AU: "The biggest improvement in product quality and yield comes from genetics"

"The facility is designed to continuously crop throughout the year. So, 50 weeks of the year we’ll have harvests going on and a crop in different maturing phases. The glasshouse is a semi-closed design, which means we get the best of both worlds. We have the indoor lighting and hvac control that you get with growing indoors, and we also get the sunshine," says Angus Murray, Cultivation Manager at Cann Group's Mildura facility.



Russell McGifford, General Manager, adds that having a fully climate controlled glasshouse is part of what Cann does to maintain the quality. "Staff members also wear protective clothing. All of that is critical to making sure that the highest quality product gets out to the patients that need it."

The company's Bundoora facility is the home of their tissue culture labs, their research program with industry partners, and their phenotyping program. "We’re assessing imported seeds from across the globe from the world’s best breeders, as well as seeds from our own breeding program," says James Yodgee, Product Innovation & Development Manager. "The team at this facility is also the problem-solving hub for our company. Any production issues that the Mildura team at our commercial site are experiencing, we have the ability here to run those trials off-site and transfer those learnings to the team up there. That can be anything from propagation to different planting densities."

"Yet probably the most important thing this facility delivers is those new genetics," James says. "We're assessing over 100 different seed lots per year. This is because the biggest improvement in product quality or overall yield comes from your genetics. You can have the best facility, the best team, and the best processes. But if you don't have the genetics that match or that meet what the market is chasing, then you're not going to compete in such a competitive market."

For more information:
Cann Group
[email protected]
canngrouplimited.com