A new contender for one of the country’s largest cannabis grows in the US has been approved in Santa Barbara County.
SFS Farms obtained a zoning permit on June 22 for an 87-acre plot intended for cannabis cultivation. Although it will be some time before its operations will be in full swing, if all goes well, it would be one of the largest cultivation sites in the country. For comparison, some of the country’s other large scale competitors includes Copperstate Farms, based in Arizona, which recently expanded its operation from 40 to 80 acres in March 2021, as well as Los Suenos Farms in Colorado, which manages 36 acres of cultivation property.
“I do favor large-size grows,” said Supervisor Steve Lavagnino about the approval. “It’s easier to keep an eye on 50 grows than 250 grows.” The county has received applications for a total of 900 acres of cannabis cultivation throughout the area.
There are approximately 275 wineries in Santa Barbara County, some of which are uncertain about the impact of having such a large cultivation site nearby. Those closest to the proposed grow site, such as General Manager Kurt Ammann of Melville Winery, believe that the smell will deter potential wine tasting customers. He refers to the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors as “irresponsible” in approving the SFS Farms permit. Speaking for Head winegrower Chad Melville, Ammann says that he “feels very strongly that the odors from this ‘grow’ are going to have a significant impact on our outdoor tasting…he has a really hard time with the board approving something that will wind up in litigation between the two neighbors. Inevitably, we will not be able to operate at our current location,” he told The Independent.This is just one of many instances where wineries have voiced their concern over strong odors that they think would negatively affect their business. However many have sought legal action and failed. Even recently, a judge found no evidence that cannabis odors or terpenes could pose a threat to neighboring wineries.
