Agriculture
How to Make Quality Cannabis, and the Role of Organic Farming
How to Make Quality Cannabis, and the Role of Organic Farming
The cannabis industry is picking up speed across the continent.
Canada has now become the first G7 country to legalize recreational cannabis nationwide – and across the border, more U.S. states are also entering what could become a $95 billion market by 2026.
As the industry matures, product quality will become a strong differentiator between those competing for market share. But what makes for a top-notch cannabis product, and does organic farming play a role in this?
How Quality Cannabis is Made
Today’s infographic from The Green Organic Dutchman explains what goes into making a high quality cannabis product, and why the industry could be gearing towards embracing organic farming.
The first major factor that affects quality is where it is grown.
For most of its 6,000-year history, cannabis was predominantly grown outdoors. In a more modern setting, however, indoor cultivation has increased in popularity.
Here are the pros and cons of both environments:
| Benefits |
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| Drawbacks |
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| Impact on Quality |
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Interestingly, many modern cannabis producers do not rely on soil as a growing medium anymore. Instead, they use the latest technology to improve upon traditional methods:
- Aeroponics: Plant roots are sprayed directly with a nutrient-rich mist
- Hydroponics: Plant roots are submerged in a nutrient solution
- Micro-propagation: Plant samples are multiplied in agar gel
While growing cannabis using innovative methods can result in healthy and high-yield products, this also increases operational and labor costs. At the same time, it’s clear that the way cannabis is grown significantly affects the final product and its environmental footprint.
The Issue with Modern Cannabis
Even with all of these other innovations that help in achieving a superior product, many cannabis growers use “super chemicals” or pesticides to achieve rapid growth for their plants. The catch? Cannabis plants are effective at leaching toxins from soil, which means they can easily wind up in the final product.
What’s more, commonly used pesticides such as pyrethins can be safe for consumption in trace amounts. But when cannabis is smoked, the heat can make these chemicals much more toxic for humans.
There’s also mother nature to consider. In modern farming, leftover byproducts often run off into the groundwater, polluting nearby bodies of water.
Growing cannabis organically in living soil avoids all the above problems.
- No pesticides, herbicides, or fertilizers are present in the environment
- Cannabis plant and soil microbiology have a symbiotic relationship
- Maintains an ecological balance among the plant and its surroundings
The result of this all-natural process? A safe and premium consumer cannabis product.
As the cannabis green rush progresses, we will dive further into the push towards organic products in the agri-food industry, and what this means for the rapidly-maturing cannabis space.
Agriculture
The Most Valuable Agricultural Commodity in Each State
Which agricultural commodity is the most important to each state’s economy? This infographic breaks it all down, based on data from the USDA.
The Most Valuable Agricultural Commodity in Each State
The United States has an incredible amount of geographic diversity.
From the fertile farmland of the Great Plains to the volcanic islands in the Hawaiian archipelago, each state has been dealt a unique geographical hand.
Each geographical setting can be the source of economic opportunities, such as tourism or the development of natural resources. It also partially dictates what kind of agricultural choices are available for farmers and local economies.
A Higher Level Look
Today’s infographic comes to us from HowMuch.net, and it color codes each state based on the most valuable agricultural commodity it produces, based on data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
At a big picture level, how does the country break down?
| Most Valuable Agricultural Commodity | Number of States |
|---|---|
| Grains, oilseeds, dry beans, and dry peas | 16 |
| Poultry and eggs | 9 |
| Cattle and calves | 7 |
| Milk from cows | 7 |
| Nursery, greenhouse, floriculture and sod | 4 |
| Fruit, tree nuts, and berries | 3 |
| Vegetables, melons, potatoes and sweet potatoes | 2 |
| Aquaculture | 1 |
| Other crops and hay | 1 |
Broadly speaking, the category of “Grains, oilseeds, dry beans, and dry peas” is the most valuable agricultural commodity in 16 states, while aquaculture was the most important in only one state, which is Alaska.
It’s interesting that there are niches that end up deriving massive amounts of value in only a few states. For example, the category of “Fruit, tree nuts, and berries” is the biggest in just three states, but California makes $17.6 billion from it every year – more than the size of the entire agricultural sector of some states.
State by State Data
Finally, here’s a look at the data for each state in a sortable table:
| Rank | State | Agricultural Commodity | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | Fruit, tree nuts, and berries | $17,638,972,000 |
| #2 | Iowa | Grains, oilseeds, dry beans, and dry peas | $17,146,679,000 |
| #3 | Illinois | Grains, oilseeds, dry beans, and dry peas | $13,589,230,000 |
| #4 | Texas | Cattle and calves | $13,013,127,000 |
| #5 | Minnesota | Grains, oilseeds, dry beans, and dry peas | $12,304,415,000 |
| #6 | Nebraska | Grains, oilseeds, dry beans, and dry peas | $10,698,861,000 |
| #7 | Kansas | Cattle and calves | $10,153,087,000 |
| #8 | North Dakota | Grains, oilseeds, dry beans, and dry peas | $8,813,348,000 |
| #9 | Indiana | Grains, oilseeds, dry beans, and dry peas | $7,217,854,000 |
| #10 | Ohio | Grains, oilseeds, dry beans, and dry peas | $5,834,600,000 |
| #11 | South Dakota | Grains, oilseeds, dry beans, and dry peas | $5,809,792,000 |
| #12 | Wisconsin | Milk from cows | $4,952,039,000 |
| #13 | North Carolina | Poultry and eggs | $4,837,026,000 |
| #14 | Georgia | Poultry and eggs | $4,773,837,000 |
| #15 | Colorado | Cattle and calves | $4,321,308,000 |
| #16 | Arkansas | Grains, oilseeds, dry beans, and dry peas | $4,214,355,000 |
| #17 | Missouri | Grains, oilseeds, dry beans, and dry peas | $3,922,873,000 |
| #18 | Alabama | Poultry and eggs | $3,624,852,000 |
| #19 | Michigan | Grains, oilseeds, dry beans, and dry peas | $3,613,250,000 |
| #20 | Oklahoma | Cattle and calves | $3,402,919,000 |
| #21 | Washington | Fruit, tree nuts, and berries | $2,931,370,000 |
| #22 | Mississippi | Poultry and eggs | $2,744,048,000 |
| #23 | New York | Milk from cows | $2,417,398,000 |
| #24 | Idaho | Milk from cows | $2,333,364,000 |
| #25 | Pennsylvania | Milk from cows | $1,966,892,000 |
| #26 | Florida | Fruit, tree nuts, and berries | $1,847,805,000 |
| #27 | Louisiana | Grains, oilseeds, dry beans, and dry peas | $1,832,208,000 |
| #28 | Montana | Grains, oilseeds, dry beans, and dry peas | $1,787,162,000 |
| #29 | Kentucky | Grains, oilseeds, dry beans, and dry peas | $1,656,983,000 |
| #30 | South Carolina | Poultry and eggs | $1,476,817,000 |
| #31 | Tennessee | Grains, oilseeds, dry beans, and dry peas | $1,301,303,000 |
| #32 | New Mexico | Milk from cows | $1,251,065,000 |
| #33 | Virginia | Poultry and eggs | $1,161,564,000 |
| #34 | Wyoming | Cattle and calves | $1,101,195,000 |
| #35 | Maryland | Poultry and eggs | $922,999,000 |
| #36 | Oregon | Cattle and calves | $894,485,000 |
| #37 | Delaware | Poultry and eggs | $811,301,000 |
| #38 | Arizona | Vegetables, melons, potatoes and sweet potatoes | $764,062,000 |
| #39 | Vermont | Milk from cows | $504,884,000 |
| #40 | New Jersey | Nursery, greenhouse, floriculture and sod | $405,247,000 |
| #41 | West Virginia | Poultry and eggs | $401,439,000 |
| #42 | Utah | Cattle and calves | $364,214,000 |
| #43 | Nevada | Other crops and hay | $280,554,000 |
| #44 | Connecticut | Nursery, greenhouse, floriculture and sod | $252,923,000 |
| #45 | Maine | Vegetables, melons, potatoes and sweet potatoes | $207,254,000 |
| #46 | Hawaii | Grains, oilseeds, dry beans, and dry peas | $152,930,000 |
| #47 | Massachusetts | Nursery, greenhouse, floriculture and sod | $144,188,000 |
| #48 | New Hampshire | Milk from cows | $54,798,000 |
| #49 | Rhode Island | Nursery, greenhouse, floriculture and sod | $32,831,000 |
| #50 | Alaska | Aquaculture | $29,774,000 |
As the legal cannabis industry continues to take off, it’ll be interesting to see if the USDA incorporates that crop into its rankings in future years.
Agriculture
Balancing the Environmental Costs of Cannabis
Legal cannabis cultivation emits as much CO2 as 92,660 cars annually. Growing cannabis sustainably can reduce this massive environmental footprint.
Balancing the Environmental Costs of Cannabis
Economic development comes with a massive environmental cost.
Since 1980, heavy industrial activity has caused the doubling of CO2 emissions. As scientists warn of the lasting negative impacts this will have on the planet, nearly every industry is committing to sustainable practices to try to counteract this effect.
Today’s infographic comes from The Green Organic Dutchman, and it demonstrates that while the business of cannabis isn’t always eco-friendly, there are several tried-and-tested ways to reduce its massive footprint.
A HEFTY PRICE TO PAY
Energy is the second-highest cost driver in cannabis cultivation after labor.
There are two main culprits – lighting and HVAC systems (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning). Combined, they make up a whopping 89% of energy use in cannabis cultivation operations.
Last year, legal cannabis cultivation was responsible for consuming 1.1 million MWh of electricity, and producing 472,000 tons of CO2 emissions. That’s enough to power 92,500 homes, and produce the same emissions as 92,660 cars per year. As legal cannabis production scales, this will only escalate.
Much of this data can be attributed to how the plant is grown.
| Growing method | Power consumption (kWh/g) | Carbon intensity (lbs CO2e/g) |
|---|---|---|
| Indoor | 1.27 | 1.24 |
| Greenhouse | 0.94 | 0.72 |
| Outdoor | 0.07 | 0.05 |
Indoor cultivation is roughly 18 times more energy-intensive than outdoor cultivation, and produces 25 times the carbon emissions. On the other hand, outdoor production produces lower overall yield per square foot. Since it’s difficult to control the environment, impurities can also end up in the final product.
That’s why many companies opt for a hybrid approach instead – balancing the benefits of precise control, with the use of natural light to lower production costs.
A GAME PLAN FOR SUSTAINABILITY
Many licensed producers are adopting a suite of strategies to relieve this environmental footprint.
- Renewable energy
Diversifying the energy sources for cannabis cultivation can reduce carbon emissions. Solar and wind are top choices among cultivators. - LED lighting
LED light bulbs are more than 60% more efficient than other types. They also produce barely any heat, lowering ventilation requirements. - Water efficiency
A single cannabis plant can use up to 23 liters of water per day. Water can be recycled and re-used through innovative techniques such as reverse osmosis. - Packaging
The plastic packaging often associated with cannabis products is a considerable contributor of waste. There are several alternatives, such as paper, glass, and tin. Each of these have their own benefits and drawbacks, depending on what they are used for.
Maximizing energy-efficiency has a domino effect not only on the planet, but on reduced operating costs. These savings can then be passed on to the buyer, which could prove to be a strong competitive advantage as the cannabis industry matures.
Stay tuned for part 6 of this series, where we’ll delve into the scientific evidence for medical cannabis compounds.
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