DECIBEL FARMS

APPLEGATE VALLEY

when Decibel Farms Founder Shawn Bishop says, “The genetics are really 99% of it,” – he’s really just being humble. Of course, that’s easy to say when you’re standing against a row of exciting new cultivars ready for harvest … all throwing off vibrant colors and amazing aromas.

DECIBEL FARMS is both a well organized and wild jungle of Cannabis. The greenhouses are flanked with outdoor plants, roots sunk directly into the soil of this Southern Oregon farm.

Every turn hits us in the face with a wall of bold scents, brightly colored Cannabis, or some cultivar featuring a nonsensical structure and insane terpene profile. Shawn has built a farm that is in service of the dank, and you can tell he’s got a thirst for new and exciting expressions of our favorite flower.

Before growing Cannabis full time, Shawn owned an organic gardening store which led him to apply for and win a USDA grant to study compost and compost tea analysis. Shortly after, when a Cannabis company scooped him up to run their farm, he thought he would be living the dream. Then reality set in.

“I was growing with salts and using electricity, which was the exact opposite of what I had been teaching. One day I just woke up and said, ‘I’m out, I’m going to start a company in Southern Oregon.’”

He had a friend drive by a property situated on the Applegate River and they relayed the message that the place needed a lot of fixing up, but could work. Sight unseen, Shawn put an offer on the place and the rest is history.

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“THE BASIS OF MY FARM is all Constantly sifting for that next standout. rooted in soil biology and protecting the “I’m not even interested unless the ecosystem and environment – the terroir plant is LOUD. If it has this intense smell, here is important.” We’re here on a sunny then I’ll tear into it to see if it has that fall day and the plants are all reaching depth of flavor,” Shawn adds. “I refuse to toward the sun with heavy branches – this drop anything that doesn’t punch you in is their home, and it is clear that they love the face the second you open the jar.” He it here. Behind the scenes of this idyllic betrays the humble attitude and jokingly landscape is yet another reason for the mentions that, OK, now he might be thriving nature of Decibel’s operation: bragging. “If it ain’t those WCTs, I’m not Shawn’s rigorous grading of each plant growing it.” throughout its lifecycle – complete with Bishop leads us through another aisle a detailed spreadsheet which carefully “I’m not even interested of mouth-watering flavors. On deck, they’ve tracks the nose and unless the plant is LOUD … got Dead Hot Strawresin qualities of each I refuse to drop anything berries, Dessert Runtz, plant. “World Changing Terps” is Shawn’s terminology for that doesn’t punch you in the face the second you open the jar.” Grape Blow, Pancakes, and 100 other cultivars that have us excited for a post-harvest hash what makes a plant Founder Shawn Bishop session. worthy of a space in Those familiar with his garden. Next to that, the plant needs Decibel will want to keep an eye out for to produce great hash. With a rigorous the new flavors mixed in with the old 300-plant pheno hunt underway, Shawn favorites. For those just getting your first has given himself a long runway to find taste, know that the farmer himself is winners for next season. making sure those over-the-top profiles He’ll run this same 300-plant hunt in end up on dispensary shelves. the spring and summer to find that list of a dozen keepers, and see which environment they thrive best in. Then he’ll start DECIBELFARMS.COM the whole thing over again. @DECIBELFARMS