Always Choose the Best Grass
Life is short. Why settle for less?
Of all the Principles of a Lucky Elk, this one probably requires the least explanation.
We sell cannabis (marijuana and hemp are both Cannabis sativa). We like really good cannabis.
But after farming for most of my adult life, “always choose the best grass” has come to mean something more to me than buying the most expensive flower on the shelf.
It means learning to recognize quality. It means caring about where something came from and who grew it. And it means that when you find people doing exceptional work, you support them.
That philosophy has shaped Lucky Elk from the beginning.
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Good Cannabis Starts With a Farmer
People talk a lot about genetics in cannabis, and genetics obviously matter. But I’ve seen enough crops over the years to know that great genetics don’t guarantee great flower.
The farmer still has to grow it.
Soil matters. Nutrition matters. Timing matters. How the plant is handled during harvest matters. Drying and curing matter enormously. Even the best cultivar can turn into forgettable flower when those things aren’t done well.
On the other hand, put good genetics in the hands of a farmer who really understands the plant and you can end up with something memorable.
That’s what I’m looking for.
I’ve been farming since 2011 and growing cannabis since 2014. One of the things I’ve learned is that the people producing the best crops are usually obsessed with details that most customers will never see.
They know their soil. They compost. They plant cover crops. They think about minerals and microbes. They notice what changed from one season to the next. They walk their fields constantly.
There are easier ways to grow cannabis.
But we’re not looking for the easiest cannabis to produce.
We’re looking for the best grass.
In 2019, Lucky Elk founder Tucker Pyne planted two acres of hemp in Southern Oregon following the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill.
The Best Doesn’t Always Mean the Most Expensive
This distinction matters to me.
We sell some beautiful indoor flower. We also sell greenhouse and sungrown flower that costs considerably less.
I don’t think quality begins at a particular price.
A $200 ounce should be judged differently from a $100 ounce, but both should represent something we’re happy to put the Lucky Elk name on.
Sometimes a crop comes out with smaller buds. Sometimes the trim isn’t perfect. Sometimes the flower doesn’t have the appearance necessary for our top tier, but it still smokes beautifully.
I’d much rather tell customers exactly what they’re getting and offer it at a fair price than pretend every harvest belongs on the same shelf.
Choosing the best grass isn’t about always choosing the fanciest grass.
It’s about knowing the difference.
Take Care of the People Growing It
There’s another side to this principle that became more important as Lucky Elk grew.
If you want great farmers to keep growing great cannabis, they have to be able to make a living doing it.
Cannabis has gone through some brutal commodity cycles. I’ve watched prices collapse and watched good farmers struggle while the market rewarded whoever could produce the cheapest pound.
We’ve tried to take a different approach.
When we find farmers doing work we believe in, we want to build relationships with them. We’ve paid above-market prices for crops we really wanted. We’ve prepaid for harvests. We’ve shared genetics we believed in with farms we trusted.
That’s not charity.
We want those farmers to still be farming next year.
If your entire business model is squeezing every possible dollar out of the person growing your product, eventually you’re going to get exactly the quality you paid for.
Learn What You Like
There’s also no single “best” cannabis.
That’s part of what makes it interesting.
Some people want loud gas. Some want fruit. Some want old-school funk. One person opens a jar and smells heaven; the next person can’t understand what the fuss is about.
I’ve had customers fall in love with flower that wouldn’t have been my first choice, and I’ve been completely taken by cultivars that someone else could happily live without.
So “always choose the best grass” isn’t really me telling you what the best grass is.
It’s an invitation to pay attention.
Try different genetics. Learn what good flower feels like when you break it apart. Notice how it was dried and cured. Smell it before you smoke it. Pay attention to which farms consistently produce things you enjoy.
Develop your own taste.
That’s more interesting than simply buying whatever somebody tells you is the highest grade.
Life Is Short. Why Settle for Less?
That’s the line underneath the principle on our little hemp cards, and it’s intentionally broader than cannabis.
I’m not suggesting that everything in your life needs to be expensive or perfect. Some of my favorite things aren’t either.
The point is to care.
If you’re going to spend your time doing something, try to do it well. If you’re going to grow food, grow good food. If you’re going to make something, care about what you make. If you’re going to work with people, find people whose work you respect.
And if you’re going to smoke some grass, you might as well choose a good one.
Always choose the best grass.
Life is short. Why settle for less?
— Tucker
Founder, Lucky Elk
