In a Nutshell
Three farmers provided enterprise budgets for cucumber production in 2016. Cucumbers were grown in a heated greenhouse (Ann Franzenburg), an unheated high tunnel (Emma Johnson), and an open field (Jan Libbey). Franzenburg, Johnson, and Libbey also provided enterprise budgets for year one of this study in 2015.
Key Findings
Labor was the largest expense for Johnson and Libbey, accounting for 74% and 94% of their total expenses, respectively. Labor was only 40% of Franzenburg’s costs. Labor breakdown by task differed at each farm. The largest tasks on each farm, measured in hours, were: pruning and trellising at Franzenburg, field maintenance at Johnson, and harvesting and packing at Libbey. Production in the greenhouse at Franzenburg’s provided highest yield (lb fruit/ft2) and number of fruit per ft2. Among the three farms, outdoor production at Libbey’s had the highest net income per pound.