Im thinking about becoming a farmer .

[fastfredracing]

This is not the most hairbrained idea I have ever had. A few close friends are talking about going in on a small farm in Ohio, which is a 30 minute drive for us all . I call it a farm, but it is really a tract of land with a farm house, large barn, and several newer outbuildings, which would be perfect for our immediate needs . There is enough land to expand as large as we would ever need .
Legalization of MJ in Ohio is starting to sound like a reality in the next few years.
Can you imagine being in on the ground floor of a legal grow operation ?
I am not morally opposed to this in any way.
Worst case scenario is , it never goes legal, and I am a partial owner on a nice piece of land
I love bouncing ideas off you guys, what are your thoughts ? I have secretly always wanted to be a farmer .
Would sure beat putting mufflers on mini vans for a living .

[Baz]

Would love to hear input from others who know more about it, but from what I heard...there's a ton of red tape and hoops you have to jump through to do this.

Plus the infrastructure (I was told) has to be very secure plus some other provisions dictated by the feds.

Perhaps the regulations vary from state to state...dunno.

I also understand there is a vetting process on who is allowed to do it per given area, but again don't know all the details.

Worth checking into if you're serious.

BTW...there's a very nice greenhouse nursery for sale right now here in NSB. Warm weather....the beach...Baz as a neighbor....

[Cajundaddy]

It's the #1 cash crop in Calif. and it's not even legal here yet. Nobody seems to care though and the "farmers" all drive Porsche/Ferrari. I don't understand how this all works...

[GH85Carrera]

From what few stories I have seen in the news about Colorado the challenge is getting the money into a bank legally. I would sure feel jittery with people knowing I had a grow operation and a safe full of cash.

[greglepore]

+1 to what Baz said. You're not going to be able to just set up a farm, there is significant infrastructure, security, financing, and high end horticulture all going on. Plus the carrying costs on the r/e until it becomes legal and you all get licensed and bonded.

[MikeSid]

You're not getting in on the ground floor of anything. Sophisticated grow operations have been going on for decades. These "farmers" are miles ahead of anyone new to the enterprise.

Just because something is becoming legal for the first time, doesn't mean everyone is starting at square one.

That said, here in the land of legal MJ, the infrastructure is growing so rapidly that every other state that legalizes will be behind the businesses that have already started in Washington and Colorado. I personally know of one large production facility being designed by industrial engineers where they are modifying the cigarette rolling machines big tobacco uses to manufacture joints on a high volume basis.

So there is certainly money to be made and the industry is growing rapidly. But in terms of ground floor, it's more like getting into plastics in the 70s - not the 50s.

[biosurfer1]

I watched a documentary that had a piece on a guy who decided to grow and sell his own. Sure made it look extremely tough. Buyers had VERY high expectations on quality, volume, pricing, etc. For a professional shop, you're not talking about selling to your hippie cousin Bob, but experienced/educated guys who want the best stuff so hippie cousin Bob will keep paying a premium for their stuff when there is another store around the corner now that its legal.

The guy was already a farmer (almonds I think) and he basically said he was working twice as hard for 75% the return and he would probably go back to almonds.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Monsanto will eventually get in on it and then it's game over for everyone else.

Until then though I imagine you could have a nice business - just don't smoke ip the profits, lol!

Interesting idea. I bet it's hard to lose money at least initially.

[Nordwest]

Do they still grow Colombian Gold?

[ckelly78z]

I live in Ohio, and just voted no on the MJ issues, mainly because I can't see an upside other than some additional tax money for the state (which would be swallowed up by infrastucture rebuilding).
Ohio wisely voted down the "monopoly" MJ issue, where only 10 growers (i'm sure senator's buddies) would be allowed to supply up to 2500 retail outlets in the state which is based on population.

Both of these issues were soundly defeated by 3/4 majority, so I wouldn't count on legalization anytime soon......buy it for a farm and grow cows, and corn.

[aigel]

I would not touch this with a 10 foot pole until it was legal under federal law. You are always one foot in jail otherwise.

And like others have said, there is competition. To me it feels a bit like opening a restaurant. Low barrier of entry and no education required. There will be tons of people.

G

[craigster59]

"With a pair of heavy-duty
Zircon-encrusted tweezers in my hand
Every other wrangler would say
I was mighty grand"

[mattdavis11]

Just so you guys know, there is legal weed, and the gub has been growing and distributing it for a long time. I would not jump into the mj business.

[VillaRicaGA911]

I have a show I'm hooked on Drugs Inc on the Nat Geo channel.
Cali Gold? from what I am learning Cush is what everyone wants but these are not the people you want to sell to. No way in hell the dealers making tax free money are going to let customers go to you and why they come to you anyway? Because it's legal? Your cost is going to be significantly higher than the hard core gangster. Why? The same reason it's legal, TAXES. Look at the states where it is legal now, tax revenue is not near or even close to what was projected. Even the hippies get the free market they all claim rail against when the rubber hits the road. I don't know if any of cartels are in big yet to the market for Cush or what ever type comes next but for the prices they were talking about on the show and the money the growers were making I figure it's only a matter of time. Same reason they went from blow to smack, the customers wanted and the money followed. You want some guys from the surenos showing up at your farm? Me thinks it's only a matter of time before some the legal shops are seen as moving in on the turf....

[jyl]

From what I'm seeing here in Portland, the legal grow operations are locating in industrial areas close to city center, not out in the country. Commercial marijuana is grown indoors using hydroponics and artificial lights and temperature control, so the growers need access to lots of reliable electricity and reliable water. Like a data center. Also, they need security, meaning physical security, 24H video monitoring, rapid police/security response. The growers are leasing up warehouse, light industrial, commercial space, competing with creative/techie businesses in many cases.

You might want to read

Power to the pot: Marijuana growers face electric fee
Typical electric usage 360 kwh/25 sq ft

http://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/working_papers/2010/RAND_WR764.pdf
Not sure if this turned out to be correct, but a good start to modeling out the business

[72doug2,2S]

I don't see why anyone who could buy legally would ever go to an unlicensed dealer. Why not pay tax and avoid the shady business altogether?

[varmint]

if you think the mexican mafia is going to let you grow and sell weed without demanding a cut just because it is now "legal" i've got some bad news for you.

[MikeSid]

I think the indoor grow, the hydroponics, and the need for security are a by-product of the illegality of the operation. All of which drives the merchandise price upward. That's a present reality, but I think it will change.

It's not hard to envision a future where weed is grown in huge fields and the price of the product itself drops substantially. Thus ends the need for extra security and the need for massive amounts of electricity. But this only occurs at a market saturation point where the product is being so massively produced that the final retail cost is driven not by production cost but by advertising expense - like Budweiser and Camel and Starbucks. It will ultimately reach a point that it is so readily available that no one is grabbing a bud off the farmer's field.

It's all been done before. It's tobacco.

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by ckelly78z

I live in Ohio, and just voted no on the MJ issues, mainly because I can't see an upside other than some additional tax money for the state (which would be swallowed up by infrastucture rebuilding).
Ohio wisely voted down the "monopoly" MJ issue, where only 10 growers (i'm sure senator's buddies) would be allowed to supply up to 2500 retail outlets in the state which is based on population.

Both of these issues were soundly defeated by 3/4 majority, so I wouldn't count on legalization anytime soon......buy it for a farm and grow cows, and corn.

There was only one marijuana issue and yes, it was soundly defeated. It combined the deplorable practice of giving monopolies to favored companies, with the legalization of pot. It might have passed without the monopoly provision, but it was the beneficiaries of the monopoly provision who funded the ballot initiative and the campaign, so who knows.
The whole legalization of pot issue in Ohio is so fraught with big money and the politicians it can buy that I wouldn't touch it with a ten foot pole. The first step to becoming that kind of farmer in Ohio isn't buying a few acres, it's buying a few state senators.

[cabmandone]

Originally Posted by wdfifteen

There was only one marijuana issue and yes, it was soundly defeated. It combined the deplorable practice of giving monopolies to favored companies, with the legalization of pot. It might have passed without the monopoly provision, but it was the beneficiaries of the monopoly provision who funded the ballot initiative and the campaign, so who knows.
The whole legalization of pot issue in Ohio is so fraught with big money and the politicians it can buy that I wouldn't touch it with a ten foot pole. The first step to becoming that kind of farmer in Ohio isn't buying a few acres, it's buying a few state senators.

Hey Fred! I've got the land, you buy the Senators and we're golden!