aquaponics......and the same amount of water as it would take to just grow the plants.

I do take your point about polluted soil......in that case aquaponics would be the better way to go.

Gary

[maximus]

Hi Gary,

certainly a small aquaculture system dumping water on the crops would improve the growth sensibly. Anyhow the main success will come only to identify the right crop, so I guess is more marketing than agriculture the possible success in a spin farm.

In fact I consider aquaponic very suited in area as Egypt, where there is a LOT of desert free and limited soil rich area in the south or in atoll island as Maldives where the alcaline soil and salt soil or for unusable area for crops.

cheers

[Unicorrs]

this SPIN farming is interesting, has anyone here tried it already?
My father will definitely like this.

[Pugo]

Kind do this in the Philippines, leasing unused farm fields. Then grow high value crops for quick cash. invest the lease amount possible to make the max cash for it.