7 Things You Need To Know to When Selecting Your Vertical Shelving Provider 

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The Top Qualities That Every Vertical Shelving Provider Should Have

man and woman shopping for a vertical shelving provider for their indoor cannabis grow operation.

Vertical farming is the future. It has proven to be an efficient way to increase both your yields and profits. But what is vertical farming, and how do you choose the right vertical shelving provider?

Vertical farming is a way to utilize all the space in your indoor grow operation. Vertical shelving helps you grow up and out, maximizing the number of plants you can have in that space. This allows you to double or triple your cannabis yields and overall profits.

Indoor vertical farming systems allow for efficient use of all utilities, from lighting and airflow to irrigation. By utilizing vertical farming systems, you can take complete control over your grow environment

At MMI Agriculture, we provide several types of vertical shelving equipment, including mobile carriages, vertical grow racks, a retractable elevated decking, trays, and table top caster units that fit all operation sizes. 

For your cannabis indoor farming operation to run smoothly for a long time, you need high-quality equipment and an innovative and supportive vertical racking provider. In this article, we go through the top 7 things you need to know when selecting your vertical racking provider.

The Key To Building Your Indoor Vertical Farming Operation

If your grow is to be successful, you will need vertical shelving equipment from a company that provides lots of pre and after-sales services, an extended warranty, and availability to provide solutions when things don’t go as planned. 

Here are 7 things to consider when choosing a vertical farming equipment supplier.

1. Quality And Reliability Of Their Vertical Shelving

image showing high quality vertical farming equipment and vertical grow racks for sale from MMI agriculture USA.

Quality matters. To avoid replacing parts regularly, get a product that can last a long time. You need robust bulk racking frames, cross and diagonal beams for added strength and rigidity, as well as rebars or wire decking for lighting to be suspended from.

MMI Agriculture’s vertical Grow Racks are made using 14-gauge steel with an 8 bend design for extra strength. Cross and diagonal beams are also made using 14- gauge steel with interlocking tabs for added rigidity and easy installation.

Our bulk racking is also powder-coated to ensure durability and stability.

We offer a 10-year warranty on parts and labor, which is the longest and best in the industry. This long warranty speaks for itself regarding the quality of our products.

2. Innovation

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Is the company innovating? Is the provider coming up with new ways to improve their systems or help you get more yields? While vertical agriculture is a relatively new practice, a good racking provider should invest in creating new solutions and coming up with new ways to improve current vertical shelving.

MMI Agriculture is leading the charge to provide new tools and equipment that will either enhance yields or make the current models safer, more efficient, or easy to use. An example of this is our Retractable Elevated Decking. 

Our retractable elevated decking is a retractable mezzanine walkway that makes it easier for your employees to access plants located on higher elevations. Employees no longer have to make countless trips up and down ladders to tend to plants. This makes it safer and less time-consuming than any other decking on the market.

3. Expertise To Help Optimize Space

vertical farming executives planning to maximize space using mobile carriages and vertical grow racks

One of the main advantages that vertical indoor farming technology offers is the ability to make maximum use of the available space to increase yields. Therefore, a good vertical racking provider should have the expertise to help you use space efficiently.

At MMI Agriculture, we offer professional design and CAD services for all clients and prospective clients to ensure they optimize their respective grow spaces. Our design experts utilize the latest CAD software to create systems that meet each grow’s specific and unique needs.

We also provide capacity evaluations and site surveys. We can send one of our representatives to your site to measure your grow space and ensure all measurements are accurate.

4. Lead Times

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How fast can you get your indoor grow operational? First, you need to consider how quickly you can receive your racking and get it all installed. Once the racking is in place, then the rest of the components can be put in place and the growing can start. 

You need to be sure that the provider can design, ship, and install the system in a reasonable amount of time. Our vertical racking systems are made locally in the USA, reducing lead times. We have a nationwide installation crew to ensure every system is correctly installed on time.

5. The Solutions For An Operation Your Size

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Not everyone has a large grow space that can handle mobile or vertical rack systems. If your operation is somehow restricted for space, we have just the product for you.

MMI Agriculture Table Top Caster Units are designed for spaces that don’t have room for mobile and vertical rack systems. They sit atop caster wheels so they can be moved from room to room, swivel, and lock in place. 

6. Can Their Indoor Vertical Shelving Solutions Scale Up?

image of vertical shelving and mobile grow racks for sale in the USA from MMI Agriculture.

Indoor vertical farming allows you to maximize yields by optimizing the existing space. But what if you need to scale up? Do the solutions you use allow you to add more tiers? Can it be rearranged to reclaim unused space?

If you plan to scale up your operation, you should use providers like MMI Agriculture, whose vertical farming systems can be expanded as needed. Our uprights are available up to 21’ high and can go higher upon customer request.

Our mobile carriages eliminate wasted space and turn it into a more functional and effective growing space. These carriages sit atop flange wheels that can support up to 1,400 pounds per linear square foot! The mobile carriages can also extend up to 56 feet, enabling the use of every available inch.

7. What Other Services Do They Offer?

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Indoor vertical farming is more than buying and installing vertical shelves. You need to partner with a vertical farming solutions provider to ensure your setup runs smoothly.

At MMI Agriculture, we are with you every step of the way. Offering services such as permit acquisition, seismic calculations, site surveys, floor plans and drawings, capacity evaluations, and installation, our team is also available for any questions and support.

Ready To Switch To Vertical Shelving? Partner With MMI Agriculture Today And Maximize Yields

MMI Agriculture ticks all boxes in our list of things to consider when selecting the best vertical racking provider. First, we offer customized products and services to meet your specific needs. 

Whether you are in the market for high-density mobile carriages that are capable of doubling your yields, vertical grow racks that help your operation reach new heights, or table top castor units that can optimize your grow in restricted spaces, we have it all.

We also offer a retractable mezzanine walkway that allows easy access to sections located in higher elevations safely and in a less time-consuming way. 

We trust our products’ quality and reliability. That’s why we offer a 10-year warranty on labor and parts while other providers offer only one year. 

Contact us today to learn more or get a quote.

7 Benefits Of Using Mobile Vertical Growing Racks To Grow Cannabis Indoors 

MMI Agricultural retractable mezzanine vertical racks in cannabis facility.

Learn How Mobile Vertical Growing Racks Can Benefit Your Cannabis Grow

woman on laptop looking to buy mobile vertical growing racks for vertical farming cannabis marijuana and hemp

Since the cultivation, purchase, consumption, and selling of cannabis was decriminalized in 2018, cannabis has become one of the most profitable crops in America. According to reports, farmers across 39 states in the US planted about 465,787 acres of hemp in 2020 alone, increasing the number of hemp growers by 27% from 2019. As such we’ve seen an increase in demand for mobile vertical growing racks.

Marijuana and hemp are easy to cultivate; they grow vigorously, developing dense foliage in as little as 3 months. This makes it a crop you can cultivate in numerous seasons throughout the year. But what if we told you there was a way to make your indoor grow room even more productive? 

Over the past few years, many commercial cannabis growers have incorporated vertical farming equipment into their grow operations, resulting in great success and more bountiful yields.

This article will offer insight into some of the benefits of using these mobile vertical growing racks. Before we get into that, however, let’s look at the basics of vertical farming. 

What Is Vertical Farming?

Vertical farming is a method of farming in which crops are planted in vertically stacked tiers. This allows growers the opportunity to take advantage of all the space in their grow room. Space is a limiting factor for most indoor cannabis farmers. Vertical grow racks enable you to grow multiple layers of crops in the same room, thus doubling, and even tripling your yields. 

Investing in mobile vertical grow racks is a great way of scaling up as a commercial marijuana farmer. Such a system increases output and ultimately results in higher cannabis profits. What’s more, this equipment can be customized to suit each grower’s unique needs and specific grow space. 

What Are Mobile Vertical Grow Systems?

Cannabis Hemp and marijuana plants growing on vertical grow rack systems

There are many different types of vertical farming equipment on the market today. These include mobile vertical grow racks, table top castor units, and mobile carriages. Mobile carriages have an axle and spoke that allows you to move the racks back and forth. These mobile grow systems utilize aisle space without forcing you to compromise on plant access. 

Benefits Of Using Vertical Farming Equipment To Grow Your Cannabis

Cannabis and hemp can thrive both indoors and outdoors. While there are some benefits to growing these plants outdoors under natural sunlight, some farmers, especially those that want to grow year-round and have to combat the seasonal climate change, opt to go with an indoor operation.

Vertical farming is the future of cultivating marijuana and hemp. If you have yet to set up a mobile vertical grow system, here are some reasons as to why you should.

1. Grow Racks Eliminate Wasted Space

A typical one-tier system wastes a lot of space, both horizontally and vertically. By utilizing the mobile capabilities that these systems offer, farmers are able to maximize their potential yields by eliminating unwanted aisles. These systems can often stand over 24′ high, which also helps to utilize all the vertical space that often goes to waste.

2. Grow Racks Allow You to Make the Most of Your Capital Costs

image of indorr warehouse where cannabis hemp marijuana plants grow on mobile carriages, vertical grow racks, grow trays.

Running a commercial grow room comes with several costs. You will need to set up lighting equipment, heating equipment, air conditioning and more. You will also spend quite a bit on energy costs. If yours is a one-tier grow room, you aren’t getting the most out of the capital you put in. 

Successful businesses are those that get the most value from their capital costs. This translates to larger profit margins. 

3. Vertical Farming Technology Creates A Controlled Environment

controlled environment using mobile vertical growing racks to grow cannabis marijuana and hemp indoors.

One of the biggest benefits of practicing vertical farming in an indoor space is that you get to create a controlled environment. Cannabis plants require specific optimal conditions to grow healthy and productive, and indoor vertical farming helps meet these needs. 

An indoor vertical farm helps you set up conditions such as temperature, humidity, and airflow in a way that best suits your plants. This results in healthy crops and eventually more yields. Vertical growing racks are equipped to support all your lighting and ventilation accessories, making it easy for you to provide your plants with good growing conditions. 

4. Mobile Vertical Grow Racks Make it Easier to Expand Your Own Business

As your business continues to progress over time, you will need to scale up. Traditionally, you’d have to expand your grow space to grow more crops- especially when farming outdoors. This makes it very expensive for you to scale up.

However, going vertical and utilizing vertical growing technologies will allow you to increase your canopy space without needing to expand on your overall space. Growing out is exponentially more expensive than growing up; vertical growing racks make it possible to increase your yields, which in turn improves your sales, thus making your operation more profitable.

5. Vertical Farming Equipment Creates A Safer Grow Room

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Many farmers that run single-tier grow operations tend to fill the space with as many plants as they can. Such a room will become overcrowded pretty quickly, making it hard for you and your staff to maneuver around. This lack of access will make it difficult to provide all your crops with the maintenance and care they need. 

Vertical indoor farms, on the other hand, are typically very well planned out and organized. Since they utilize vertical space, you won’t need to save room by creating smaller aisles. This will provide you with enough access to all your plants. 

Being that these systems sit atop mobile carriages, it’s possible to eliminate all the wasted aisle space created by a non-movable system. A mobile system only needs enough space to create one aisle. This aisle is then created whenever access to a certain section of the unit is needed.

6. Grow Racks Helps Use Utilities More Efficiently

As we’ve mentioned above, running an indoor marijuana grow room comes with certain needs and costs. You will need to provide resources such as light, heat, humidity control, and even a ventilation system. 

A single-tier grow room utilizes only a small percentage of available space, yet you’re paying to heat up the entire room. This has negative implications on energy use and is a step back for climate control. Installing vertical farming equipment ensures you’re utilizing the entire space and that you’re using your resources and utilities more efficiently. 

7. Mobile Vertical Growing Racks Have Great ROI

image showing how mobile vertical growing racks lead to increased ROI for vertical farming cannabis marijuana and hemp

Purchasing vertical growing racks is a great way of investing more capital back into the business. Vertical grow racks make it possible for you to scale up in production, thus helping you create more revenue for your business. Although these systems have significant upfront costs, they more than pay for themselves in the long run. 

Vertical farming equipment comes with a great return on investment. If you’re looking to expand your business, these racks will be a great place to start. 

How Do I Start An Indoor Vertical Farm?

If you’re looking to convert your commercial cannabis grow room into a vertical farm, we’ve got you covered. 

You’re probably wondering how much vertical growing racks cost and how long they last. Our products are manufactured using 14 gauge steel and are therefore very durable and strong. What’s more, they come with a 10-year guarantee and warranty, demonstrating our confidence in their quality. 

We offer free consultations and computer-aided design services to all our clients. If you aren’t sure if your grow space is ideal for vertical farming, we can appraise it for you. 

We’re dedicated to ensuring every commercial indoor grower gets the most out of their space and the equipment they purchase. Contact us for a free quote, and trust us with your grow operation.