Ohio formally began adult-use cannabis sales on Aug. 6, 2024. Excitement from both the licensed business community and the consumer market was tremendous. Dispensary lines ran out the door across the state, conveying the surge of demand now making its way into the marketplace. 

This is a significant development for the state: The three dozen licensed medical cannabis cultivators were given the first shot to enter the adult-use space to jumpstart the market ahead of any future expansion in licensing. And with a medical cannabis patient base of around 175,000 (as of 2022), that surge in demand for adult-use cannabis will prompt a dramatic swing in supply.

How should a cultivation business prepare for this expanded customer base?

Buckeye Relief has been preparing since 2016 and planning for the growth of the Ohio market. They chose equipment providers that could provide scalable solutions that would adapt to their needs. They served the medical market with high-quality medicine and built a loyal following. They planned for scalability from day one, transitioning from a single-tier to a multi-tier cultivation facility in preparation for that demand surge. 

Today, they are poised and prepared to be a market leader in high-quality cannabis products across the state.

The Cannabis Market in Ohio

Ohio became the 24th state to legalize adult-use cannabis, and regulatory agencies across the U.S. have had an opportunity to craft rules that might inspire the state’s impending switch. Essentially, though, Ohio is simply expanding its existing medical cannabis infrastructure to the broader marketplace, with more changes expected in the coming years. 

As of the sales start date in early August, 12 of Ohio’s 36 medical cannabis cultivation businesses had received approval for adult-use operations. More of those medical businesses will undoubtedly come online in the adult-use market, but for now, that supply stream must support some 98 dispensaries across the state (again, with more to come in the future). 

Those licensed cultivation businesses include Buckeye Relief, a Level-I cultivation company based in Eastlake, Ohio. Matt Kispert, Vice President of Cultivation at Buckeye Relief, recently shared the company’s preparations for this moment—and the anticipated challenges and opportunities.

In the run-up to the actual start of sales, Kispert emphasized the importance of compliance and logistical planning as they gear up for adult-use sales. While future legislative changes are expected to have more significant impacts, the general idea in Ohio is simply to greenlight a new supply chain for adult-use sales alongside the existing stream of medical products and sales. Compliance is still everything in this

business. 

“Our focus has been on our packaging line: getting everything organized so we can make sure there’s a full distinction between medical and adult-use products,” he said. Buckeye Relief has meticulously organized its packaging workflows to ensure clarity and compliance.

That self-auditing work is an ongoing process; Buckeye has been in business since 2017, and that history already includes a notable expansion to a second level of multi-tier canopy space to meet Ohio’s medical market demands early on. 

Optimization of their multitier cultivation facility has made them a market leader in operational efficiency. 

Early on, Buckeye Relief began searching for qualified solution providers that would set them up for long-term success. For racking, Buckeye Relief needed a system that would start as a single-tier design and be converted to multi-tier as the market matured and adult use was legalized. 

“This was a single-level grow for the first couple of years,” says Curtis Dadian, Director of Business Development for Pipp Horticulture. “However, because of the adaptability of the Pipp racking system, they were able to easily add that second level as they had planned and prepared for during the initial construction and at that time integrated VAS. They were also one of our six beta sites for the Elevate catwalk system and realized significant efficiency gains with that product. They use Elevate today, every day, and love it.”

LISTEN: A Recipe For Success From Ohio’s First Medical Cannabis Cultivator – Buckeye Relief

That scalable equipment met Buckeye’s needs from day one–and gave the business an easy on-ramp to expansion.

“We anticipated growth by looking at other states and positioned ourselves to add cultivation space quickly,” Kispert said. “It took us six weeks to double our production space for the medical market.” This foresight has positioned Buckeye Relief advantageously now as the market expands. As the team prepared for 2024 and the imminent start of adult-use sales, the facility was outfitted with everything they’d need to increase production quickly.

The key? Start slow and grow with the market.

When Ohio opened its doors for adult, use this past summer, Buckeye Relief was prepared with an efficient multi-tier cultivation space and state-of-the-art curing space. In addition, they were an early adopter of the Elevate decking system, which reduces labor and allows employees to complete plant management activities safely.

Genetics Are Key

So, what does that look like in 2024? 

One of the company’s key strategies for growing into this adult-use supply curve has been genetic selection. Kispert stressed the importance of evaluating and optimizing the strains they grow.

Some of the main factors impacting the performance of these cultivars are tier spacing, airflow, light intensity, fertigation, and environmental conditions, which optimize phenotypic expression.

“We’ve been reevaluating every strain, looking at performance metrics, and shifting toward varieties that yield better and are easier to grow,” Kispert said. “Those are the ones we’re shifting the weight in the rooms toward, and we have been doing that for the last year or so because we’re steering a barge. We can’t just suddenly grow all new [genetics] overnight. So, we’ve been changing our room balances in that direction for a while now just to naturally bring our production levels up through genetic selection alone.”

Optimizing phenotypic expression takes work. Getting the most from every cultivar by managing the primary cultivation inputs requires diligence, patience, and the right genetics. Many factors impact plant growth, but getting a few dialed in, like the tier spacing and airflow management, for a two-tier flower room can be a game changer for production.

Kispert pointed to a Super Boof cross that the team has been running for about eight months. In the last three weeks of production, he says, the plant grows to massive proportions. 

By choosing purpose-built mechanical solutions, collecting data, and continuously updating SOPs, the Buckeye team can maximize the potential of every cultivar it currently has and plans to release in the future.

Buckeye Relief has revamped its processing wing to further capitalize on that move, investing in new equipment and retraining staff to maximize efficiency and product quality. 

Maintaining quality and consistency amid market changes is paramount at a basic level. While acknowledging trends in cannabis cultivation, Kispert reiterated Buckeye Relief’s commitment to delivering reliable products. 

“Our mission statement has always been quality and consistency. We want to put out the best product, even if that means sticking with genetics that some might view as a little old,” he said. Kispert believes this approach will ensure repeat sales and build strong brand loyalty.

For Buckeye, it’s about more than chasing the next best thing. Instead, it spends time refining its systems and applications to provide a dependable, high-quality consumer experience for anyone who enjoys its products.

Future Growth

As Ohio’s cannabis market transitions, Buckeye Relief also focuses on the end consumer experience. Kispert discussed the role of dispensary workers in educating consumers about product quality beyond THC content–another hallmark of state markets switching from medical cannabis to adult-use sales. The consumer, broadly speaking, is on an education curve as that transition happens. 

“Hopefully, with adult use happening now, we’ll see more dispensary workers able to provide firsthand experience with the products and steer people toward things based on conversation, not just potency,” he said.

Looking ahead, Buckeye Relief is planning further expansions to accommodate the expected surge in demand. 

“We’re in the process of designing another expansion, but we won’t be turning the lights on until probably this time next year,” Kispert said. 

In the meantime, the company is streamlining its product offerings to ensure they can meet demand without compromising quality. “We’re tightening up our SKU profile to be as consistent as humanly possible,” he added.

Buckeye Relief and the rest of Ohio’s cultivation businesses face an all-important transition that many businesses have confronted in other states. The team is setting priorities, such as a strategic approach to genetic selection, operational efficiency, and consumer education. Those ideas will become more critical to a growing consumer base as Ohio’s market expands.

Growing food is a necessity, but how we grow it matters. The right approach can mean the difference between resource waste and smart conservation. As sustainable farming takes center stage, indoor cultivation facilities are turning to advanced lighting, climate controls, and technology to boost efficiency while minimizing waste.

All areas of agriculture, including cannabis cultivation, are adopting SOPs, IPM strategies, and fertigation approaches that account for the health of the plants and those who work with them. With vertical farming, cultivators can increase yield while supplying more food or medicine with less space.

Are you interested in learning why vertical farming is essential for the planet? Join the team at Pipp Horticulture as we explore five sustainable advantages.

1. Increased Yield and More Happy Customers

Usable agricultural land is rapidly declining with rising populations and urbanization. However, vertical cannabis facilities require less space, even when housing thousands of plants. Growing upwards rather than outwards allows cultivators to retrofit pre-existing buildings to accommodate increased crop sizes and yields. 

Cultivating in food deserts or places with limited supplies is where urban multitier facilities can reduce transportation miles and storage, reducing their carbon footprint and ensuring customers receive the freshest products.

Moreover, growers can plant their roots nearly anywhere, from untillable deserts to city-based warehouses. This allows creative cultivators who use fully mobile multitier racking to meet yield requirements in smaller, higher-priced spaces.

Our designers at Pipp recognize the necessity of remaining nimble, adapting to building floorplans, and providing solutions on a case-by-case basis. Vertical Grow Racks allow you to produce in rooms with pillars and structural limitations, but you will always have several options to consider. Reach out to Pipp to explore creative solutions for your space that maximize your cultivation output.

2. Water Use Efficiency

Vertical farms are designed with attention to water management, allowing for precise management at various stages of the water life cycle. This accuracy helps decrease water consumption by 95% or more. 

Indoor cultivation facilities can recycle water from fertigation and dehumidification. While water needs assessment and treatment before reentering the cycle, various filtration technologies make 100% reuse a reality. Additionally, irrigation can be automated, calibrated, and adjusted while the runoff is measured, allowing for the fine-tuning of a media management strategy.

3. Curbs Pesticide & Fertilizer Use

As mentioned briefly above, the nature of indoor farming protects against pests and the elements, meaning chemical use is limited. Automated fertigation systems deliver the precise amount of nutrients needed — at the right time — to maintain plant health and media management metrics. These controls allow cultivators and IPM management teams to create protocols that reduce risk and pesticide/pathogen treatments used to mitigate outbreaks.

Due to the consistent and clean environment, vertical farming systems allow more effective IPM applications and accurate plant management systems. With established preventative measures, cultivation facilities can scale effectively while using less pesticides and fertilizer.

4. Data Collection

So, how does building a sophisticated multitier facility change agriculture? Data. Accurate measurements drive improved room utilization and fertigation/airflow management while lowering production costs per pound of tomatoes or cannabis.

Data also underscores production metrics like grams/sf and price per pound, specifically in an indoor cultivation facility. Growers have multiple data-collecting opportunities to achieve the highest return on every kilowatt-hour or resource used.  

For instance, controlling light intensity, adjusting temperature/humidity, and modifying airflow offer significant advantages over traditional farming methods. This level of control yields consistent results and provides avenues for improvement.

Furthermore, data from indoor agriculture has influenced traditional agriculture as the adoption of evolving purpose-built technology increases. Data is such a broad concept, but by focusing on the KPIs that matter to your business and collecting data that has an impact, you can confidently invest in the solutions you need.

5. Quality

Proper lighting, room pressurizations, quality SOPs, and environmental/fertigation controls help maximize cultivar expression in cannabis and bioflavinoid production in basil or prevent bolting in lettuce across tiers. 

Still, indoor vertical farming isn’t about packing as much canopy into a room as possible. Instead, you optimize space and ensure every mechanical system works together seamlessly. 

For example, the spacing between tiers should be carefully calibrated to your lighting setup, as this directly impacts plant performance. By understanding how racking, lighting, HVACD, fertigation, and genetics interact, you can fine-tune each cultivar to achieve its full potential.

One of the best ways to diagnose problems and maintain plant health is through regular inspection for pests, pathogens, and canopy management through defoliation. Pipp creates Mobile Carriages with easy access in mind, so you can easily access, remove, and treat plants when necessary.

This ability to provide consistent customer quality translates to brand awareness, growth, employee pride, increased revenue, and new possibilities. Ultimately, you can reinvest in the facility and your team, encouraging further development.

The Future of Vertical Farming

The vertical farming industry, valued at $5.6 billion in 2024, continues to boom, with projections estimating a value of $41.21 billion by 2032. Sustainability-seeking cannabis growers are catching on to the numerous benefits, transitioning their practices at an annual rate of 18.5%. 

Pipp Horticulture is here to help cultivators like you adopt eco-friendly practices to help combat climate change and pollution. Better yet, you can significantly boost yield, quality, and revenue in the process. 

From mobile racking systems to grow trays, our team of experts has you covered, allowing for seamless integration into your current (or newly designed) grow facility. Contact us today for a consultation and more information about why Pipp remains the industry-leading indoor vertical farming solutions provider.