Modular Pilot Budget Template
Use this outline to model Johnny Autoseed deployments across luxury estate pilots, community demonstration plots, and nonprofit research beds. Update the unit costs for your site and geography.
The example totals below mirror a 16-week pilot window: enough time to stand up hardware, train operators, and capture at least one full harvest cycle worth of operating data. Stretch or compress the timeline in your own sheet, but keep labor and consumables aligned with the weeks you actually plan to measure.
Deployment tracks (proposal shorthand)
The public proposal groups deployments into three tracks. Map your scenario to the closest track so stakeholders see how your pilot relates to the broader roadmap, then override dollar figures with local quotes.
| Track | Audience | Economic story (illustrative) |
|---|---|---|
| 01 — First adopters | Households buying early hardware at retail-ish prices | Hardware pays back on the order of 5–7 years with strong produce substitution and documented learning value. |
| 02 — Neighborhood networks | Blocks and co-ops sharing beds, logistics, and subscriptions | Shared CapEx pulls per-household cost down; cooperative math often lands near 2–4 years to breakeven. |
| 03 — Food desert communities | Grant- or municipally backed installs with near-zero household CapEx | Household savings can appear in year one; grant ROI narratives often cite roughly 1–3 years at community scale. |
For narrative charts, sensitivity tables, and hardware reference pricing, use the dedicated Budgets page. For bylaws and meeting cadence while you pool capital, pair this sheet with the Cooperative development toolkit.
1. Input assumptions
| Field | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Plot size | Total automated growing area in square feet | 320 sq ft raised-bed grid |
| Automation kit | Primary robotics platform or CNC gantry | FarmBot Genesis XL |
| Labor rate | Blended hourly rate for setup and field ops | $42 / hr |
| Pilot length | Weeks of build-out plus monitored operations | 16 weeks |
2. Capital expenditures
- Automation hardware (FarmBot XL ~$8K / AhaRobot ~$2K / Mobile ALOHA ~$32K): $8,000–$32,000
- Sensors and telemetry: $1,250
- Raised beds and soil remediation: $2,400
- Weather enclosure and shading: $1,050
- Tooling, grounding, and safety signage: $850
Illustrative CapEx total: $20,050
3. Operating expenses (16-week pilot)
- Technical lead installation and calibration: $5,200
- Community liaison and training sessions: $2,280
- Consumables: $1,100
- Insurance and site permits: $900
- Data hosting and remote monitoring: $480
Illustrative OpEx total: $9,960
4. Revenue and grant inputs
- Produce subscription (40 shares): $12,800
- Sponsor contribution: $8,000
- Municipal innovation grant: $5,000
Illustrative revenue total: $25,800
5. Outputs to model
- Net cash = Revenue minus (CapEx + OpEx)
- Break-even weeks = (CapEx + OpEx − Grants) / Weekly subscription margin
- Impact stats = meals produced, volunteer hours, greenhouse-gas offsets
Sanity checks before you share externally
- Label illustration vs. bid — Flag every number that came from a brochure versus a signed quote.
- Sync weeks and labor — If the pilot is shorter than 16 weeks, reduce OpEx labor lines or you will overstate burn.
- Separate grant revenue from operations — Book one-time grants in their own column so you do not mask recurring OpEx.
- Keep a changelog tab — Funders and partners should see what moved between versions and why.
How to extend it
- Duplicate each section for multiple deployment paths such as luxury, public-private, and nonprofit.
- Add sensitivity toggles for hardware swaps, shared labor, or grant tiers.
- Track qualitative learning next to the sheet so funding conversations include both numbers and narrative.
Need help adapting this for your city? Email autoseedsystems@gmail.com with “Budget Template” in the subject line and include your intended site, partners, and decision timeline.