US (OR): Cannabis grower works to innovate industry in Portland and beyond

A local cannabis grower is working to innovate the industry—both technically and in terms of equity—in Portland and beyond. Jesce Horton is the CEO of LOWD cannabis company and he’s using his background in engineering to help innovate the process. That includes creating a unique ergonomic trim room and…

Growl

US: Georgia’s inaugural group of licensed hemp growers hopes to inspire a new generation of young Black farmers

Legalized by a bill signed by Governor Brian Kemp in 2019, hemp agriculture brings to Georgia an industry projected to reach $1.9 billion in U.S. product sales by next year, whereas, previously, hemp-derived products had to be imported from surrounding states, Georgia can now grow and process its own. In…

"The cannabis movement is bigger than Kyle, and he knows it"

Last week Vireo Health announced to take on a new name, Goodness Growth Holdings, as it branches out with a biosciences research subsidiary. Founder and chief executive dr.…

Broussard hemp growers hope to become the 'Amazon of the cannabis world'

Matt and Crystal Grayson are growing their Broussard hemp farm into what they hope will one day become the Amazon of the cannabis world. The husband-wife duo sold their house just before the pandemic and moved into a more rural Broussard property to pursue their dream of growing and selling cannabis.…

US (MA): After months of drama, large-scale grower changes location for Sandisfield greenhouses

Nearly two months after the town granted Sama Productions LLC a permit for a cannabis growing and manufacturing operation near Town Hill and Abbey roads — over the fierce objection of neighbors — the company is seeking an alternate location in the town. Sama filed a new special permit application on…

US (OR): "Unique location produces high quality"

Pacific Hills Farms’ unique location at the head of Oregon’s Van Duzer Corridor captures cool breezes from the Pacific Ocean as they make their way into the Willamette Valley,…

Western Cannabis

CAN (SK): Regina family turns to cannabis cultivation to save their business

Switching industries can be a risky move in the business world, but the Kratz family found that this was exactly what they needed to turn a profit. After a streak of bad luck and an ingenious flash of insight, the family decided to rescue their Regina-based home construction business Kratz Homes Ltd from…

US (MA): After permit denial, commercial pot farmer tries again in Sheffield

Jon Piasecki wants to grow his business — and potentially 80,000 square feet of cannabis. But in a battle that is playing out more and more in communities around the Berkshires, he’s coming up against opposition from community members who are concerned about their neighborhood going to pot. Piasecki, a…

"Commercialization now becomes our focus"

Materia Malta has received the European Union Good Manufacturing Practices (“EU GMP”) certification from the Malta Medicines Authority. This certification will enable Materia…

Aurora Cannabis eyes cost cuts as third-quarter sales plunge 25%

Aurora Cannabis Inc. reported another disappointing quarter with sales coming below expectations, as COVID-19 lockdowns and greater competition overshadowed gains made in its…

Fluence Bioengineering

US (MI): Harbor Farmz and Fluence incorporate LED lighting into facility with new approach to cannabis production

Fluence by OSRAM and Harbor Farmz, a Kalamazoo, Michigan-based cannabis cultivator, have successfully implemented Fluence’s LED lighting solutions in the grower’s cultivation facility and tissue culture lab.  Headquartered in the burgeoning Midwestern cannabis market, Harbor Farmz is a 35,850-square-foot,…

CanBreed

A sneak peek at Israel's new cannabis farm

Following the news that CanBreed, a genetics-based breeding company for cannabis, opened up its plant just outside of Israel’s Ra’anana, CTech was eager for a visit. The company has recently launched what it’s claiming to be the largest plant gene-editing laboratory in the country and one of the largest…

Grower and community react to volcanic eruption in St. Vincent and Grenadines

A couple of weeks ago, the La Soufriѐre volcano in St. Vincent erupted, adding distress to the people of St. Vincent and Grenadines, on top of the ongoing global pandemic. The Caribbean islands have been stepping into the global cannabis industry, capitalizing on the inherent characteristics of the soil…

US (MO): From chocolatier to the medical cannabis industry

A whiff of chocolate and the sweet smell of candy greet Dave Owens every day when he clocks in to work. He’s spent years in the food industry, getting his start in restaurants and then at St. Louis-based Bissinger’s, where he had the enviable title of Chief Chocolatier and Vice President of Taste. But…

ABC Rural: Fiona Breen

Tasmanian hemp grower destroys crop after it exceeds allowed THC levels

An entire crop of hemp has been destroyed in Tasmania's north because it had a higher than an allowed concentration of the psychoactive component also found in marijuana. The crop has been plowed into the ground because the levels are outside the legislated limit for hemp as food, with the farmer blaming…

US grower nears permitting for existing 9 acres of cannabis cultivation

Cannabis cultivators Autumn Brands and Ocean Hill Farms, located in Carpinteria’s agricultural overlay district, are nearing the final mark in transitioning from legal nonconforming operations to cannabis cultivators with Santa Barbara County Coastal Development permits under the cannabis ordinance.  Autumn…

"More than 60 percent of our operational expense can be attributed to electricity"

Greenfern Industries’ hydroelectric power station on the Waingongoro River in Taranaki has been given the seal of approval to generate power once again. The go-ahead was given by the Taranaki Regional Council for the Normanby Power Station to start generating power again last week after passing the final…

US (ME): Father and son move back to Winslow to revive 200-plus-year-old farm anchored by cannabsi crop

As Mark and Leon Robie revive their family’s more than two-century-old farmland on Cushman Road, they hope to grow a crop atypical of traditional farming. The father and son…

Nevada Crest Farms

US (NV): Growing cannabis in a 100,000 sq. ft. hydroponic facility

Nevada Crest Farms is the only licensed hydroponic operation in Nevada, and they have earned that distinction through believing that there is "success in the details." From farm to wholesaler or customer, every step is ordered and carefully crafted, and quality is always consistent. "We are the leaders…

"We see an ever-increasing interest in hydroponic growing"

"Ever since I was a little boy, my dad took me to the greenhouses where he worked. From a very young age I knew everything about growing tomatoes: the planting, the seedlings, taking care of the growth, and picking them," says Quentin Gomis. He has just been hired as the new commercial manager for…

"The number of micro-growers/home growers is exploding"

While the rest of the world seemed to stand still in 2020, newly established Houweling-Dutch Plantin Ltd. did anything but that. Formed as a joint venture between two Dutch companies (Houweling Group and Dutch Plantin) in 2019, Houweling Dutch Plantin Ltd. (H-DP) is an Ontario-based company currently…

Navaya

From the after-market automotive industry to multilevel cannabis production

What was once an automotive parts plant in Boisbriand, Quebec is now a multi-level cannabis production facility called Navaya. With initial plans to grow, package, and sell flowers to intermediaries in the medical community or product developers, Navaya aims to become the world’s leading and trusted…