In the Green Valley area of Watsonville, California, there is a cannabis operation that has been different from others since its very inception. Coastal Sun is an ecologically minded farm management company which produces crops using regenerative agriculture practices. “We focus mostly on bioponics,” Darren Story with Coastal Sun explains. “We culture biologically rich micro-ecosystems where the plants flourish and produce higher levels of phytonutrients.” Indeed, Coastal Sun does not only grow cannabis. The company initially grew blueberries for Whole Foods. “We knew that we could grow very high-quality crops, and therefore we wanted to provide customers with a superior alternative.”
Coastal Sun started growing cannabis when the WAMM, Wo/Men's Alliance for Medical Marijuana, could not provide its patients with medical cannabis anymore. “So, we took over growing for their patients, as WAMM was really impressed by the way we cultivate,” Darren points out. “We indeed donate 50% of what we grow to WAMM so that they can supply their patients.”
The benefit of regenerative cannabis growing
Coastal Sun carries out regenerative growing. “We optimize the photosynthesis of the plant, pushing exudates into the ground, actually regenerating the soil,” Darren explains. “Plants, instead of taking up from the soil, actually deposit inputs in there, thus building the biology. In order to further stimulate that, we grow a lot of different plants, flowers, companion plants, anything beneficial.”
The greenhouse where the company grows its plants has a very low impact on the environment. “Sustainability is one of the things that we value the most,” Darren says. “We only use artificial lighting for mother plants. Generally speaking, sun and water are the largest input for the crop, and we use them and recycle them to lower our impact on the environment, but also to reduce the use of electricity. This translates into a very low cost per production.”
Low-cost production
Darren takes care to explain that they are very much aware of every dime they spend on the grow. “We built ourselves from profitability. We are extremely conscious of our savings: this is why we invest a lot in agricultural production. This has brought particularly positive results, as our production style is very much low cost.”
Backed by data
Even though a number of growers assumes that growing cannabis at scale with consistency is mainly achievable in indoor facilities, Coastal Sun is able to get the same results in a greenhouse thanks to data. “We measure everything,” Darren remarks. “We use a method invented in the Netherlands called sap analysis. We measure the nutrient surplus and deficiency in the crop before that actualizes. We take the sap analysis and use it to guide our nutrient program, and to see what biology we can use to make the mineral in the soil more available. On top of that, we make use of a lot of foliar applications, because they are much more controllable. We get a much more immediate response from the crop, as what we want is to maximize the bio-nutrients, which results in a much higher terpene content. This is indeed one of the things for which we are well-known.”
Additionally, Darren further explains that the aura of secrecy surrounding the cannabis industry is not beneficial for the sector as a whole, and ultimately for the customers. “Traditional farmers have always wanted to find the lowest ways for producing crops,” he says. “If you find a way to produce very high quality, it is of the utmost importance to share, because not only the industry as a whole can advance, but also and especially because the end-customer ultimately wins.”
For more information:
Coastal Sun Farm
info@strong.ag
coastalsunfarm.com