Jacob Redmond
Well-Known Member
Daren Williams had an idea that would give a whole new meaning to the term, "grassfed beef."
Would it be possible to take the leftover plant waste from growing and processing marijuana and turn it into cattle feed?
Williams, the senior executive director of communications for the National Cattlemen's Beef Association in Denver, posed the question to Josh Malman, director of cultivation at The Clinic, one of the city's largest and most reputable marijuana growing dispensaries.
The model Williams had in mind was Oskar Blues, a Longmont-based craft brewery that grows the hops to make its beverages and in turn feeds the mash from its brewing operation to beef cattle that are turned into the barbecued briskets and burgers served in its farm-to-table restaurant.
Malman was intrigued by the idea. "Cannabis and hops are very close cousins," he said.
When asked the same question, Duncan Cameron, chief production officer at Good Chemistry, another prominent Denver marijuana growing operation, was even more enthusiastic.
"It bugs me to no end how much waste I have that isn't going to good use," he said. He added his plant material is so restricted he can't even donate it to a local community garden to make into compost.
As state legalization pushes cannabis out of the shadows and into the mainstream, prominent growers and local ag officials are beginning to forge relationships and look for opportunities for cross pollination between the two industries.
While there's clearly a bit of a culture clash, there are also common challenges and shared interest in building useful alliances.
Cameron said he's always looking for agricultural models to provide insight on growing, storing and processing his crop, with tea and tobacco providing obvious corollaries.
"We grow plants," said the former New York City musician and avid gardener. "I'm a farmer at heart."
Local networking has gradually taken root. Cameron offers tours to ag groups like the Colorado Farm Bureau (although he admitted he had not thought to inquire about joining the organization). Helping to bridge relations is Good Chemistry's vice president of business development, Meg Collins, who went from grass to gas and back to grass again: she's a former government affairs director with the Colorado Livestock Association who moved on to head the Colorado Oil and Gas Association before running Denver's Cannabis Business Alliance.
Williams, who helped plan what he called a "beef, beer and buzz" tour for his public relations colleagues during the annual meeting of the Ag Relations Council, a professional membership organization, said more allegiance between the two industries depends on getting past a basic question. Is marijuana growing agriculture?
"I sure think it's going in that direction," responded Malman, who was part of an informational panel at the group's meeting. "I think of agriculture as a larger scale, lower price production model, and we're moving toward a commodity market as we move forward."
Richardo Baca, who covers the marijuana industry for the Denver Post, said as the industry grows, it's likely to demand more agricultural expertise. That trend could also increase as production moves from warehouses into greenhouses, something already happening in southern Colorado cities like Colorado Springs, Pueblo and Walsenburg.
Greenhouse growing helps diffuse the industry's biggest cost: lighting. Cameron estimated his utility bill runs around $11,000 a month.
"This business is not considered agriculture by the commerce department, it's considered light manufacturing," Cameron said, adding that he's prohibited from deducting common business expenses from federal taxes or building greenhouses on land zoned for ag use. In addition, if his company gets an opportunity to expand into another state, it has to start entirely from scratch there because of restrictions on interstate marketing.
Williams said the current debate reminded him of the early days of his career when he was working in Washington, D.C., and one of his projects involved trying to convince the federal government to move oversight of wine from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms to the Ag Department. That never happened, although grape growing does fall under the auspices of USDA because it involves crop cultivation.
Regardless of categorization, marijuana growers are bootstrapping their businesses from the ground up, without the support of an extension service or land grant university, and could be a source of innovation that applies to other crops, Williams said.
When Malman listed his industry's primary challenges, they were straight out of agriculture's playbook: lack of approved pesticides, environmental regulations, inconsistent laws between states and among agencies, the need for more research, declining profit margins and conflict with neighbors who don't like the smell.
Mace Thornton, the longtime executive director of communications for the American Farm Bureau Federation, asked Malman whether marijuana might end up being the gateway crop that finally makes biotechnology acceptable to the general public.
"I do think there is that potential," Malman answered. He went on to say it would be a boost to the industry if plant breeders could develop specialized strains that would deliver consistent levels of active ingredients like THC (short for tetrahydrocannabinol, it's what gives marijuana its psycho-trophic effect) or for treating certain medical conditions.
"Right now we're combining them in the lab to get a certain profile, but if we could get a specific ratio of active ingredients in one plant, that would be great," he said.
Cameron also said he would welcome the technology.
"I have no problem with GMOs," he said, noting that plant breeders have been using similar crop selection practices for decades.
As many of the corporate ag marketers nodded in ready agreement, Cameron joked that Monsanto could use some help in their public relations department.
"They need to hire me as a consultant," he said with a grin.
News Moderator: Jacob Redmond 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Budding industry potential ally with ag
Author: Candace Krebs
Photo Credit: AGN News
Website: Home - BC Democrat Online - Las Animas, CO - Las Animas, CO
Would it be possible to take the leftover plant waste from growing and processing marijuana and turn it into cattle feed?
Williams, the senior executive director of communications for the National Cattlemen's Beef Association in Denver, posed the question to Josh Malman, director of cultivation at The Clinic, one of the city's largest and most reputable marijuana growing dispensaries.
The model Williams had in mind was Oskar Blues, a Longmont-based craft brewery that grows the hops to make its beverages and in turn feeds the mash from its brewing operation to beef cattle that are turned into the barbecued briskets and burgers served in its farm-to-table restaurant.
Malman was intrigued by the idea. "Cannabis and hops are very close cousins," he said.
When asked the same question, Duncan Cameron, chief production officer at Good Chemistry, another prominent Denver marijuana growing operation, was even more enthusiastic.
"It bugs me to no end how much waste I have that isn't going to good use," he said. He added his plant material is so restricted he can't even donate it to a local community garden to make into compost.
As state legalization pushes cannabis out of the shadows and into the mainstream, prominent growers and local ag officials are beginning to forge relationships and look for opportunities for cross pollination between the two industries.
While there's clearly a bit of a culture clash, there are also common challenges and shared interest in building useful alliances.
Cameron said he's always looking for agricultural models to provide insight on growing, storing and processing his crop, with tea and tobacco providing obvious corollaries.
"We grow plants," said the former New York City musician and avid gardener. "I'm a farmer at heart."
Local networking has gradually taken root. Cameron offers tours to ag groups like the Colorado Farm Bureau (although he admitted he had not thought to inquire about joining the organization). Helping to bridge relations is Good Chemistry's vice president of business development, Meg Collins, who went from grass to gas and back to grass again: she's a former government affairs director with the Colorado Livestock Association who moved on to head the Colorado Oil and Gas Association before running Denver's Cannabis Business Alliance.
Williams, who helped plan what he called a "beef, beer and buzz" tour for his public relations colleagues during the annual meeting of the Ag Relations Council, a professional membership organization, said more allegiance between the two industries depends on getting past a basic question. Is marijuana growing agriculture?
"I sure think it's going in that direction," responded Malman, who was part of an informational panel at the group's meeting. "I think of agriculture as a larger scale, lower price production model, and we're moving toward a commodity market as we move forward."
Richardo Baca, who covers the marijuana industry for the Denver Post, said as the industry grows, it's likely to demand more agricultural expertise. That trend could also increase as production moves from warehouses into greenhouses, something already happening in southern Colorado cities like Colorado Springs, Pueblo and Walsenburg.
Greenhouse growing helps diffuse the industry's biggest cost: lighting. Cameron estimated his utility bill runs around $11,000 a month.
"This business is not considered agriculture by the commerce department, it's considered light manufacturing," Cameron said, adding that he's prohibited from deducting common business expenses from federal taxes or building greenhouses on land zoned for ag use. In addition, if his company gets an opportunity to expand into another state, it has to start entirely from scratch there because of restrictions on interstate marketing.
Williams said the current debate reminded him of the early days of his career when he was working in Washington, D.C., and one of his projects involved trying to convince the federal government to move oversight of wine from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms to the Ag Department. That never happened, although grape growing does fall under the auspices of USDA because it involves crop cultivation.
Regardless of categorization, marijuana growers are bootstrapping their businesses from the ground up, without the support of an extension service or land grant university, and could be a source of innovation that applies to other crops, Williams said.
When Malman listed his industry's primary challenges, they were straight out of agriculture's playbook: lack of approved pesticides, environmental regulations, inconsistent laws between states and among agencies, the need for more research, declining profit margins and conflict with neighbors who don't like the smell.
Mace Thornton, the longtime executive director of communications for the American Farm Bureau Federation, asked Malman whether marijuana might end up being the gateway crop that finally makes biotechnology acceptable to the general public.
"I do think there is that potential," Malman answered. He went on to say it would be a boost to the industry if plant breeders could develop specialized strains that would deliver consistent levels of active ingredients like THC (short for tetrahydrocannabinol, it's what gives marijuana its psycho-trophic effect) or for treating certain medical conditions.
"Right now we're combining them in the lab to get a certain profile, but if we could get a specific ratio of active ingredients in one plant, that would be great," he said.
Cameron also said he would welcome the technology.
"I have no problem with GMOs," he said, noting that plant breeders have been using similar crop selection practices for decades.
As many of the corporate ag marketers nodded in ready agreement, Cameron joked that Monsanto could use some help in their public relations department.
"They need to hire me as a consultant," he said with a grin.
News Moderator: Jacob Redmond 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Budding industry potential ally with ag
Author: Candace Krebs
Photo Credit: AGN News
Website: Home - BC Democrat Online - Las Animas, CO - Las Animas, CO
