Growing concerns
Prices to plummet
Growers fear the fall harvest could trigger a further price
collapse. Staley has seen his wholesale price fall 25 percent over the
past year from $2,000 to $1,500 per pound. “It’s had an impact industry-wide,” he said. “It drags
everybody’s prices down.”
The steepest drop occurred in January, just after fall 2017
harvests hit store shelves. “The fall harvests came in and just flooded the market,”
Staley said. “Once it was flooded, it never stopped.” With another fall harvest looming, producers are concerned
what impact another major influx will have on wholesale prices.
“I think it’s just going to be a matter of riding the market
out and letting go of some of the big growers who are losing big money,” Staley
said. “It will just have to settle out. People will go out of business as it
shakes down, but you’ve just got to ride it out right now.” ‘Micro’ grower focuses on positive experiences
Craft cannabis
Staley, 43, was born and raised in the area, a graduate of
the Astoria High School, class of 1993. In April 2016, he acquired a license to
grow recreationally as a micro tier-1 grower, the smallest of three
classifications designated based on canopy space. He is permitted to grow up to
650 feet of canopy, but has kept it much smaller and more manageable. His
entire operation is contained inside a refurbished woodshed.
“I’m tiny,” Staley said. He has about 60 plants in different
stages of growth at a given time. “It was basically what I could do here. The
medical side was looking like a dead-end street. I had to either do that (micro
Tier 1) or give it up entirely.” He harvests about a dozen plants in three- to five-week
cycles. His goal is to harvest around 1.5 to 2 pounds of pot per plot. He
estimated that he harvested a total of about 20 pounds in 2017.
Benefits of being small
Bigger marijuana growers typically have a several employees
assigned to different stages, including cloning, flowering, harvesting,
trimming, packaging and marketing. But Staley handles each step alone, which he
considers a benefit. “I know each plant from start to end,” he said. “I have a
close eye on it through the whole process.” Staley said he has more flexibility and freedom to allow
each plant to reach its full potential, instead of harvesting on a strict
cycle. “Bigger operations have to treat plants more like machines,”
he explained. “But they’re living organisms — they’re not always ready on day
56 to be cut down.”
Fourteen flavors
Staley grows 14 unique strains including Electric Velvet,
Walluski Sour, Pacific Sunrise, Spruce Goose, Thai Pearl and Fizzy Pop. He also
grows classic strains such as Williams Wonder, Bubba Kush, California Orange
and Blueberry. Schrom, a rare sativa variety born from crossing Santa Maria
Columbian Gold and Romulan featuring a soaring energetic high and a strong odor
of lemon and cedar, is among his personal favorites. Staley also grows a strain
called The Haog, also known as Hells OG Kush, a strain once reportedly run by
the Hells Angels biker club that inspired its name.
Photo of a strain called "Hells OG Kush" named after the Hells Angels MC
The strains have been personally chosen over time for their
ability to consistently provide positive experiences and effects, Staley said.
“I like good flavors,” he said. “But most important is a
good experience.”
SOURCE: The Daily Astorian
