Robert Celt
New Member
There's a lot of money to be made in cannabis, which isn't news to farmers whose interests have been piqued by marijuana legalization in states like Colorado and Washington. However, cannabis plants are incredibly needy, and there's often an initial hesitation to produce a drug that's still federally illegal.
Benjamin Zaitz, managing director at B. Zaitz & Sons, has been in farming for years. His company started out in dairy and now focuses on a diverse set of value-added crops. When recreational marijuana use became legal in Colorado, the family business thought about entering the cannabis production realm.
"It was a moral issue," Zaitz says. "We spent quite a bit of time deciding whether or not we wanted our name associated with cannabis."
In the end, they decided it was not immoral and dove headfirst into cannabis farming. The company quickly found that growing the crop is an intensive process with two different types of cannabis – indica and sativa.
Indica is more of a relaxing form, while sativa is the stronger, "Rolling Stones concert" variety, as Zaitz says.
"They're as different as corn and beans, even though they're the same plant," says Zaitz.
A highly technical crop
Technically, a cannabis grower can have four to five crops a year, each having a 14-week growing cycle. Some cannabis plants grow on trellises and are trimmed like grapevines, with growers keeping track of the number of flowers on each plant. However, allowing just one male cannabis plant to put out pollen can contaminate the entire growing facility causing the plants to produce seed instead of bud flowers. Plants must be touched every day.
"It's critical to get through the cutting, rooting, and flowering stages as quick as possible," Zaitz says. "It's a very difficult, highly technical crop to grow."
The B. Zaitz & Sons cannabis growing facility is a high-tech greenhouse with blackout curtains, but that's not how many producers in Colorado are growing the crop. After the 2008 economic collapse, many Colorado warehouses were deserted and have now been converted into cannabis growing facilities. According to Zaitz, warehouses that have been converted have high energy costs and are easily contaminated.
An Unclear Future
It's hard to predict what's next in cannabis because there will always be competition from the farming industry that could find a compound, and from those producing synthetic marijuana.
"Growers and geneticists think Mother Nature can do it better and cheaper than anyone," Zaitz says. "The cannabis compound is better that way."
There's a lot of risk involved for those breeding high-yielding hybrids and superior plant genetics as there is no federal protection for different cannabis varieties or genetic combinations. Growers are able to get patents for certain varieties that help with ailments like sleep apnea, glaucoma, and more. Because a new variety can be tested every 14 weeks, the opportunity for genetic improvement is a quick one. As of now, there are no genetically modified cannabis plants.
Creating very specific formulations for sleep, happiness, pain, etc., is another realm of the cannabis industry. According to Zaitz, these combinations are constantly being tested and are created when the distilled cannabis oils are broken up into cannabinoid oils to make turpines and THC in discreet combinations.
State regulations make all the difference
Federal law prohibits the production or sale of cannabis, but a law signed by President Obama as a part of the 2014 spending bill essentially said federal authorities should take a hands-off approach as long as state laws are being followed.
The thing to be careful of, though, is being aware of every detail of state regulations. Cannabis producers spend hundreds of thousands, or in some cases millions of dollars, to obtain state licenses to produce cannabis. The process is extremely competitive and can sometimes take years. "One little thing can get your license taken away," Zaitz says.
Currently, recreational marijuana sales are legal in Colorado and Washington, but both Oregon and Alaska voted to legalize recreational sales in November of 2014. Oregon, currently operating under interim regulations, is now accepting applications from those wanting to grow or sell recreational cannabis.
Zaitz gave a speech titled "Investing in Marijuana — Agriculture's Next Big Thing" at the 2016 Land Investment Expo held in West Des Moines, Iowa on Friday.
News Moderator: Robert Celt 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: One Farmer's Venture Into Cannabis Farming
Author: Anna McConnell
Contact: Agriculture.com
Photo Credit: Andre Dayani
Website: Agriculture.com
Benjamin Zaitz, managing director at B. Zaitz & Sons, has been in farming for years. His company started out in dairy and now focuses on a diverse set of value-added crops. When recreational marijuana use became legal in Colorado, the family business thought about entering the cannabis production realm.
"It was a moral issue," Zaitz says. "We spent quite a bit of time deciding whether or not we wanted our name associated with cannabis."
In the end, they decided it was not immoral and dove headfirst into cannabis farming. The company quickly found that growing the crop is an intensive process with two different types of cannabis – indica and sativa.
Indica is more of a relaxing form, while sativa is the stronger, "Rolling Stones concert" variety, as Zaitz says.
"They're as different as corn and beans, even though they're the same plant," says Zaitz.
A highly technical crop
Technically, a cannabis grower can have four to five crops a year, each having a 14-week growing cycle. Some cannabis plants grow on trellises and are trimmed like grapevines, with growers keeping track of the number of flowers on each plant. However, allowing just one male cannabis plant to put out pollen can contaminate the entire growing facility causing the plants to produce seed instead of bud flowers. Plants must be touched every day.
"It's critical to get through the cutting, rooting, and flowering stages as quick as possible," Zaitz says. "It's a very difficult, highly technical crop to grow."
The B. Zaitz & Sons cannabis growing facility is a high-tech greenhouse with blackout curtains, but that's not how many producers in Colorado are growing the crop. After the 2008 economic collapse, many Colorado warehouses were deserted and have now been converted into cannabis growing facilities. According to Zaitz, warehouses that have been converted have high energy costs and are easily contaminated.
An Unclear Future
It's hard to predict what's next in cannabis because there will always be competition from the farming industry that could find a compound, and from those producing synthetic marijuana.
"Growers and geneticists think Mother Nature can do it better and cheaper than anyone," Zaitz says. "The cannabis compound is better that way."
There's a lot of risk involved for those breeding high-yielding hybrids and superior plant genetics as there is no federal protection for different cannabis varieties or genetic combinations. Growers are able to get patents for certain varieties that help with ailments like sleep apnea, glaucoma, and more. Because a new variety can be tested every 14 weeks, the opportunity for genetic improvement is a quick one. As of now, there are no genetically modified cannabis plants.
Creating very specific formulations for sleep, happiness, pain, etc., is another realm of the cannabis industry. According to Zaitz, these combinations are constantly being tested and are created when the distilled cannabis oils are broken up into cannabinoid oils to make turpines and THC in discreet combinations.
State regulations make all the difference
Federal law prohibits the production or sale of cannabis, but a law signed by President Obama as a part of the 2014 spending bill essentially said federal authorities should take a hands-off approach as long as state laws are being followed.
The thing to be careful of, though, is being aware of every detail of state regulations. Cannabis producers spend hundreds of thousands, or in some cases millions of dollars, to obtain state licenses to produce cannabis. The process is extremely competitive and can sometimes take years. "One little thing can get your license taken away," Zaitz says.
Currently, recreational marijuana sales are legal in Colorado and Washington, but both Oregon and Alaska voted to legalize recreational sales in November of 2014. Oregon, currently operating under interim regulations, is now accepting applications from those wanting to grow or sell recreational cannabis.
Zaitz gave a speech titled "Investing in Marijuana — Agriculture's Next Big Thing" at the 2016 Land Investment Expo held in West Des Moines, Iowa on Friday.
News Moderator: Robert Celt 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: One Farmer's Venture Into Cannabis Farming
Author: Anna McConnell
Contact: Agriculture.com
Photo Credit: Andre Dayani
Website: Agriculture.com