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Since indoor farming is best for low caloric leafy greens, I assumed the long term strategy of these companies was based on the legalization or decriminalizatio

Since indoor farming is best for low caloric leafy greens, I assumed the long term strategy of these companies was based on the legalization or decriminalization of marijuana. As in, grow leafy veggies or tomatoes in vertical, urban farms for now to work out the logistical and scale issues, then switch to substantially higher value crop as the political situation changes. Given the new administration in the US and the Attorney General's push on marijuana, if this was the endgame of these start ups, it will be a bumpy ride.

yourapostasy 9y ago
I can't believe I had to scroll all the way down here to find this comment. If true, then this is a variation of land banking, but I agree with you on how unstable the political picture is at the moment for pot legalization, hence making this business model a little dicey. However, I've yet to run across an explanation that squares the "they're positioning themselves for growing pot" hypothesis with the question, "why indoors?". If pot is legalized, why grow it more expensively indoors, when it can be another cash crop for far cheaper outdoors?
- scardine 9y ago
  Because premium pot is "sinsemilla" (kept without seeds) in order to increase the psychoactive substance production. Sometimes pollination occurs even at indoor very controlled setups, good luck trying to grow sinsemilla in open field.
- wcchandler 9y ago
  More control over the product. You can grow "clones" of a plant which effectively make them identical to each other but if one gets more light, more humidity, literally just about anything, it can alter the resulting trichomes and terpenes. By controlling more variables you can have a slightly more reliable product. And people can get very picky about their weed.
ithinkinstereo 9y ago
> Given the new administration in the US and the Attorney General's push on marijuana, if this was the endgame of these start ups, it will be a bumpy ride. I think it's too late for this to happen. As it turns out, people -- of all color, income, creed -- love weed and so culturally, it's become more and more acceptable.

yourapostasy 9y ago

I can't believe I had to scroll all the way down here to find this comment. If true, then this is a variation of land banking, but I agree with you on how unstable the political picture is at the moment for pot legalization, hence making this business model a little dicey. However, I've yet to run across an explanation that squares the "they're positioning themselves for growing pot" hypothesis with the question, "why indoors?". If pot is legalized, why grow it more expensively indoors, when it can be another cash crop for far cheaper outdoors?

scardine 9y ago
Because premium pot is "sinsemilla" (kept without seeds) in order to increase the psychoactive substance production. Sometimes pollination occurs even at indoor very controlled setups, good luck trying to grow sinsemilla in open field.
wcchandler 9y ago
More control over the product. You can grow "clones" of a plant which effectively make them identical to each other but if one gets more light, more humidity, literally just about anything, it can alter the resulting trichomes and terpenes. By controlling more variables you can have a slightly more reliable product. And people can get very picky about their weed.

ithinkinstereo 9y ago

> Given the new administration in the US and the Attorney General's push on marijuana, if this was the endgame of these start ups, it will be a bumpy ride. I think it's too late for this to happen. As it turns out, people -- of all color, income, creed -- love weed and so culturally, it's become more and more acceptable.