Keith! Can you send me the real estate classifieds from Washington?

[revwardoc]

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/...rijuana16.html

Pot edges cherries in value as a state agricultural product

SPOKANE -- Law enforcement officers harvested a dubious record last year: enough marijuana plants to rank the illegal weed as Washington state's No. 8 agricultural commodity, edging sweet cherries in value.

The 135,323 marijuana plants seized in 2005 were estimated to be worth $270 million -- a record amount that places the crop among the state's top 10 agricultural commodities, based on the most recent statistics available.

And like any agricultural product, marijuana is very much a commodity, Lt. Rich Wiley, who heads the Washington State Patrol narcotics program, said Wednesday.

"We're struck by the amount of work they put into it," Wiley said. "It's very labor-intensive. They often run individual drip lines to each plant and are out there fertilizing them. It takes a tremendous amount of work."

But the results are worth the effort, said Wiley, who coordinates pot busts with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency and local law enforcement agencies. A single plant can produce as much as a pound of processed marijuana, worth about $2,000, he said.

The estimated $270 million value of the plants seized in 2005 ranked just above sweet cherries, which were valued at $242 million in 2004, and just below the $329 million the state's nurseries and greenhouses produced. Apples are the state's No. 1 agricultural commodity, bringing $962.5 million in 2004.

The 2004 statistics, the most recent available, were released last year by the state Agriculture Department.

This is the seventh year in a row that record numbers of marijuana plants have been seized and destroyed statewide, the State Patrol said. The state's known pot harvest, based on seizures, went from 66,521 plants in 2003 to 132,941 in 2004, then to 135,323 last year.

Most of the growing operations were in Eastern Washington, principally outdoors on federal or state land in remote locations near a source of water, the State Patrol said.

Chelan County produced the most domestic marijuana, as federal, state and county drug agents seized 37,086 plants last year. Grant County was second, with 20,521 plants seized. Thousands of plants also were seized in both Yakima and Franklin counties in Eastern Washington.

King County, in Western Washington, was third in numbers of plants seized -- 16,809 -- many from indoor growing operations.

[DMZ-LT]

Brings a tear to my eye.

[Keith_Hixson]

Many years ago I had a young man who sent his children to our church who had his own business of repairiing gasoline pumps for service stations. However, I found out his real business was growing "weed". He would find a recently logged area near a small stream and plant and cultivate his plants. He would grow around 50 plants a year. He told me he cleared over $100,000 a year back in the early 80's. When he went through a divorce his wife turned him in. He spent 90 days in jail. And, amazingly still got custody of the children because his wife had some very serious mental problems. I visited with him in Jail, he didn't tell me anything he didn't tell the cops. I had my suspicions (and so did the police) that he started the operation all over again because the money was so easy and prolific.
I live in Kittitas County. King County joins us on the West, Chelan County joins us on the North, Grant County joins us on the East, and Yakima County joins us on the South. We are surrounded by the big four Marijuana growing counties. However, our county doesn't lend itself well to growing of "weed." Our primary agriculture is hay and cattle. The other counties have lots and lots of orchards. And King County (Seattle) has a very large population. Orchards are isolated somewhat, have large trees that can hide marijuana and have access to water and orchards are where most of the marijuana is grown.
However, the Williamette Valley of Oregon grows even more marijuana so I would talk to James and see if he knows about getting some land around Browning Oregon. They grow lots of "weed" down there.

So you guys want to buy an orchard?

Keith

P.S. Maybe you could rent some land from Chris? He lives in a very isolated area, has lots of access to water.
But he lives near the ocean and the weather is generally cooler and marijuana doesn't grow well there, but he might be willing to rent you some land.

[b3196]

Keith
I have but one question..... Being a man of the clothe.....How do you know so much about the correct growing conditions for marijuana?.........I learned something today
Bob K

[Keith_Hixson]

There was this big article in the paper telling how they do it. Also, when I was working as Sheriff's Dept Chaplain they had book in office that told all about growing the stuff. They had found the book on some raid. It was very interesting, it described the types of soil and fertilizers to be used.
As a farm boy I found it very interesting.
Someone told me that you can go to google and search for "Growing Marijuana" and there are sites that will give you instruction. I don't know about that, I've never tried it. I just tried it. Didn't go to the site but this one popped up.

www.growing-marijuana.org/

Bob, why don't you click on.

You have a suspicion cop mind. Shame, shame, shame.

Other than that I take the 5th.

Keith

[Stick]

Been many a year since I indulged in ganja but has inflation hit that hard. One plant = one pound = $2000.00. $2,000 divided by 16 (oz.) = $125 an ounce. Heck, per ounce I used to pay $20 for Mexican, $45 for red bud, $60 for sensimilia (sp?).

[Seascamp]

Put in a patio grow lamp and drip system for a lady friend once. She said it was for house plants. Sometime later gullible me found out the real definition of ?house plants? when my young daughter got a look at the rig and said ?Hey Dad, did you know???
Duh, talk about embarrassed and feeling dumb as a box of door knobs. Prior to that moment, I had never seen the stuff au natural. Per Forrest Gump, ?That?s all I have to say about that?. But I did learn that a grow lamp, a humidifier, drip system and some ?Miracle Grow? does wondrous things for ?house plants?, goodness.

Canada revisits the MJ legalization issue from time-to-time. If that comes to fruition I wonder what kind of impact that will have on the Washington State ?growers?. Canada subsidizes the heck out of their soft wood industries and really slam dunks US soft wood industries. I wonder if they will subsidize??.. Naw, they wouldn?t do that, right? I just love Canada, really. Clever, industrious people that always think outside the box and find ways to get a leg up on the Gringos. Mexico is more accomplished at it and I really like their culture as well, maybe more. Ha ha, our latest family addition is right from Cuba; just about to marry up with my youngest nephew, and I?m learning that culture now. Not to the point of Cuba Si, Yanqui no, but its fun to learn the real story about the real way of things in Cuba. This year our Thanksgiving table was like the United Nations; Columbia, San Salvador, Costa Rica, Cuba, Mexico, all had representatives present. All pretty and smart Gals that have gotten attached to nephews. Anyway, they don?t understand our fixation with La Cucaracha; to them it?s just a usual thing, like beer, and not a big deal.

Maybe so, maybe not, I don?t know. They just call me ?Uncle? and get a kick out of my attempted Spanish and I?m good to go with that. And guess what, humor is alive and well in Cuba---so long as the block warden is blotto on whatever. Keeping the warden stoned and out of political snoopy mischief seems to be a national pastime of sorts. Kind of a ?collective? activity, more or less, too funny. Seen similar things in the former Soviet Union, but there gifts of fermented potato juice; vodka, was the favored block warden control mechanism and the more the better from my observations. Jasus, ?power to the people? in practical, useful, real life application.

Scamp

[SEATJERKER]

...being a weed, cannabis will grow just about anywhere, however "miracle grow' actually isn't good for the plant as you you think, it spurts the growth action, but in the long run, it stresses it out, go figure,...

...up here in NY, "persons" have been known to rent whole "flats", and the steal power right off the lines rather then their neighbor's meter in order to provide the nesc power for the "high pressure sodium" lights, but it is about the quality of the soil, and NY in some of the low lands is about as good as it can get, one guy up here had his/her plants at the hudson rivers edge so that the tide watered them every day, ,...

...between the corn rows, under the tomato plants, hump backed with tuna cans of beer to keep the snails off, seen a lot of it, but it's us hunters that generally have to be careful as the vastness of upstate, and the potential to "stumble" across someone's patch" can be a hazard, they grow it in their yards, right next to the other plants, and pinch, and trim them to keep them low,...

...plane survalence is a constant in the fall, but the "indoor" growers with the hydro-ponic systems are the smart ones, they watch their power consumptions as not to alert the power companies to a rise in usage etc, you do get the dummies that their power bill goes sky high after normal usage, and the power companies alert the authorities,...

...It's all cat, and mouse,... personally, I've never seen a "pothead" rob, rape, or pillage, cept the refridge, and anything "on the road" can be dangerous, so I think that medisinal useage should be studied more as it has been adapted for use by cancer patients, and seems to improve the appetite,...

...John, stop taking notes, the thread isn't going to get pulled, we're all with you, ,...

...heard the expression once,...

... "GOD made pot, man made beer, who do you trust",...

...

[1CAVCCO15MED]

Someone was growing pot in the Unicoi County Courthouse yard a couple of years ago. It got pretty big before someone told the employees what was in their yard. This is the county where they hung an elephant for murder. http://www.blueridgecountry.com/elephant/elephant.html