Bob Blink is the CEO and founder of Lyfted Farms in Modesto, California. The story of this cannabis operation dates back to the days of Prop 215 in 2002, under which the company operated until 2016, when California finally regulated adult-use cannabis and opened up one of the biggest cannabis markets in the world.
Being active for such a long time in this industry is no easy feat, especially in California. Bob and Lyfted Farms have been growing cannabis in their legacy facility for more than two decades. "Everything went really well, so we ended up acquiring a new building," Bob points out.
Staying on top
In the competitive California cannabis environment, it's essential to pursue consumer trends and always have the next big thing brewing in the cannabis genetics department. Bob points out that they are always working with different breeders to find what resonates most with Californian consumers. Obviously, once you have the right strain, you need to grow it, and there lies the next big challenge. Growing cannabis commercially is not the same as growing tomatoes, even though both fall under horticulture. The value of the crop here is much higher, and cannabis growers cannot afford any crop loss. That's why it is of the utmost importance to dial in every aspect of the cultivation facility. And other than water, cannabis is renowned for being particularly light-hungry, so it goes without saying that understanding the right light recipe is crucial. It all starts, however, with selecting the right fixture. In such a saturated LED market, it may not be easy for growers to find their way through the forest, and Bob and Lyfted Farms were very much aware of that. "We did a lot of homework, a lot of reading on what brand was best," he points out. "We found that Jump Lights had the spectrum and everything that we were looking for, plus the service they gave us."
From HPS to LED
Before going full LED, the company used to grow under HPS lights, which, by their own admission, is "a very inefficient form of grow lighting," remarks Chris Talley, part of the cultivation team at Lyfted Farms. Since Jump Lights LEDs made their way into Lyfted Farms' cultivation, the team has noticed increased yields in resin production and decreased flowering times.
Innovation in cannabis, however, is always around the corner, and the trending lighting topic lately has been under-canopy lighting. Lyfted Farms is one of those growers who has seen first-hand the benefits this mode of lighting gives to their crop. "The under-canopy lights are the future," Bob says. "After learning and working with agronomists, we realized how much energy can be absorbed from beneath the plant. It gives plants a huge, huge boost. So, we are excited to see our next batch."
Since switching from HPS to Jump Lights LEDs, Lyfted Farms has seen an average 10–15% increase in yield. "Hopefully, we can get more under-canopy lighting in the remainder of the cultivation rooms," says Austin Kushar, supervisor at Lyfted Farms.
Lyfted was using nearly 1.2 megawatts worth of power with their HPS. With the installation of the LEDs, we could get that number down, granting 15% power savings.
For more information:
JumpLights
www.jumplights.com