Sustainability Project

IHartHarvest Inc. - The Sustainability Project V:1.3

- The Sustainability Project - What is it?

The Sustainability Project is an idea put forth, to grow and harvest feed grains on lands offered outside of our food projects, for harvest and rendering to stewardship support of the 'food for people' projects. Sustainability also fulfills the need for the purpose of crop rotation as to land health. Too, less food crop suitable land, can be utilized in our program. All-in-all this helps aid kick-off funding needs for the next season, and can help pay the bills of the current passing growing season.

Within our current crop integrated infrastructure, we can harvest a finite quantity of fresh produce foods, such as potatoes, in the labor intensive methods which we can afford and presently utilize. In example; the 2011 season we started harvest with weekly Walk-In Friday Sessions initiated in late July of the season. Harvest Sessions as it turns out, enabled a completed total harvest of 12.7 acres being over 77,000 pounds, answering fresh food needs of the direct distribution network our activity supports. We finished total harvest just in time that year, as the early October Halloween snow storm hit the area the following weekend. While we have evolve to implement a 'bulk method' enabling better throughput in the harvest of potatoes in cooperative partnership with The Helping Harvest Food Bank, our infrastructure harvest process while improved remains labor intensive for potatoes. This current harvest method limits the amount of potato acres we can work as currently estimated to be 8-12 acres. What then, rather than not utilizing additional acres offered to the projects, might we do, not being able to afford and justify the expense of a totally automated potato harvester, and taking into account, crop harvest work intervals and food supply needs?

Summation; We use 'available' land to: Grow Grain, Render Grain, Gives Stewardship Toward Help in Support Food Project Works.

Estimated Typical Costs per Acre Guide as Reference Sample

Sustainability Project, with Field Corn and/or Soybeans

Variable Cost: Field Corn / Soybeans Land Charge: $275/Acre

Fertilizer: $80 Seed: $29 -$229

Pesticides: $62 Fuel/Lubes: $55

Repairs: $85 Packaging $160

Labor: $525

Total: $1824 / $536 Returns @ $3.50/Bu. - $6.50/Bu. (Average wholesale spot price)

Note: no deduction taken for machinery, buildings...

* Color Code Blue denotes IHartHarvest Charity Operations Expectation

Overall Equipment Start-up Cost Estimates:

$15,000 -$38,000 Good condition, Combine and/or 1Row Corn Picker - $1,400-3,500.

At Initial Start-up: Equipment Shipping, Harvest Transportation needs and Associated Equipment, Sundry Repairs & Maintenance, Operational Setup included in equipment estimates.

"What is a Food Desert?" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_desert

Local Food Desert Map: https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=sites&srcid=ZGVmYXVsdGRvbWFpbnxpaGFydGhhcnZlc3R8Z3g6NjM5M2QwNzIxZDY5NDhjYg&pli=1

Typical Field Corn Yields: 100-150Bu./Acre. Soybeans +/-40Bu./acre. We can anticipate a food crop subsidy stewardship of $50 - $500 / Acre.