In the rural village of Hoosick Falls, a family-run farm nestled in the verdant hills has started growing nearly 4,000 cannabis plants ahead of its October harvest.
The team at Juniper Jill Cannabis Company spent the winter gearing up for their second growing season as a conditional cultivator licensee. The 60-acre Scarp Farm, where the company has its growing operation, has been upgraded — the irrigation system has been automated, and its growers have spent countless hours researching new strains.
Each plant is expected to yield between an ounce to two ounces of marijuana. But despite months of preparation, a significant challenge lies ahead: getting the product to consumers.
Last year, only about 10 to 15 percent of the cannabis harvested at Scarp Farm made it to a dispensary, co-owner Jenny Scarpulla said. It cost the company a loss of more than $200,000.
The issue, Scarpulla explained, is that the number of growers in New York far exceeds the number of outlets where they can sell. With more than 280 licensed cultivators in New York, competition is fierce to get into one of the state’s 12 recreational retail dispensaries and delivery services that are currently open to customers.
Read the entire article at Times Union