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CAN (ON): How Cannabis Is Transforming The Tomato Capital of Canada
Located around Canada’s southernmost point, the Leamington and Kingsville area has one of the warmest climates in Canada.
The town of 30,000 people has seen 21 of its approximately 120 greenhouse growers convert entirely to cannabis production or be acquired by a larger firm, according to James Cox, Leamington’s manager of economic development.
Meanwhile, an additional 35 greenhouses are planning to add capacity to existing facilities to produce marijuana alongside crops like tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers.
Additionally, the area’s growers have the technical expertise to handle a highly-regulated agricultural sector like cannabis, according to Mike Dixon, environmental science professor and director of the Controlled Environment Systems Research Facility at the University of Guelph.
“This is not gum boots and garden hoses in a plastic greenhouse,” Dixon said.
“[Leamington has] serious technology in terms of computer automated, environmentally controlled, hydroponic systems, disinfection protocol – a long laundry list of horticultural practices for cucumbers, tomatoes and peppers. It’s a logical home for a new commodity that promises significantly larger margins than food or even ornamental [plants].”
That was something Aphria’s Cacciavillani saw in 2012, after Canada changed the regulatory framework around medical cannabis and paved the way for the plant to be grown commercially. At the time, Cacciavillani Farms was already the “oddball” of Leamington’s growers, Cacciavillani says, bucking the trend of growing fruits and vegetables for more vertically-integrated holiday plants, such as poinsettias and Easter lilies. He fully converted the greenhouses to grow cannabis in 2016.
Weed In Space Is Going To Be A Thing Now
Jonathan Shieber@jshieber / 2018
Scientists interested in cannabis as a subject for pharmaceutical studies may find an unlikely new home for their research into the plant, its byproducts and biochemistry aboard the International Space Station.
Yes, weed is going to space thanks to the work of a small Lexington, Ky.-based startup called Space Tango.
The company makes a “clean room” laboratory in a microwave-sized box. Because space is tight on the International Space Station, companies that want to conduct experiments in microgravity have to do more with less. And Space Tango gives them a small environment in which to perform tests and monitor the results.
Using Space Tango’s “CubeLab” modules, which slot into the larger TangoLab containers, companies like Anheuser-Busch can send barley up to the space station to observe how the crop could be cultivated in environments approaching zero gravity.
Now, Space Tango is taking its own steps to develop experiments on how the zero gravity environment could affect cannabis cultivation.
Alongside two Kentucky hemp and cannabis cultivation and retail companies, Atalo Holdings, which provides hemp genetics, and Anavii Market, an online retailer of hemp-derived cannabidiol (CBD) therapeutics, Space Tango has set up its own subsidiary to research how microgravity can be used to better cultivate particular strands of hemp for medical compounds.
“For all entrepreneurial companies in this new space area everyone is trying to hone in [sic] on what is the actual business,” said co-founder and chairman Kris Kimel of Space Tango, in an interview. “We’re trying to figure out here what’s the business now… For us, the model is looking at low earth orbit to actually develop and design applications for life on earth.”
Kimel said the company now has two micro-laboratories installed on the International Space Station and has payloads launching to the space station for corporate and university customers about six times a year.
In its early stages, the company is mainly operating on existing income. “We’re able to meet our operating expenses off of revenue,” says Kimel. “Which is great for a company that is not just three years old.”
As it looks to create these kinds of joint ventures with other companies, Kimel said that additional revenue could come from a profit-sharing agreement rather than just straight contracts for services. The new subsidiaries enhance what the company sees as its broader mission, Kimel said.
“Each time a new type of physics platform has been successfully harnessed such as electromagnetism, it has led to the exponential growth of new knowledge, benefits to humankind and capital formation,” said Kimel, in a statement. “Using microgravity, we envision a future where many of the next breakthroughs in healthcare, plant biology and technology may well occur off the planet Earth.”
Industrialized hemp production and research and development into the crop was enabled four years ago with the passage of the 2014 U.S. Farm Bill. It was the first time in 70 years that new rules were enacted to promote research into applications for the hemp plant as fiber, food or medicine.
By taking the plants to space, Space Tango hopes to study whether the growth of certain strains can be better controlled in the absence of gravitational stresses on the plant’s development.
“When plants are ‘stressed,’ they pull from a genetic reservoir to produce compounds that allow them to adapt and survive,” said Dr. Joe Chappell, a member of the Space Tango Science Advisory Team who specializes in drug development and design. “Understanding how plants react in an environment where the traditional stress of gravity is removed can provide new insights into how adaptations come about and how researchers might take advantage of such changes for the discovery of new characteristics, traits, biomedical applications and efficacy.”
Founded by former NASA engineer Twyman Clements and Kimel, who was serving as the president of the nonprofit Kentucky Science and Technology Corp., Space Tango was spun up to be the for-profit arm that would commercialize experiments in space as a service for large businesses that wanted to take advantage of the unique properties of manufacturing in microgravity.
There have been few commercially viable products that have come from microgravity research or production, in part because it’s expensive to bring products from space to earth.
That’s why Space Tango has focused on drug discovery and pharmaceuticals and why the company is spinning up its independent subsidiary that will focus exclusively on cannabis. Pharmaceutical compounds are lightweight and can be profitable in production without enormous volumes.
“That’s why biomedicine is attractive,” Kimel said. “You’re dealing with products that are incredibly high value and incredibly low weight.”
As A “Wikipedia” For All Your Indoor Vertical And Urban Farming News, We Would Be Amiss If We Didn’t Begin To Cover Cannabis In Our Reporting
The team here at iGrow have recognized the growing interest society has for cannabis
The cannabis revolution is here to stay. The cannabis industry is expanding rapidly gaining worldwide interest. With growing scientific validation, cannabis is being integrated into the mainstream around the globe as sales for consumer wellness products have continued to grow steadily. Hemp and CBD oil are making headlines. From Pharmaceutical Companies and Big Tobacco to beer, soda and alcohol, Fortune 500 companies are focused on cannabis as it is becoming a billion-dollar industry in the United States.
The team here at iGrow News have recognized the growing interest society has for cannabis. We also acknowledge that much of the early advances in indoor and urban farming were made because of the technology introduced to us by indoor cannabis growers. As a “Wikipedia” for all your indoor vertical and urban farming news, we would be amiss if we didn’t begin to cover cannabis in our reporting,
Many of you probably already noticed the addition of a “New Ag Tech” category. We have linked this new tab to the “Cannabis Canopy by Chromatic Clouds” LinkedIn group. Please check out our new addition and join the group. Also, I would love to hear your thoughts on our plan to include the world of cannabis in our coverage to you. Please reach out to me with any thoughts and suggestions.
The mission of Cannabis Canopy is to provide a “canopy” of sorts for cannabis business enthusiasts to have a dedicated forum to explore the cannabis universe. We are proud to announce our new partnership with Lyle A. Bogorad, the Owner of Cannabis Canopy by Chromatic Clouds and Founder of Chromatic Clouds. Lyle is an attorney from NY with a J.D. and LL.M. in intellectual property. He has recently left the legal arena to enter the cannabis industry. We look forward to his contribution to iGrow News and welcome him to the Family.
Canopy Growth Completes First Legal MMJ Export From Canada to US
Canopy Growth has completed a legal transfer of cannabis products to a research partner in the United States. To the company's knowledge, this transfer is the first export of legal cannabis products from Canada to the United States pursuant to an import permit issued by the federal United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). The shipment was completed for the sole purpose of supporting medical research and development.
Currently, sources of federally regulated cannabis in the United States are limited in scope and genetic diversity. Canopy Growth believes that it can add value to the market and enable the development of rigorous testing standards for products, while advancing the understanding of the risks and benefits of medical cannabis. The advancement of this research stands to serve Americans, Canadians and those around the world who may benefit from legal, approved cannabis based medical treatments.
While this export is a major achievement for the company, in keeping with its philosophy around the globe, Canopy Growth strongly supports legal production at the domestic level over ongoing exports. With this in mind, the company is excited at the potential of bringing its commitment to legal, GMP/GPP produced cannabis operations to the United States but only through federally legal means.
"The United States presents a unique market opportunity and as the most established cannabis business in the world we, in turn, offer a unique ability to advance standardization, IP development, and clinical research that can improve the understanding and legal application of cannabis and cannabinoids," said Mark Zekulin, President and Co-CEO, Canopy Growth. "By engaging in the market through federally legal means and with the right partners, we can create a US-based centre of expertise while also supporting our rapidly expanding global business."
For more information:
Canopy Growth
1 Hershey Dr.
Smiths Falls, Ontario
K7A 0A8
1 855 558 9333 x 122
invest@canopygrowth.com
www.canopygrowth.com
Publication date : 10/11/2018
US (MA): AmeriCann Releases Designs For 345,000 sq.ft. MJ Facility
The dedicated cultivation facilities are designed to utilize AmeriCann’s proprietary greenhouse system called Cannopy.
AmeriCann has released designs for Building 2 which includes 345,000 square feet of cannabis manufacturing and cultivation infrastructure at its 52-acre Massachusetts Medical Cannabis Center (MMCC) in Freetown, MA.
The configuration of Building 2 includes over 100,000 square feet of dedicated cannabis extraction, processing and product manufacturing space and approx. 245,000 sq. ft. of cultivation infrastructure. The dedicated cultivation facilities are designed to utilize AmeriCann’s proprietary greenhouse system called Cannopy.
The design of Building 2 of the MMCC, which is 345,000 square feet, will include three distinct units:
Unit A: 184,720 square foot cannabis cultivation facility
Unit B: 40,178 square foot extraction and product manufacturing facility; and
Unit C: 118,580 square foot cannabis cultivation facility cannabis
AmeriCann will own and operate Unit B which is designed to provide extraction and product manufacturing support to the entire MMCC project, as well as to other licensed cannabis farmers throughout Massachusetts. In addition to large-scale extraction of cannabis plant material, AmeriCann plans to produce branded consumer packaged goods including cannabis beverages, vaporizer products, edible products, non-edible products and concentrates at the state-of-the-art facility.
The company has already commenced construction on the first phase of the 1 million square foot multi-phase MMCC project with a 30,000 square foot cultivation facility.
AmeriCann plans to replicate the brands, technology and innovations developed at its MMCC project to new markets as a multi-state licensed operator.
For more information:
AmeriCann
3200 Brighton Blvd. Unit 114
Denver, CO 80216
(303) 862-9000
info@americann.co
www.americann.co
Publication date : 10/11/2018
iGrow News Is Proud To Announce Our New Partnership With Lyle A. Bogorad
Lyle is an attorney from NY with a J.D. and LL.M. in intellectual property. He has recently left the legal arena to enter the cannabis industry.
We are proud to announce our new partnership with Lyle A. Bogorad, the Owner of Cannabis Canopy by Chromatic Clouds and Founder of Chromatic Clouds.
Lyle is an attorney from NY with a J.D. and LL.M. in intellectual property. He has recently left the legal arena to enter the cannabis industry.
We look forward to his contribution to iGrow and welcome him to the Family.
The cannabis revolution is here to stay.
The cannabis industry is expanding rapidly gaining worldwide interest. With growing scientific validation, cannabis is being integrated into the mainstream around the globe as sales for consumer wellness products have continued to grow steadily. Hemp and CBD oil are making headlines. From Pharmaceutical Companies and Big Tobacco to beer, soda and alcohol, Fortune 500 companies are focused on cannabis as it is becoming a billion-dollar industry in the United States.
The folks here at iGrow have recognized the growing interest society has for cannabis. We also acknowledge that much of the early advances in indoor and urban farming were made because of the technology introduced to us by indoor cannabis growers. As a “Wikipedia” for all your indoor vertical and urban farming news, we would be amiss if we didn’t begin to cover cannabis in our reporting,
Many of you probably already noticed the addition of a “New Ag Tech” category. We have linked this new tab to the “Cannabis Canopy by Chromatic Clouds” LinkedIn group. Please check out our new addition and join the group. Also, I would love to hear your thoughts on our plan to include the world of cannabis in our coverage to you. Please reach out to me with any thoughts and suggestions.
The mission of Cannabis Canopy is to provide a “canopy” of sorts for cannabis business enthusiasts to have a dedicated forum to explore the cannabis universe.
Valoya Canna+, Ultra-Wide LED Spectrum For Superior Chemical Expression in Cannabis
The research into the interaction of the cannabis plant and light is growing but is yet not abundant due to bans which still exist in most places around the world. One thing we do know for sure is that high quality light will result in a high quality plant, one with a good chemical expression.
Valoya, the manufacturer of LED grow lights, known for their research based approach, has been testing and developing a variety of plant spectra over the past ten years. In the last three years, Valoya has conducted research on light interaction on cannabis, independently as well as in collaboration with research institutes and customers. The result is a new line of LED grow lights, designed to help growers achieve high quality cannabis plants, consistently, cycle after cycle. Valoya has placed emphasis on finding the right wavelengths for particular growth phases to achieve optimal growth. After having tested more than 60 LED spectra, Valoya has commercialized 5, earning it customers in 51 countries so far including 8 out of 10 world’s largest agricultural companies. Valoya Canna+TM is Valoya’s latest innovation which is a line of luminaires with a spectrum optimized for professional cannabis cultivation.
The spectrum is a wide (also known as full, broad or continuous) spectrum extending outside the commonly used PAR area. The range encompasses radiation between 380 and 780 nanometers which means the entire PAR area plus the far-red and the UV-A wavelengths. The benefit of these additional wavelengths is that the spectrum that is wider and fuller, contains more information and thus stimulates the plants more than a simpler spectrum would. The far red radiation is important for quick development of healthy plant biomass that can then later support large flower formations where most of the valuable secondary metabolites are. The UV-A creates a small amount of stress for the plant. The plant responds by strengthening its defense mechanisms i.e. creating more secondary metabolites. In addition to that, small pathogens cannot withstand the UV-A radiation thus the growing environment becomes less prone to outbreaks of powdery mildew and other such problems.
Valoya Canna+TM comes in two form factors:
- A 135 W bar LED grow light for indoor (single or multitier) cultivation and
- A 392 W box LED grow light for greenhouse (sea of green) cultivation
Valoya Canna+ 120
Valoya Canna+ 120 is a 4’ (120 cm) long, high intensity bar that reaches 2,4 µmol/W (PPF 320 µmol/m2/s). It is sealed shut, has no deep fins or fans that collect pathogens so it can be easily cleaned even with harsh chemicals. This makes it suitable even for the most demanding, GACP/GMP compliant grows. On both of its ends are pressure and temperature stabilizing vents thanks to which the luminaire will work even longer than the industry standard 50000 hours.
Valoya Canna+ 400
Valoya Canna+ 400 is a 13.7” x 15” (35 cm X 38 cm) high intensity light that reaches 2,3 µmol/m (PPF 880 µmol/m2/s). It is compact and robust thus suitable for greenhouse and sea of green cultivation. With excellent thermal dissipation properties this luminaire will last at least 50000 hours.
Both are dimmable and project light at a 120° angle making it possible to install them close to the canopy (Valoya Canna+ 120 only 4” / 10 cm and Valoya Canna+ 400 only 25” / 50 cm from the canopy). Instead of a silicone coating which expands and contracts in heat and deteriorates quickly, these luminaires’ LED chips are protected by tempered glass. AR (anti-reflection) coated glass is used which increases light transmission efficiency to about 98%.
As this emerging industry is rapidly growing, a need arises for high quality lighting solutions with which growers will be able to create consistent yields and cannabinoid expressions year after year. This is particularly so for the pharmaceutical grade cannabis and all large scale cannabis cultivation operations. Valoya provides a solution to this challenge with its new line of products. Valoya has published a spectrum quality guide which outlines the small permitted variations within the spectrum across production batches and generations of products. For growers this means that when they acquire Valoya luminaires for cannabis they can rest assure that all their future purchases, or replacements of products will be with the same spectrum, thus resulting in consistent yields.
The Valoya Canna+TM is available immediately, globaly. It will be introduced at the upcoming Marijuana Business Conference and Expo in Las Vegas in November (14-16). Valoya will be exhibiting at booth 3468.
For the North American customers, Valoya Canna+TM line is available through Innovative Growers Equipment, Valoya’s distributor
sales@innovativegrowersequipment.com
(815) 991 – 5010
About Valoya Oy
Valoya is a provider of high end, energy efficient LED grow lights for use in crop science, vertical farming and medicinal plants cultivation. Valoya LED grow lights have been developed using Valoya's proprietary LED technology and extensive plant photobiology research. Valoya's customer base includes numerous vertical farms, greenhouses and research institutions all over the world (including 8 out of 10 world’s largest agricultural companies).
Additional information:
Valoya Oy, Finland
Tel: +358 10 2350300
Email: sales@valoya.com
Web: www.valoya.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/valoyafi/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/valoya
How Britain Produces Nearly Half The World's Medical Marijuana
One day last summer, residents of rural Norfolk began to complain about a strange and pungent smell wafting across the Fens just south of King's Lynn.
Soon, officers were knocking on the door of a massive greenhouse complex covering roughly 18 hectares of farmland (the size of 23 football pitches) next to the River Wissey, on the outskirts of Downham Market.
The facility, owned by British Sugar, had originally been built to cultivate tomatoes. But in recent years, the site had quietly undergone an intriguing transformation.
Today, it happens to be the location of Britain's only legal cannabis farm.
Here, thanks to a special licence quietly granted by the Home Office, a huge crop of marijuana was being cultivated on behalf of a British drug company called GW Pharmaceuticals.
Was this the source of the noxious smell? Opinion was, and still is, divided. Some locals insisted it was. But while Fenland District Council told reporters that the smell did indeed appear to be that of cannabis, they found no evidence the British Sugar plant was responsible.
A month-long investigation was unable to reach any firm conclusion, although it did suggest that nearby waste disposal plants might also be to blame.
Either way, the affair highlighted an intriguing, but little-known fact: that this vast horticultural unit, down a secluded country lane and largely shielded from view by hedgerows, is almost singlehandedly responsible for Britain's status as the world's largest producer of medical cannabis.
The Hydroponics Company Ltd (ASX:THC) Positioned For Canadian Recreational Cannabis
Oct 16, 2018 (ABN Newswire) - The Hydroponics Company Limited
ABN Newswire) Canada
Legalisation of Recreational Cannabis - Positioned for Canadian Recreational Cannabis Sydney,
Key Points
- THC Global welcomes legalisation of recreational cannabis in Canada - expansion of THC Global's addressable market
- THC Global incorporating new subsidiary in Canada - Vertical Canna Inc to undertake further investment in the Canadian market
- Crystal Mountain expanding warehouse complex and product range to support increased demand including rebranded website to be launched in days
On Wednesday 17 October 2018 it will be legal for adults in Canada to purchase, possess, or grow recreational cannabis:
- THC's wholly-owned subsidiary, Crystal Mountain (CM), currently manufactures and distributes hydroponic equipment and supplies, with Canada being its principal market;
- CM has expanded its warehouse complex and product range to meet expected demand resulting from the legalisation of recreational cannabis;
- THC Global CEO, Ken Charteris, is currently in Canada with Jason Colquhoun, the Global Head of CM to promote THC Global to the investment community and to further develop strategic alliances across THC Global's cannabis and hydroponics businesses;
- THC Global's various partnerships and alliances provide THC Global with market access to Canada in both the medicinal and recreational cannabis sector and through hydroponics equipment which is expected to be in high demand, driven by the multitude of new micro-cultivator and home-growers in Canada; and
- CM will launch a new website and undertake a corporate rebranding to target the Canadian micro-cultivator and home-grower markets.
THC is incorporating a new subsidiary, Vertical Canna Inc which will be used as an investment and operations entity for the Company's expanded Canadian operations over the coming months.
Ken Charteris commented from Canada,
"This is a historic time to be in Canada, on the eve of legalisation of recreational cannabis.
"Whilst our focus remains on revenue generation from our global medicinal cannabis operations, our expanding presence in the Canadian market through Crystal Mountain and our partners will enable us to take advantage of the broadening of the Canadian market. THC Global has a vertically integrated strategy, providing both the means to grow cannabis to micro-cultivators and home-growers from Crystal Mountain with a view towards selling cannabis products into the Canadian market".
Jason Colquhoun commented,
"We are excited to be able to expand our operations to take advantage of this new opportunity in Canada. Combined with the launch of our new website and additional focus towards the micro-cultivator and home-grow markets, we expect to see great results over the coming quarters".
Crystal Mountain (CM)
CMP’s expanded facility in B.C. Canada
Crystal Mountain is located in Vancouver, Canada. It has been operating for over a decade. CM holds 9 trademarks and two patents. It manufactures and distributes wholesale across North America and is expanding into Europe.
CM has been able to compete with competitors while operating with a very low overhead. This allows CM to be competitive, nimble but also scalable. As a subsidiary of THC, CM is well positioned to take advantage of the rapidly changing cannabis market and growth in personal indoor farming.