[OregonBorn]

I do not see how the Emerald Triangle can compete with central and southern Cali in commercial weed growing. Screw growing lettuce!

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/15/u...ture.html?_r=0

[mapinguari]

For those with skills, prolly the same way craft beer competes against Budweiser etc.

[OregonBorn]

I just do not see how Humboldt can compete. The Salinas Valley has lots of flat farmland for GH and outdoor grows, it has far better and more consistent weather than Humboldt, it has an existing very large and skilled ag labor pool in place, it has massive scale agricultural companies there already, it has direct freeway access to LA and SF via Hwy 101, and they have water there from both San Antonio Lake and San Louis Dam. They are not stupid farmers there, nor are they mediocre. It takes a lot of skill to grow virtually everything in the Salad Bowl of the Salinas Valley. Like strawberries, boutique lettuce, and artichokes. There are also a lot of very high end wines that comes out of there. And... before the Emerald Triangle was ever on the weed map, a LOT of weed was grown in Monterey Co. By the likes of myself. Yes, I am biased, but I grew up in Monterey Co. surrounded by industrial ag. Companies like Dole Bananas and Bud Antle are MASSIVE SCALE growing operations. It will be simple for them to get funding, slap up greenhouses, plant and grow on a massive scale, harvest and process, test, package and ship.

I believe that Salinas Grown MJ is going to absolutely kick ass. I saw the same thing happen when they planted grapes there in the 70s.

[GrowingFurthur]

I consulted on (3) 180,000 sq. ft. greenhouses in Salinas. They wanted me as a master grower and I turned them down...Moneywise it was a poor choise but ethically I am happy with my decision. The cannabis grown down there is going to all be commercial quality at best. They are going to pump them all full of whatever chemical fertilizers are cheapest to buy in bulk, and the "master growers" are going to be "skilled laborers" at best. IMHO this is not the direction the industry should be going and I fully stand by and support all the small farmers, growers, and business owners out there. Diversity is key.

I also hold a controversial view on medical vs. rec... I think long ago California made medical cannabis a joke. And now that rec is here I think it is important that a new distinction should be made. Many people probably wont like this, but I feel medical grade cannabis should be grown indoors, where strict environmental controls are possible and contaminates can be eliminated. Every other pharmaceutical grade product adheres to very strict clean room standards for production, and I feel Medical Cannabis should not be treated differently. Many patients (and non patients) are immune-compromised, have allergies, or just plain deserve the peace of mind of knowing that what they are putting into their body was made in the safest and cleanest of conditions.
I believe there is a place in the market for everyone because that's how we in this community have treated one another for so many years. I don't want to see that go away when corporate greed comes into play. Community>Industry

[sdd420]

Originally Posted by GrowingFurthur

I consulted on (3) 180,000 sq. ft. greenhouses in Salinas. They wanted me as a master grower and I turned them down...Moneywise it was a poor choise but ethically I am happy with my decision. The cannabis grown down there is going to all be commercial quality at best. They are going to pump them all full of whatever chemical fertilizers are cheapest to buy in bulk, and the "master growers" are going to be "skilled laborers" at best. IMHO this is not the direction the industry should be going and I fully stand by and support all the small farmers, growers, and business owners out there. Diversity is key.

I also hold a controversial view on medical vs. rec... I think long ago California made medical cannabis a joke. And now that rec is here I think it is important that a new distinction should be made. Many people probably wont like this, but I feel medical grade cannabis should be grown indoors, where strict environmental controls are possible and contaminates can be eliminated. Every other pharmaceutical grade product adheres to very strict clean room standards for production, and I feel Medical Cannabis should not be treated differently. Many patients (and non patients) are immune-compromised, have allergies, or just plain deserve the peace of mind of knowing that what they are putting into their body was made in the safest and cleanest of conditions.
I believe there is a place in the market for everyone because that's how we in this community have treated one another for so many years. I don't want to see that go away when corporate greed comes into play. Community>Industry

I agree about the purity needed but indoor is not necessary to have that. Also have you been to Humboldt ? There are a lot of big trees around haha aka redwoods. It is the perfect conditions with the temps and the longer days and uv etc. Salinas is temperate not too hot not too cold aka just ok. Coastal is usually not better than a higher location. Those are facts not opinion . Peace sdd

[Medfinder]

in socal...
been to many coops...


they tend to Grow there own and cure and sell there own from clones.

this cuts out vendors and such.

city licenced coops are popping up in l.a.. orange and san diego.

the only way to even get into these coops is to have better strains better grows and proven strains.

by 2018 the doors to so cal will be wide open to commercial enterprise.

like a gold miner... seeds and new crosses may be the only nugget a small farmer has.

[megayields]

Originally Posted by GrowingFurthur

I consulted on (3) 180,000 sq. ft. greenhouses in Salinas. They wanted me as a master grower and I turned them down...Moneywise it was a poor choise but ethically I am happy with my decision. The cannabis grown down there is going to all be commercial quality at best. They are going to pump them all full of whatever chemical fertilizers are cheapest to buy in bulk, and the "master growers" are going to be "skilled laborers" at best. IMHO this is not the direction the industry should be going and I fully stand by and support all the small farmers, growers, and business owners out there. Diversity is key.

I also hold a controversial view on medical vs. rec... I think long ago California made medical cannabis a joke. And now that rec is here I think it is important that a new distinction should be made. Many people probably wont like this, but I feel medical grade cannabis should be grown indoors, where strict environmental controls are possible and contaminates can be eliminated. Every other pharmaceutical grade product adheres to very strict clean room standards for production, and I feel Medical Cannabis should not be treated differently. Many patients (and non patients) are immune-compromised, have allergies, or just plain deserve the peace of mind of knowing that what they are putting into their body was made in the safest and cleanest of conditions.
I believe there is a place in the market for everyone because that's how we in this community have treated one another for so many years. I don't want to see that go away when corporate greed comes into play. Community>Industry

[MedResearcher]

One thing, afaik Monterey County is charging $25 per square feet annually for permits. As well they are only giving permits to existing greenhouses. So you have to have an old greenhouse then retrofit it.

180k square feet would be what, 4.5mil a year for the permit? That is a lot of overhead, plus all the expenses to operate and start up. They will be competing versus tons of Nor Cal farmers who have been well established for 10.. 20.. 50 years. Established gardens with very little overhead and operating expenses. The company that just invested 10 million is not going to be to happy having a price war with farmers who are producing pounds for under 100... 50.. dollars.

I do think the politicians will do whatever they can to shut down the mom and pops, so the corporate guys have a chance.

I think Salinas will have more security issues as well. Nor Cal mountains provide protection and isolation as well as the typical citizen being really into the 2nd amendment has kept a lot of the bad elements out. Like you said Salinas is right on the 101. Go a little South or North and you run into some serious gang areas. What prison is that, Wasco? When guys get out of Wasco and see huge greenhouses full of product right on the freeway.... Couple bad incidents and I see the county pulling out of the industry to protect all the rich people on the coast.

Never know though, should be interesting. I think different genetics grow better in different micro climates. We use to get some really great herb from Big Sur. It was always a little leafy and airy, but super tasty and sticky.

Also I think both Mendocino and Trinity out produce Humboldt by a lot. Mendo is barely above SF as well.

Mr^^

[OregonBorn]

I have lived in these areas of California myself: San Diego, LA, San Jose, Salinas, Pacific Grove, Redwood Valley, Anchor Bay and North Tahoe. I have grown in all of them except North Tahoe. Redwood Valley and Potter Valley are ideal, but more remote and most of the land there is planted in grapes, a high value crop. The Salinas Valley is also ideal. Toward the coast the fog and cool weather is more of an issue. Cannabis likes HEAT. In the valleys the climate is more ideal and there is more heat. The father south you go in CA, the better the climate for growing weed, the less rain they get and later to no frost, and the easier it is to grow outdoors. San Diego is simply ideal, as are places like Temecula and Bakersfield. California is fucking HUGE state. Actually when the Republic of California applied to become a US state, the Feds worried that it was too large an area for one state. Demographically it is really 2 states, split between north and south roughly between SLO and Santa Maria.

If Monterey Co. is charging $25 a sq ft for growing per year then growing there will become extinct. Talk about stupid. But security is a non-issue. The only reason Humboldt was good for growing was because of the illicit nature of weed then. When it is legal, they will have police protection, and likely there will be security. In Oregon, to get a grow license you have to have a 10 foot perimeter wall, a commercial lacking system, a video surveillance system, an armed response alarm system, and you have to have a secure area for keeping your records, video tapes, and cash. Few if any grow operations here have been broken into. I have not heard of any commercial grows being raided, ripped off or broken into myself. Early on in WA state they had break ins into unsecured medical grow operations.

[OregonBorn]

As for commercial quality vs top shelf, here in Oregon they sell both at many dispensaries. Commercial grade tends to out-sell top shelf. It depends on what you want, but the same strain of weed is generally the same high. And once you make extracts from them, there is zero difference. Few here want terpenes... its all about THC and dabbs/wax/shatter. Sadly.

I do not see boutique or small growers surviving in any of the western states. Most of the laws here in Oregon favor large growers, and in this state large consortiums have come in to buy up existing licenses. While they do offer small canopy grow licenses here, all licenses require the exact same very long list of requirements to be completed before you can get one. in California after 4 or so more years, the canopy limit of one acre will be lifted, and that will be an invitation to HUGE scale operation grows. Also in California, Medical weed is going away. Forget the existing system. Its will be gone. Its all going to be commercial rec weed. Oregon is considering doing the same and bailing on the OHA medical weed program.