Your Own Personal Backyard Goldmine!

Now you can earn your living from home doing something you enjoy. Full time or part time. Hydroponic greenhouse farming is the key. And it's a business where the whole family can be involved.  You can set your own hours because you're the boss.

Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) is now recognized as the most efficient and productive method for growing many valuable, high-demand crops year round, regardless of the weather.

By concentrating on growing and marketing delicious, fresh-picked, high quality vegetables, herbs and fruit you can establish a steady income all year long.  It's the greatest financial safety net you could ask for.  And in today's environment, where corporate buyouts and downsizing continue, I can't imagine anyone not having some sort of financial backup plan, can you?

Imagine working in a warm, tropical-like environment year-round, surrounded by lush growing things, even when it’s snowing outside…Working with your family, close to home…Working on your own time, setting your own schedule.

Finally, imagine a "family farm" that comes with everything you need, including: instructions and help for setting up and getting started…constant guidance and support as you are growing and harvesting your crop…plus a wealth of materials, instructions and advice to help you market what you grow.

These are just some of the reasons why we say that greenhouse farming is the new family farm for the 21st Century! It offers a high-tech, low-overhead, profitable business plus an enjoyable rewarding lifestyle. But that’s not all…

As a profitable business, greenhouse farming is a great, big, ripe, juicy tomato just waiting to be picked!

Today, thanks to quality-conscious baby boomers, there is a huge and growing demand for high quality, fresh, delicious-tasting tomatoes and other vegetables. Greenhouse farming can provide this level of quality all year round.

And yet, greenhouse hydroponic farming is relatively new in the U.S. The demand is great and the market is wide open! (More about this in a moment.)

Is greenhouse hydroponic farming right for you?

Have you ever dreamed of starting your own business, being independent, setting your own schedule and perhaps building a business to pass on to your children?

Have you ever longed for a "job" that was so enjoyable, so pleasant that you were actually excited to get up and go to work in the morning?

Maybe you’re looking for a fresh start. A change of pace. Or a way to stay in agriculture and make it more profitable, with a more steady, dependable cash flow. Or maybe you are looking for retirement income, a way to turn your gardening hobby into a profitable business. Or extra part-time income.

If you "find yourself" in any of the above statements, then greenhouse farming may be just what you’ve been looking for!

"Currently we market our entire inventory of tomatoes to seven stores of a forty store grocery chain…It is very rewarding to have people tell us our tomatoes are great tasting (even better than garden tomatoes!)"

— Mark and Phyllis Cupp, Seymour, Indiana

But don’t decide right now: you’ll need lots of information and answers. First, I’ll give you the overall picture in this letter. Then, to get more free information (without any obligation) just use the enclosed response form.

Free video tour of greenhouse farming

You can use the response form to request our free video tour of greenhouse farming, so you can see exactly how crops are grown and marketed and what is involved.

We also invite you to visit us in Seville, Ohio for a free, half-day orientation on greenhouse farming. You will get a first-hand feel for what it’s like to operate a greenhouse business. I’ll tell you more about these free options in a moment. But first, I want to explain what greenhouse farming is and why it’s such a great opportunity right now.

What is greenhouse hydroponic farming?

It starts with CropKing’s controlled environment greenhouses, which are energy-efficient to keep fuel costs to a minimum and strong enough to stand up to high winds, extreme cold and heavy snow – and still maintain ideal growing conditions inside!

"We managed to weather four consecutive –20 degree to –28 degree nights and –15 degree days this past winter…CropKing’s house survived while others failed – obviously the system is well engineered."

— Dick Sherer, Burlington, Iowa

Our greenhouses are specially designed for "hydroponic production" which means "without soil." The plants are anchored in "perlite", a 100% natural mineral, mined from the ground and formed into small pellets. Perlite is an excellent material for holding oxygen and drawing up water easily, as needed by the plants.

 Carefully controlled growing conditions for maximum quality

With hydroponics, you use an accurate nutrient injection system to provide plants with just the right amount of nutrients needed for optimum growth. You control temperature, humidity and watering – balancing everything perfectly to produce the freshest, highest quality produce that is in great demand from stores and shoppers.

You will also use safe, biological controls for any potential insects or disease that might find their way into the greenhouse. And since you’re growing plants without soil, this reduces or eliminates the problem of soil-borne diseases and insects.

Once in production, your tomato crop will continue producing for eight to nine months! Add the 90-110 days from seed to first harvest, and you’ve got a crop production cycle that lasts almost an entire year!

Why is the demand so great?

Baby boomers have shown their willingness to pay premium prices for good-tasting, safe, nutritious produce. In many places, they are already paying up to two and three times as much for hydroponic tomatoes as for regular field grown tomatoes!

• A Boston area grower sells his hydroponic tomatoes for $2.00 per pound – wholesale!

• In Indiana, growers average $1.20 to $1.40 per pound year-round! In Vermont, one grower          averages over $1.75 per pound wholesale.

• In the Midwest, growers commonly receive average wholesale prices of well over $1.00 per          pound. Then, the retailer adds on another 40% to 50%.

Why do people pay so much for hydroponic tomatoes? It’s very simple: they want a tomato that really tastes like a tomato!

And the truth is, most tomatoes don’t! Unless you just picked it from your garden in the middle of summer, you can’t get a good, fresh-tasting tomato at any price!

Here’s why. 95% of all tomatoes consumed in the U.S. come from California, Mexico or Florida. They are picked green, gassed to look ripe and shipped great distances!

In fact…in most parts of the country, good quality tomatoes are only available for about 6 to 8 weeks of the year! The rest of the year, consumers have to be content with green-picked, gassed, tasteless imitations!

Believe me, shoppers know the difference. And they don’t like it! They just haven’t had many options.

Giving shoppers what they are looking for.

That’s why the shoppers in your area are going to love it when you start delivering fresh, hydroponic tomatoes locally, year-round! Shoppers will be so thrilled to get that just-picked-from-the-garden taste – even in the middle of winter – that they will look for your brand all the time!

And store owners will be thrilled as well. Today’s store owners know that good, fresh, locally grown produce helps to create a great reputation for their stores, resulting in greater store traffic, customer loyalty and profits.

They will prefer to work with you, a local grower, rather than getting their produce shipped from a huge company in Mexico or California. You will be able to provide the personal service they can’t get with big corporate growers.

"On April 10, 1996 we planted our first tomato seeds. We sold our first tomatoes on July 10…And it’s been growing great guns ever since! We sell to 10 area stores."

— Dale and Jacque Kutz, Jefferson, Wisconsin

A great void waiting to be filled!

As I mentioned before, the hydroponic market is wide open! There are very few greenhouse growers in America yet, despite the great demand.

Listen to this. Holland, a country no bigger than the state of Connecticut, has almost 10,000 acres of hydroponic greenhouses. England has over 4,000 acres and Canada has almost 1,500 acres. Yet, in all of the United States, we only have about 500 to 600 acres of hydroponic production so far!

Let me say it again: You are getting in at just the right time!

The truth is, this market demand is not being supplied either by domestic growers or foreign growers. In fact, we are importing a limited number of hydroponic tomatoes all the way from Holland, at very high prices, when we could be growing them right here!

Does this mean the big growers are going to get into greenhouse production and squeeze out the little guys like you and me? Not to worry. You’ll have a big advantage over the big guys. Let me explain why.

The growers who are really succeeding in hydroponics are those who can grow and deliver locally, close to the market, providing immediate deliveries, guaranteed sales, point of purchase material, and personal service.

You will have a big competitive advantage

Local greenhouse growers can deliver fresh vegetables to the store "within hours of being picked" year-round. Big growers will never be able to do that. This gives growers like you a huge advantage over large growers who must ship from a distance!

There are a few large greenhouse complexes, but they are struggling with the quality control problems any large business has. High cost of labor. High overhead. High transportation costs. And the problem of shipping a perishable product over long distances. (A grocery chain in Columbus, Ohio recently quit purchasing hydroponic tomatoes from a large corporate greenhouse facility because of the poor quality.)

The small grower can avoid these problems! So, the demand is great. The market is wide open. The opportunity is here, now!

And it is such an enjoyable business!

Let’s face it, if you’re going to get into a business, it has to make a profit. But you should also get into one that you will enjoy! Greenhouse farming fits both!

• You’ll farm year-round with much greater control and predictability.

• Your crop is protected against adverse weather conditions.

• Cash flow will be more dependable. You’ll sleep better at night.

• During the day you’ll work in shirt-sleeves — even when it’s snowing outside — among green,           lush plants in a spring-like atmosphere.

• You’ll work at home, be your own boss, build your own business.

• You can do it part-time or full-time.

• You can start with one greenhouse and then add more later, for more profits.

• You’ll market a quality product you feel good about, and that people love.

• You’ll build a great reputation in the local community.

• And you’ll have help and support from CropKing every step of the way.

Not bad!

"In spite of having limited knowledge in the beginning, we’ve played it by the "book" (CropKing’s Grower’s Manual) and experienced genuine success. Best of all, we spend the cold Iowa winter in shirt sleeves at 72 degrees…I can think of absolutely no way that I would sooner spend retirement and, best of all, there’s still time for golf!"

— Dick Sherer, Burlington, Iowa

Right now you probably have some questions. What if I don’t know anything about greenhouse farming? How would I get started? What if I made some big mistakes? How could I be sure that I could make it work and make it profitable?

Good questions. Fortunately for you, at CropKing we’ve already thought about these questions and we have some answers for you.

With CropKing, you’re never alone!

At CropKing, we don’t just sell you a greenhouse. We provide a complete package – everything you need to get up and running and even to harvest your first crop and bring it to market! And then we stay with you, answering your questions, providing guidance on growing and marketing…to make sure you are successful!

Your CropKing system will include:

• High strength greenhouse structure (not a stripped-down, lightweight version).

• Energy-saving double poly covering system.

• Computerized environmental monitoring and control system.

• Heating, cooling, ventilation, and optional root zone heating systems.

• Pre-assembled, state of the art, nutrient injection system.

• Pre-wired electrical panel including panels, breakers, relays.

• Growing supplies for the first crop, with fertilizer and packaging materials available.

• Construction Manual and Prints with simple instructions on how to install your system.

• Knowledgeable technicians will be available during construction to assist you.

• The complete system is designed for maximum use of greenhouse space, so you get maximum          production.

But that’s not all! We also give you ongoing help and support in growing, harvesting and marketing your produce, including:

• Our Technical Assistance Program means experts are always on hand, just a phone call away,           to answer any questions or troubleshoot problems.

• You’ll attend an intensive, two-day Grower Training Workshop on how to run your greenhouse            profitably. You’ll train "hands on" in a working greenhouse. No one else offers anything like            this!

• You’ll receive a Grower’s Manual, the complete "how to" for your greenhouse business.

• You’ll also receive the entire Grower Workshop on Video, a four-tape video of workshop           basics, conveniently indexed so you can go to any subject immediately. Use this to brush up on            a subject or to train your employees.

• You’ll also receive our Advanced Training Video and CD-Rom which covers more advanced           issues and problems.

• You’ll get a free subscription to the S/CEA Hydroponic Grower’s Newsletter, keeping you            abreast of new developments, new seed varieties, energy saving ideas, marketing ideas and more.

• On-going Technical Support will be available through phone consultation with our Horticulturist           or Plant Physiologist. This is unlimited and available to you as long as you own the greenhouse.

• You’ll receive two free admissions to the annual Hydroponic Grower’s Conference. You can            hear speakers and growers from all over discuss the latest technology and improvements.

• You’ll have a customized nutrient formula prepared for your specific water source, which can save           you money on fertilizer and give you improved production.

• Finally, you’ll receive our customized marketing package, including the approved use of our           exclusive Homestead Family Farm brand. This nationwide brand identification, with the available point of purchase materials to support it, can set your hydroponic business apart from the competition and allow you to achieve higher profit margins!

We’ve left nothing out and we’ve left nothing to chance. The bottom line is: We want you to succeed! Our success depends on having successful growers.

What other business could you start that gives you this much support? It’s like having an "Uncle" in the business who is always there to help. No wonder our growers say things like these:

"If it were not for CropKing and the people working there, we would not have had a greenhouse, nor would we have had a crop…We continue to be delighted by the personal service and the commitment to excellence that characterizes your company…Keep up the good work."

— Rosalind and Martin Nayowith, Hudson, New York

"Our plan is to double our greenhouse size after only one year in production. This expansion will supply a generous income for our family of five…Our hydroponic greenhouse is very rewarding to us not only financially, but also in knowing that we are supplying a good quality product to the public."

— Mark and Phyllis Cupp, Seymour, Indiana

"We have probably done just about everything wrong, but with the help of your wonderful staff, we have managed to stay on track and recover immediately from any problems…Everyone has been responsive to us."

— Frank and Ann Graziano, Warsaw, Virginia

I hope I’ve given you a good picture of what your life could be like as a greenhouse farmer. But I don’t want you to make up your mind right now.

We want you to be thoroughly informed BEFORE you decide to get involved.

To be honest with you, our future depends on working with successful growers. So we won’t be twisting your arm or trying to push you into this. We want you to be sure that this is the right decision for you!

Let me send you our Free Video, "Your Future in Hydroponics" which gives you an in-depth look at greenhouse farming.

You’ll meet other growers who are making a profit with greenhouse farming. You’ll find out how they did it and how they are marketing their crops. You’ll visit several greenhouses, see how the crops are grown and the equipment required to farm indoors, year-round. The video is free; your only cost is for shipping and handling.

To receive your Free Video, simply fill out and return the enclosed response form, checking the box for the free video offer. We’ll send you the video right away, along with other informative materials.

But maybe you’re eager to see first-hand what greenhouse hydroponic farming is like. If so, you can arrange for a free personal tour of our greenhouse hydroponic facilities in Seville, Ohio, plus a free half-day orientation, by simply calling 800-321-5656.

If you’re really serious about this business, seeing it in person is obviously the best way to learn as much as you can.

If you are at all interested, I urge you to act now to get more information. There’s no question in my mind that greenhouse hydroponic farming is the agricultural wave of the future. And it can provide a profitable, rewarding and enjoyable future for you!

Thanks for your time and your interest. We look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Dan Brentlinger