Marijuana Business Magazine May-June 2019

Marijuana Business Magazine | May-June 2019 132 is also worked into the field to reduce waste and maximize resources. Adding Seed Recognizing the need for a safe, con- sistent, reliable and affordable supply of feminized seed, GGS is working on its own seed-feminization project so it can be a go-to source for other grow- ers, both for clones frommother stock and less expensive seed options. The seed program is a new venture for GGS, built from agricultural division manager Calvin Bailey’s agronomic experience in organic vegetables. Bailey, who heads up research and development at GGS, said feminizing seed is a much more complex process than most realize. “The seed-feminization process is well documented in other dioecious crops like barley, but for cannabis it’s yet to be developed,” Bailey said. “It’s all hearsay and basement hack science because we haven’t had the opportunity to do it on a production scale. It’s exciting to start to tease out best practices and collect the data and actually figure out what the real process is for legitimate, stable, feminized seed production.” GGS is hoping for a soft rollout of the program in 2020, with up to 10 million seeds. The operation will conduct trials and use the seeds on its own farm in 2020; by 2021, it aims to have 110 million seeds available to the market. With the current price of clones at $3.99 for large orders up to $7.99 per plant for smaller orders, feminized seed will be a more economical choice at about 70 cents per seed for large-scale farmers going forward, Stephenson said. Considering a standard 5-foot spacing on a 100-acre plot, a farmer would need to plant 17,000 clones. “As farmers start farming larger acreages, it’s not going to be cost- effective for them to buy and plant clones,” Stephenson said. “There is a need for more selections with reputable feminine seed—and I want to stress the word reputable because there are a lot of fly-by-nighters that claim to have feminine seed and then the poor farmers get burned when they end up with 50%male seed.” As part of the seed-feminization project, GGS is breeding its own hemp varieties to provide a wider selection of genetics for growers in the many different climates and microclimates that require variation in flower response and time to har- vest, Stephenson said. “The varieties are still in develop- ment. But everything we would offer, we are breeding for a minimum of 30-to-1 CBD (-to-THC) ratio,” he said. Meanwhile, Stephenson said culti- vators with smaller grows will likely opt for clones instead of seeds. “As the bigger farmers get into this and our clone-production efficiency improves and demand increases, prices will go down, and then we’ll have to fulfill demand for indoor growers or smaller acreages that don’t have the labor resources,” he said. “The demand will be there, but it will become more of a niche market.” Clones provide a larger plant faster and more efficiently, despite the higher cost per plant, Stephenson added. “Depending on your location and the equipment you have, clones are going to give you a balanced plant for a minimum of 6 inches tall with a 1- by 2-inch soil volume,” he said. “With seed, you’ve got to sow it earlier, and generally you don’t get the same yield per plant as you do with clones. But it doesn’t mean you can’t get there.” Building a Partner Network Greenhouse Growing System (GGS) works with new hemp farmers to build a cooperative network through its Farm Incubator Program. As part of the program, GGS sells clones to clients, then provides them with the technical support to become successful hemp farmers. Currently, GGS has four partner farmers working under different models. The operation is willing to customize its program to growers interested in working together, whether it’s by simply leasing their land to GGS to farm or establishing more of a cooperative farming model. “We have farms that, as part of their purchase of the clones, are going to be vested partners with us,” said Jason Stephenson, GGS facility and production manager. “We’ll help you do all the farming, then take the flow- er and extract the biomass for you. We can either buy your portion of the biomass from you or we can take it to distillate or isolate and give it back to you or sell it on your behalf.” Regardless of the model, GGS guides each partner—all are currently in Colorado—through every step, often spending a day or two on each farm every week of the season. The company offers an open-door policy for its customers, so they can visit GGS facilities and see how the clones are growing and seek counsel from the growing team. “We want them back next year. And if they’re not successful, we’re not successful,” Stephenson said. “I get phone calls and texts with questions and pictures all the time. We do our best to support our customers as much as we can.” – Laura Drotleff GGS has an open-door policy for customers. Photo by Kate Lavin Laura Drotleff writes about hemp for Hemp Industry Daily and Marijuana Business Magazine. You can reach her at laurad@ hempindustrydaily.com. Business Strategies | Cultivation