Feature of Month
Robust State-of-The-Art Greenhouse
Where Conveyor Belts Move Its Premium Soil-Grown Cannabis
Editorial by Clayton Stallings
Stock photo , not the actual Robust greenhouse .
This month continues my series on some of Missouri ’ s unique cannabis cultivation facilities . If you missed last month ’ s feature about Ostara ’ s unique outdoor growth , you can find it on our website . It ’ s an interesting story about one of Missouri ’ s only outdoor cannabis farms — most cultivators grow indoors in greenhouse-like environments . This month , to coincide with our creative front cover design featuring a haunted greenhouse — Halloween theme , I am focusing this article on Robust cultivation in Cuba , MO , and its state-of-the-art greenhouse .
Ro · bust / rōˈbəst / adjective 1 . strong and healthy ; vigorous : “ the Caplans are a robust , healthy lot ” Similar : strong , vigorous , sturdy , tough ; Opposite : weak , frail . 2 . ( Of wine or food ) strong and rich in flavor or smell : “ a robust mixture of fish , onions , capers and tomatoes .”
I visited Robust ’ s cultivation facility in August , and both above “ Robust ” definitions were very applicable to the many different genetics of cannabis the Robust team grows indoors . At the time , it was also dead smack in the middle of the over 100-plus-degree heat wave Missouri was experiencing just before the end of the summer , and I quickly saw the challenges greenhouses faced in the Midwest .
32 October 2023
Robust was just weeks away from upgrading its facilities ’ climate control capabilities to provide complete control over the greenhouse environment . As I sweated bullets in my full-length PPE , I was astonished at how vigorous and vibrant the plants looked despite the excessive heat wave . ( Side note : PPE stands for personal protective equipment , but in the cannabis space , it also protects all the plants from what the visitors may be bringing in .) Anytime I ’ m asked to wear PPE when visiting a cannabis facility , I have a higher motivation to smoke their products . Why ? Because it ’ s a higher standard of cleanliness that all cultivation facilities should employ .
Last month ’ s issue about outdoor grows covered the added benefits of the terpene profiles that come with harnessing the sun as replacements for indoor LEDs or HPSs . In the case of the Robust greenhouse facility , it combines the power of both , working in unison . So , on cloudy days , the lights work more , and vice versa on sunny days .
Impressive , of course , but what really sets Robust apart is it is also one of the state ’ s few cultivation facilities that use “ soil ” as its growing medium .
“ Growing in soil produces the most robust terpene and cannabinoid profiles ,” explained Brad Rhodes , Co-Owner and Chief of Cultivation , “ and that is exactly what we are looking to produce as a company . We believe that the synergistic relationship between
Tyler Hannegan ( on left ), with Brad Rhodes , the co-owners of Robust , walk the 74,000-square-foot marijuana cultivation facility in Cuba , MO , built from the ground up in 2021 . Today , it grows nearly 5,000 cannabis plants and employs upwards of 50 full-time people .
( Photo courtesy Robust )
microbes , nutrients , and the cannabis plant in a natural soil ecosystem produces a quality of flower that is simply unmatched when compared to other methods of growing . Our goal will always be to produce the highest quality cannabis , and we are always looking for better ways to better harness the power of natural cultivation practices to accomplish that task .”