Gary Anglebrandt CommunicationsArticles written for Rosebud, a consumer interest lifestyle magazine for hydroponic marijuana growers — sorry, I mean “tomato” growers, our preferred euphemism. (My sources told me tomato plants have many of the same nutrient demands as weed plants.) This publication was produced by a company that sold nutrient products for growers.
College graduates and other college-age job seekers have probably had enough reminders that they’re entering a bleak job market. To put things in perspective, here are the latest numbers from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics:
While the overall U.S. unemployment rate has dropped to 7.6% in April 2013 (from the March 2009 high of 10%), the unemployment rate for people age 20-24 is nearly double at 13.3%. The same rate for all millennials (typically defined as age 18-29) is 13.1%.
All right, so you’re a grower who has successfully gotten your operation off the ground, and your stalks – and profits – are shooting ever skyward.
Congratulations. Now what are you going to do with all that cash lying around?
After all the hours of care and investment in resources that go into making your plants the flourishing lovelies they are, you can be forgiven for having more than a little anxiety about putting them in the hands of strangers at harvest time.
Hiring and managing a crew to reap the rewards of all that effort is an entirely different game than growing (often likened to a home chef suddenly running a McDonalds), and it requires its own set of skills and practices. To alleviate some of the crew-management stress for the less experienced, we spoke with people who’ve already been through the wringer many times and gathered some smart tips to get things off to a proper start.
For many growers, their vocation is more than just a day job; it’s a way of life. Still, all the organically grown superfoods in the world won’t stop the arrival of the day when it’s time for a grower to slow down and start to consider retirement.