Farm Girl Greens launched in Auburn, New York, in late 2019 as a vertical hydroponic leafy greens operation supplying restaurants and farmers markets. The business remained profitable through shifting sales channels, volatile grant funding, and rising energy costs, but the financial model became increasingly difficult to forecast.
When New York legalized adult-use cannabis and introduced a microbusiness license structure, the regulatory landscape changed. The pivot that followed was not abrupt, co-owner Abby Lepak says, but the activation of a long-considered option. "When we decided to start our own hydroponic farm, we were always open to the possibility of growing cannabis down the road," she explains. "At that time in New York state, cannabis was not legal, so our initial business plan focused on leafy greens."
© Farm Girl Greens
The Farm Girl Greens grow room, showing mobile ZipGrow tower racks under LED lighting
Market volatility and margin pressure
The farm planted its first seeds in November 2019. By March 2020, restaurant and farmers market channels had largely shut down or shifted to takeout service. "Running a business at the beginning of 2020 was a challenge for any small business owner," Lepak says. "We initially were successful due to the supply chain to grocery stores being affected and consumers wishing to buy directly from farmers."
Farm Girl Greens pivoted to weekly home deliveries through a distributor as well as its own logistics. As restaurants reopened, sales shifted back toward foodservice accounts, reducing margins compared to direct-to-consumer channels. "It was profitable but less predictable," Lepak says of the greens phase.
An additional outlet came through a non-profit operating under a food-scarcity grant, supplying food pantries at retail prices, with the cost covered by the grant rather than the consumer. "The food was free to the consumer, but funding was unpredictable and then decreased."
Utility costs added further pressure. A spike in energy bills prompted the farm to pursue a solar installation funded through a grant. The system remains in place today. "New York state is seeing energy costs double from one month to the next right now," Lepak says. "Not just for businesses." Profitable but exposed to fluctuating demand, unstable funding streams, and rising operating costs, the greens model became harder to plan around.
© Farm Girl Greens
A microbusiness license changes the model
Legalization introduced a different opportunity. Farm Girl Greens secured a microbusiness license from the Office of Cannabis Management, the governing body for adult-use cannabis in New York. "The emerging market for adult-use cannabis cultivation has a promising future," Lepak says. "The Office of Cannabis Management has taken measures to prevent large growers from flooding the market. As a small grower and a majority woman-owned business, we were able to take advantage of training and fees at reduced prices and sometimes at no charge."
The license allows cultivation, processing, distribution, and retail sale under a single structure. For now, the farm is focused on cultivating and jarring flower, using a third-party processor for extracts, and selling wholesale to dispensaries. As an indoor microbusiness, production is capped at 3,500 square feet of canopy space and 1,700 pounds of cannabis processed per year.
Different crop, different system
The shift required new infrastructure. The ZipGrow tower system used for leafy greens has been replaced with a high-pressure aeroponic recirculating system designed by Current Culture, paired with vertical racking from Pipp Horticulture.
"Leafy greens in our ZipGrow system didn't need as much space and had a shorter seed-to-harvest cycle," Lepak says. At peak production, the farm harvested the equivalent of 1,500 heads of lettuce per week while planting another 1,500 seeds.
Indoor cannabis operates on a longer cycle, typically 90 to 100 days. With one flower room currently operational, the farm expects five harvests per year at full production. A second flower room is planned. Once built out, staggered planting schedules would allow up to ten harvests annually.
© Farm Girl Greens
Higher margins, higher constraints
On a per-square-foot basis, cannabis offers stronger margins than leafy greens, Lepak says. But regulatory and ancillary costs temper that advantage. "We are hoping that the margins will increase once the legalization of cannabis and the ancillary fees decrease. These fees are very close to being cost-prohibitive."
Compliance-related packaging requirements and limited banking access continue to weigh on profitability. Labor demands have also shifted. Leafy greens required steady weekly staffing to manage perishable harvest cycles and distribution. Cannabis cultivation involves less day-to-day handling but requires more concentrated labor during harvest and processing periods.
© Farm Girl Greens
A Farm Girl Greens team member transplanting seedlings (left) and Matrix Media inside a ZipGrow tower channel (right)
Looking back
Despite the transition, Lepak says she would still begin with leafy greens. "I enjoyed learning the process of indoor growing and selling at farmers markets," she says. "Being the grower that hands the product directly to a consumer was fulfilling to me."
Farm Girl Greens is now selling its ZipGrow tower inventory as it consolidates operations around cannabis cultivation. "We have a total of 630 towers and associated lights and are willing to sell either 450 towers, 180 towers, or all 630 together," Lepak says. "The eight-foot towers are mounted in 21 racks of 30 units each. A full-system purchase of all 630 towers includes additional climate control equipment at no extra charge: a CO2 generator and Vertical V-Flow fans."
Those interested in purchasing the towers can reach Lepak directly at [email protected].
A video tour showing the setup of the Farm Girl Greens farm
© Farm Girl Greens
A complete layout render of the ZipGrow tower system inside the farm
For more information: 
Farm Girl Greens
Abby Lepak, Co-Owner
[email protected]
www.instagram.com/farmgirlgreens
