Four decades ago, Agriculture Secretary Earl Butz told row-crop farmers to “get big or get out,” a choice that marijuana growers may be facing in California as “cannabis is going industrial,” says the New York Times. Steve DeAngelo, founder of Harborside Farms, expected to become one of the world’s largest legal marijuana farms, says California is poised to claim half of the U.S. market for marijuana, just like the state’s Central Valley dominates fruit and vegetable production.
Small cannabis growers fear they will be wiped out, casualties of the creation of large-scale farms. “Some are worried that the marijuana business is getting too big too fast, and predict a glut of California marijuana and steep price declines,” says the Times. “Growers in recent years have already reported steady declines in wholesale prices of marijuana, although retail prices have remained relatively steady.”
California voters approved legalizing recreational use of marijuana in a referendum last November. The legislature is now working on implementation. One question is whether to limit the size of farms. Most farms have less than 5,000 square feet of growing area. Harborside would have 360,000 square feet and up to 100,000 plants.