I trekked out to Long Island to check out the harvest for Olio at Route 27 Hemp Yard, and I was met with a beautiful few days of picturesque sunsets, great weather and rows of beautiful green and purple buds.
In 2014, Ryan Andoos, a lifelong horticulturalist, teamed up with Mark Carroll, a New York area construction business owner, to take over an abandoned farm to revitalize and revisualize what it could become. From this partnership, the seeds of Route 27 were sown and have flourished into the bustling farm you see today, producing some of the best Cannabis in New York.
It hasn’t been an overnight success for the duo, who did not come from a traditional farming background. But through hard work, teamwork, education and innovation, they have helped revamp the property into a Long Island powerhouse.
“That same passion continues to inspire everything we do,” Ryan, one of the owners, said. “We’re proud to be a locally rooted business and excited to grow for some of the state’s best brands.”
I spoke with Ryan about how the land has transformed from an overgrown abandoned farm to the incredible Cannabis farm that exists today.
How much space are you usually working with each harvest?
We grow 12,500 square feet of outdoor space. Fueled by the sun and nourished in living soil, our outdoor grow thrives in all the elemental facets. In our outdoor space, we grow auto flower for extraction and full-term for Olio’s Live Hash Rosin.
Are you growing any other products on the farm?
Other than marijuana, we grow both personal and hemp plants that support the Route 27 business. Personally, we grow plenty of vegetables, lemons, figs, corn, herbs and more. Regarding Route 27 Hemp Yard, we grow several different hemp strains that yield a rich variety of cannabinoids, such as CBD, CBG, CBN and CBDV, which support our hemp product lines.
What are your team’s favorite strains to grow?
Bermuda Triangle, Durban Poison, GovernMint Oasis and Jelly Roller.
Why do you love to do what you do?
We love to be stewards of the land. It’s exciting to try out and implement new sustainable and organic practices that could inspire others and be applied throughout the agricultural community. To add on, the deep-rooted ancient relationship that humans have with Cannabis date back to thousands of years, and to foster and continue this relationship is an honor. We also love being part of our local scene by supporting small businesses and giving back in ways that make a difference for our neighbors, like preserving our water quality. And honestly, this kind of work keeps us down to earth — literally. It’s a reminder every day of how connected we all are, not just in the local economy but as a part of the ecosystem.
What’s next for the farm?
We want to expand our current cultivation license and be on the cutting edge of modern ag with new upgrades to our current greenhouses. We plan on working with Cornell Cooperative Extension to upgrade our greenhouse heating system to geothermal, as well as installing new under-canopy lighting from Esttech to improve yield and quality.
