MEDICINAL CANNABIS IS AN EMERGING INDUSTRY FOR PROTECTED CROPPING AROUND THE WORLD AND A FOCUS FOR THIS YEAR’S PCA CONFERENCE.
The Medicinal Cannabis Session (see the day’s program on back page) will cover all aspects of production with a line-up of speakers from Australia, The Netherlands, the United States and Israel. The session is designed for anyone considering growing medicinal cannabis or who wants an update on this new opportunity in protected cropping and will include several panel sessions.
Director of Research and Compliance,
Cannatrek Ltd, Queensland
‘Australian medicinal cannabis industry overview’Emily Rigby is a horticultural research scientist who has been working in the field of medicinal cannabis since legislative changes came into effect in 2016. Emily is Director of Research & Compliance for Cannatrek and Director of Research Programs for the Australian Institute for Medicinal Cannabis Inc (AIMC). Her areas of expertise include cultivation methods, regulatory compliance, licensing and permit applications, facility design, patient access, education and research from seed to patient. She will provide an overview of the industry in Australia.
Carl van Loon
CEO, Power Plants, Victoria
‘Greenhouse design for medicinal cannabis in Australia’
Carl van Loon has a long background in greenhouses and growing and enjoys solving technical problems especially with mechanical systems like greenhouses and automated climate control systems. He has qualifications in both engineering and horticulture, which bring together his two fields of interest.
His presentation will demonstrate that there is no single answer to the design of greenhouses for medicinal cannabis so the question needs to be redefined with the need to explore the purpose of the greenhouse, as well as the available resources such as labour cost, energy cost, water availability and climate before a design can be recommended.
Reyhaneh Pordel
Agronomist, Garden City Plastics, Victoria
‘Growing media for medicinal cannabis’
Reyhaneh holds a Ph.D. in Agronomy and a Master of Molecular Biology. The main drivers for selection of substrates in growing media were based on performance and economic factors. Recently increasing concern about the environmental impacts of some commonly used materials has resulted in the identification of environmental-friendly replacements. To ensure continued growth and sustainable development of soilless cultivation, it is fundamental that effective and organic materials for growing media are identified. Reyhanaeh will review the most commonly used organic materials and explain the advantages and challenges associated with each of them so medicinal cannabis growers can choose the right growing media for a sustainable cultivation system.
Justin Sinclair
Research Fellow, NICM Health Research
Institute, Western Sydney University, New South Wales
‘The ethnopharmacology of cannabis’
As one of Australia’s foremost experts in medicinal cannabis, Justin has published on the topics of pain management, the endocannabinoid system, herb/drug interactions and the therapeutic applications of the Cannabis genus. He is a member of the Society of Cannabis Clinicians and the International Cannabinoid Research Society and has spent the last decade investigating medicinal cannabis use both in Australia and the USA. He will provide examples of the extent to which this plant was used medically, demonstrate how many of the ‘new’ scientific findings have been reported before, and offer a rationale for why studying our ethnopharmacological history can be a rich fishing ground for research topics for the future.
CEO, Deltra Tetra Consultancy, Victoria
‘Panel discussion participant’After working at Apple Inc and in the UK with medicinal cannabis, Tim developed a strong background in client relations, business development and practical cannabis management with an emphasis on people and communications. He has worked tirelessly to innovate and progress sensible approaches to cannabis legislation across Europe. This has led to an applicable and practical knowledge of the cannabis industry globally as well as a wealth of experience in medicinal cannabis and its relating nuances. As CEO of Australia’s original cannabis specific consultancy firm, Delta Tetra, Tim has been immersed in business strategy and commercialisation, regulatory compliance as well as intensive networking and deal flow. With a strong focus on cannabis breeding and cultivation, Tim is able to draw parallels between the ever-changing regulatory space and practical cannabis management.
Yanor Yazma
Agronomist & Sales Manager, DryGair, Israel
‘Dehumidification: explained’
Often overlooked and misunderstood, humidity is one of the central climatic parameters impacting the growth, quality and uniformity of plants, alongside temperature and radiation. Dehumidification is a necessity for every growing operation and proves to be especially important in medicinal cannabis cultivation, where the plant’s biology, combined with rising regulatory standards, further increase the need for effective control of humidity. Successful dehumidification plays a major role in boosting plant vitality and productivity and disease prevention. Beyond this, the interplay of humidity with other growth parameters including climate, energy consumption, and uniformity makes dehumidification a powerful tool for growers to leverage a multitude of benefits. Yanor will discuss the science behind dehumidification, its centrality in greenhouse climate control, and how to develop a successful dehumidification strategy whose impact is far-reaching and profitable.
Matthew Hayes
Lead Horticultural Consultant, PharmOut, Victoria
‘Licensing, regulation and design of medicinal cannabis facilities’
PharmOut is a professional consultancy supporting the medicinal cannabis, cosmetics, medical devices, veterinary and pharmaceutical manufacturing industries with offices across Australia and around the world.
As medicinal cannabis is high value crop its recent regulation in Australia is an opportunity for growers and investors. Australian Protected Cropping Industry members are well suited to participate in the medicinal cannabis industry as technology and methods are readily transferred to cannabis production from contemporary crops. Matthew will outline the licensing and regulatory processes and how they influence facility design and operations. He will also discuss allowed activities under Medicinal Cannabis and Industrial Hemp licences.
Elliott Akintola
Horticultural Agronomist & Sales, Garden City Plastics, Queensland
‘Container selection for medicinal cannabis’
Elliott holds a Bachelor of Agricultural Technology, specialising in crop production. His presentation will focus on different growing containers and the key factors to consider before making a container choice in medicinal cannabis production. He will also explore the benefits and opportunities of this type of growing system.
Product Manager New Business, Grodan, The Netherlands
‘Growing medicinal cannabis is pharma, not food’
Sonny grew up in greenhouses in The Netherlands and graduated as a Master of Science in Plant Science from the Wageningen Agricultural University with greenhouse horticulture as his specialisation. He believes consumers are looking for quality produce that is healthy, safe and cultivated sustainably. Challenges in horticulture stretch further than increasing profit and decreasing costs. Global challenges, such as an increasing need for food and resource scarcity, demand a more efficient and effective approach in growing. The answer is ‘precision growing’, which is focused on using minimum input to generate maximum output. Measuring and managing the root zone environment and recycling of drain water are crucial. In this way, greenhouse growers can further improve their water use efficiency and become more sustainable producers.
Travis Higginbotham
Global Director of Cultivation Support, Fluence Bioengineering, US
‘Advances in sensor and lighting technology’
Travis oversees global cultivation and production-efficiency support, ensuring clients successfully manage critical environmental factors. Prior to joining Fluence, Travis was Director of Research and Development for Battlefield Farms. He has a B.S. from Clemson University and is finishing his master’s degree in Horticulture at Virginia Tech.
Andrew Olley
Plant Specialist Horticulture LED Solutions, Signify
‘Integration of lighting with climate and irrigation for medicinal cannabis’
With 25 years experience in the protected cropping industry Andrew says his appointment to Signify has added the final layer of expertise to his knowledge of high performance plant production systems.
The design of a lighting system in a greenhouse or warehouse medicinal cannabis facility requires integration with the climate and irrigation systems. This need for integration is a result of the plant’s use of light and is completely dependent upon factors such as temperature, humidity, carbon dioxide and water with contained nutrient. Lighting systems for medicinal cannabis require custom design and cultivation support to ensure the light is aligned with climate and irrigation for maximal yield and quality of flower buds.
Graeme Smith
Founder and Principal Consultant Graeme Smith Consulting, Victoria
‘Lighting considerations for medicinal cannabis’’
With extensive experience in the hydroponics industry and protected cropping, Graeme Smith offers hydroponics training, feasibility studies and international greenhouse tours. Graeme is a Certified Practicing Agriculturist (CPAg) and an Accredited Member of the Australian Institute of Agricultural Science and Technology (AIAST). He is also Chairman of ISHS Working Group – Hydroponics and Aquaponics and Vice Chair of ISHS Division – Protected Cultivation and Soilless Culture. He will present a review of current lighting developments and emerging technologies driving innovation in what is proving to be a major new crop for global protected cropping.
Medicinal cannabis session
July 8, 2019
0920-0950
Australian medicinal cannabis industry overview
Emily Rigby
1105-1110
Welcome
Emily Rigby
1110-1130
The Ethnopharmacology of cannabis
Justin Sinclair
1130-1150
Licensing, regulation and design of medicinal cannabis facilities
Matthew Hayes
1150-1210
Growing medicinal cannabis is pharma, not food
Sonny Moerenhout
1210-1230
Greenhouse design for medicinal cannabis in Australia
Carl van Loon
1400-1420
Lighting considerations for medicinal cannabis
Graeme Smith
1420-1440
Advances in sensor and lighting technology
Travis Higginbotham
1440-1500
Integration of lighting with climate and irrigation for medicinal cannabis
Andrew Olley
1500-1530
Q&A panel
Session speakers
1615-1635
Dehumidification: Explained
Yanor Yazma
1635-1655
Growing media for medicinal cannabis
Reyhaneh Pordel
1655-1715
Container selection for medicinal cannabis
Elliott Akintola
1715-1750
Q&A panel discussion
Session speakers
1745-1750
Close
Emily Rigby