Bill, $17.50 per bag is a little over half what I'm paying. What type of food are you feeding? I'm sold on AQ500....41% protein, fish meal based.
Savannah412, it sounds like you are a good candidate for a feeder since you cannot visit the pond every day. While I don't have any personal experience with mechanical feeders, from what I've read on here it pays to spend a little more and get a quality unit.
I've never really thought about how serious I was about fish production, it may well be that I'm not that serious at all. I do consider this a hobby, rather than a production environment.
However, I do feel good about what I've been able to accomplish in three years. I'm not even close to the level of most folks on this site, but I'm learning as I go, and I think I'm making progress. Maybe I'll get there one day.
