The document provides advice on evaluating and setting up greenhouse structures for growing hemp. It discusses assessing existing structures, upgrading control systems, handling materials within the facility, irrigation and water supply needs, fertigation systems, determining what products will be grown and sold such as seed, seedlings, clones, biomass or feminized seed, and who the target markets will be such as farmers or processors. The author offers consulting services to hemp startups.

1. PAUL
LEBLANC
HORTICULTURAL CONSULTING

2. INSIGHTS FROM MANAGING
HEMP STARTUP GREENHOUSES

3. EVALUATE
YOUR
STRUCTURE
• Get a cost estimate to upgrade or build out.
• Are its control systems adequate?
• How old/out of date are they?
• How well integrated are they?
• HVAC only?
• What about irrigation and humidity control?
• Lighting.
• Supplemental?
• Photoperiod control?
• Blackout system control?

4. MATERIAL
HANDLING • How much difficulty will there be in moving plants, pots and soil
about the facility as well as loading and unloading trucks?
• What kind of transport system will you use?
• Carts, wagons, and rolling trays are all options depending on the
facility.
• This can significantly impact your labor costs.

5. IRRIGATION
AND WATER
SUPPLY
Water Quality & Quantity
Will you need a treatment system?
• Consider the costs involved
• The initial outlay for an adequate RO unit can be high
• RO and domestic sources can be expensive (billed per cubic
foot of usable water)
• Post-filtration systems for further treatment
• pH
• Alkalinity
• EC
• ORP

6. FERTIGATION
SYSTEMS
• Centralized versus decentralized systems
• Centralized can get quite complicated depending on
the complexity of the cropping system
• Must be able to automatically change NPK dosing
depending on the crop being irrigated
• Requires a fully integrated irrigation control system,
and VFD injectors with constant monitors for control
• Decentralized has the benefit of individual dosing
stations
• Each of the different growth stages can be
dosed/blended according to their needs
• Simple hydraulic injectors are an option
• The disadvantage of this system is having to monitor a
high number of individual injectors and tanks

7. WHAT WILL YOU BE
GROWING/SELLING?
Seed
• Do you have what it takes to get AOSCA certified?
• Are you going to try for “certified hemp” status?
• Do you understand your local rules for seed sellers?
• Can you get permitted in time to begin selling seed?
• Will you be brokering others’ seed?
• This may require a different permit.
Seedlings and clones
• Will you be growing on speculation?
• Try to presell before sticking clones or sowing seeds
• Can you obtain COAs for your genetics prior to selling?
• Will you be selling out of state?
• You will need a special permit and a phytosanitary certificate
for most states to accept your plants
• Requires nursery licensing, and regular inspections

8. WHAT WILL YOU BE
GROWING/SELLING?
Biomass
• Do you have a buyer for your crop?
• Do not plant without a contract to buy your crop.
• Be very diligent in vetting your sales partners.
• How will you harvest and dry the crop?
• Most efficient is combining wet and taking straight to be
dried and processed without delay.
• Will weather allow field drying?
• Harvesting like hay is an option but risky if the weather is
rainy/cloudy with high humidity while laying in the field.
• Do you have an adequate structure for hanging and drying
before combining?
• Labor intensive – particularly for plots above 5-10 acres.
• Markets are volatile, be realistic in your expectations

9. WHAT WILL YOU BE
GROWING/SELLING?
Feminized Seed
• Are any of your genetics protected from propagation by
the original breeder?
• Can your pollen parents provide quality pollen when
masculinized? Not all genetics will produce quality pollen
when treated to cause the sex change.
• How do you plan to thresh the seed?
• Outsourced or purchase equipment?
• Relatively low upfront cost to purchase.
• How will you clean the seed?
• Gravity table and screening.
• Outsourced or purchase equipment.
• Relatively low upfront cost to purchase.
• Additional benefit from an optical seed cleaner, as it can
boost your final germination rate.
• Optical systems are expensive. Do you have the volume to
get a good return on investment (ROI)?

10. WHO ARE YOU
MARKETING TO?
Farmers
Fairly straightforward once you have their
trust.
• Deliver as described and on time.
• Be prepared for price negotiations as the market evolves.
• Expect everyone to request product during the same few
weeks.

11. WHO ARE YOU
MARKETING TO?
Processors
• A lot of options
Direct Sale.
• Get a price guarantee/contract before you even plant
• They pay you for your biomass and you’re done.
• Usually tied to the CBD % not the actual tonnage.
• Market can still influence what the final price will be.
• They can reap any profit from the sale of the finished product.
Tolling
• A lot of different schemes are available on the market.
• Simplest is you pay a company to process your material and you
get the finished product to sell yourself.
• You will need a good marketing department.
• Contracts are often produced based on tons processed and/or
the total yield of usable product.

12. PAUL LEBLANC
Phone: (239) 222-1980
Email: consulting@oldwhiskeycreek.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulleblanc1/