Podcast RSS

My guests this week are Victoria Holden and Charles Smith with a short appearance by Dr. Ben Higgins. Victoria and Charles are the co-founders of IMIO and in this podcast we discuss their products and research. They currently have brought two products to market, an organic microbial-based rooting powder and a microbial based solution for breaking down biomass faster, which has broad applications. This podcast is over a year in the making, as we wanted to run trials at Gold Leaf Gardens with Dr. Ben Higgins to see how the organic cloning product worked and get some independent data on...

Today’s podcast is a little different. I have been listening to the Andrew Huberman podcast lately, he’s a neuroscientist and professor at Stanford University and he does a variety of podcasts related to human health that are worth checking out. Anyway, in addition to his regular podcast interviews, he does this extra series where he answers listener questions and talks more in depth about a variety of topics. The first 15-20 minutes of these podcasts, which he calls “ask me anything” are available for free on the podcast channel, and then you can subscribe to his premium channel if you...

My guest this week is Steve Cantwell. Steve is a former mixed martial artist and entrepreneur known for his time in the UFC and his involvement with Green Life Productions. Steve Cantwell was born in Long Beach, CA. He began training in martial arts at a young age and developed a passion for combat sports. In 2005, Cantwell made his professional MMA debut and quickly gained attention for his aggressive fighting style and well-rounded skills. He amassed an impressive record in regional promotions, which led to his signing with the UFC in 2008. In recent years, Cantwell has focused on...

My guest this week is Steve Cantwell. Steve is a former mixed martial artist and entrepreneur known for his time in the UFC and his involvement with Green Life Productions.   Steve Cantwell was born in Long Beach, CA. He began training in martial arts at a young age and developed a passion for combat sports. In 2005, Cantwell made his professional MMA debut and quickly gained attention for his aggressive fighting style and well-rounded skills. He amassed an impressive record in regional promotions, which led to his signing with the UFC in 2008. In recent years, Cantwell has focused...

My guest this week is Dr. Jack Munz. Dr. Munz has a decade’s worth of experience in the field of plant molecular genetics working on complex gene regulation and nutrient metabolism projects. He obtained a Bachelor of Science in Botany from Colorado State University while working as a lab assistant facilitating the development of genetic markers for invasive species. Jack then earned a Master of Science from Illinois State University where he worked towards increasing vegetable oils in temperate grasses like corn for biodiesel production using targeted gene expression. He then earned his Ph.D. in Botany from the University of...

My guest this week is Colin Bell. Colin is most well known in the industry as the co-inventor of Mammoth P. He completed his Ph.D. in Soil Microbial Ecology in 2009. As a Research Scientist at Colorado State University, Colin published dozens of peer reviewed publications that were focused on elucidating microbial mediated processes that enhance plant growth. Colin’s academic research includes long-term multidisciplinary studies in which biological, chemical, and physical characteristics of soils were measured to elucidate soil microbial and plant responses to climate variability. He currently works for Miicrobial Mass, a plant amendment product comprised of several unique...

My guest this week is Cassandra Maffey and she shares her experience with creating and utilizing Standard Operating Procedures or SOPs in your garden. Cassandra is a legacy cannabis cultivator who specializes in commercial scale, organic living soil cultivation. She honed her cultivation skills in the early 2000’s in Northern California’s Emerald Triangle, then relocated to Colorado to co-found one of Boulder’s first licensed dispensaries in 2009. Since then, she has helped clients across the country establish successful commercial scale living soil cannabis cultivation facilities, working with Medical, Recreational, and Celebrity brands. Cassandra’s passion for sustainability and quality has won...

My guest this week is Dr. Michael Brownbridge. Michael is a Biological Program Manager with BioWorks. In this role he provides technical support for the company's catalog of disease-management products, and their utilization in integrated plant health programs. Prior to joining BioWorks in 2019, he was fortunate enough to have travelled the world plying his craft, with research and outreach positions in Israel, Kenya, the US, New Zealand, and Canada, putting new biological control tools and knowledge into the hands of growers. Now on to the show!      

My guest this week is Brandon Hudson. Brandon is a second generation cannabis cultivator with over 35 years of direct experience with this amazing plant. Building on fundamentals learned as a child Brandon has applied a controlled approach to cannabis cultivation starting his first plants his freshman year of college in 1986. He currently works for KIS Organics providing growers with everything from customer support to assistance with nutrients and soil tests. A well rounded and passionate organic grower, Brandon's real passion is in soil chemistry. Most recently, Brandon was the Director of Cultivation and one of four founding members of a minority-owned...

My guest this week is Dr. Nicole Gauthier. She is a Professor and Extension specialist at the University of Kentucky.  Her program focuses on disease management of specialty crops, including hemp.  In her Extension role, she develops educational and outreach programs to help growers manage disease through identification, understanding of pathosystems, and integration of management strategies. Her research program focuses on a range of hemp diseases, including Fusarium head blight.  Dr. Gauthier earned her BS in Horticulture Science and her PhD in Plant Pathology from Louisiana State University.  She joined the UK College of Agriculture in 2011 and began working...

Cari Peters Raymond is Vice President at her family’s company, JR Peters Inc. She is proud to be the 3rd generation of Peters at the company, following both her Father and Grandfather, who introduced the original Peters fertilizers over 72 years ago. At J.R. Peters, Cari is the formulator of all products developed by JR Peters. She heads a hard-working team (the Jack’s Blue Crew) to bring new fertilizer formulas that provide solutions to growers’ nutritional issues. She also manages the J.R. Peters Laboratory & provides tech support – as in, real solutions to growers using the lab or Jack’s products. She has development many formulas...

Bryant is a Certified Crop Advisor who specializes in organic cannabis nutrition. He has spent the last 4 years working to combine precision laboratory techniques with data science in an effort to unravel the complexities of cannabis soil and crop nutrition. Along with his work on soilless media, he also helps outdoor cultivators around the U.S. with nutrient management and cover cropping. If you would like to do soil testing, help interpreting a soil test, or are interested in an online course on these subjects, his website is www.soildoctorconsulting.com    

NOTE: There were some corrections to the podcast that were discovered after recording. Around the 20 minute mark, the nitrogen rate should be 200 ppm and when Patrick references 50 ppm of phosphorus, he meant to say 50 ppm of magnesium. You can refer to the actual paper in the links below to verify the rates and information. My guests this week are 2 awesome cannabis researchers, Paul Cockson and Patrick Veazie. Paul has been on the podcast before on episode 59 talking about his paper on cannabis deficiencies. Be sure to check out that episode if you haven’t already...

My guest this week is my good friend, Suzanne Wainwright-Evans also known by many as The Bug Lady. She is an Ornamental Entomologist specializing in integrated pest management.  Suzanne has been involved in the Green Industry for more than 25 years with a primary focus on biological control and using pesticides properly.  She is a graduate of the University of Florida with degrees in both Entomology and Environmental Horticulture. Suzanne has been on the podcast multiple times and I highly suggest folks go back and listen to some of her other podcasts if you haven’t already. This podcast though is a...

My guest this week is my good friend, Suzanne Wainwright-Evans also known by many as The Bug Lady. She is an Ornamental Entomologist specializing in integrated pest management.  Suzanne has been involved in the Green Industry for more than 25 years with a primary focus on biological control and using pesticides properly.  She is a graduate of the University of Florida with degrees in both Entomology and Environmental Horticulture. Suzanne has been on the podcast multiple times and I highly suggest folks go back and listen to some of her other podcasts if you haven’t already. This podcast though is a...

Our guest today is Jeff Lowenfels. I wanted to get Jeff, our very first podcast guest and old friend, back on the show. Jeff is the author of the popular Teaming series, Teaming with Microbes, Teaming with Nutrients, Teaming with Fungi, and now his new book “Teaming with Bacteria which he joins us today to discuss. He also has a book called DIY Autoflowering Cannabis which we discussed in an earlier interview.  Jeff is an extremely respected and popular national garden writer. He is the former president of the Garden Writers of America, Jeff has been a good friend now...

My guests this week are 2 awesome cannabis researchers, Paul Cockson and Patrick Veazie. Paul has been on the podcast before on episode 59 talking about his paper on cannabis deficiencies. Be sure to check out that episode if you haven’t already and also this is a good one to go to the podcast page at kisorganics.com, just click on the learn tab then podcast. I will have links to all the papers so you can follow along as well as a link to their new website that shares all their research in one central location, it’s a great resource....

My guest this week is Dr. Daniela Vergara. She is an evolutionary biologist, data analyst, educator, scientific writer, and public speaker. In addition to her multiple publications, she founded and directs a non-profit organization, the Agricultural Genomics Foundation (AGF; AgriculturalGenomics.org). AGF aims to make hemp and cannabinoid science available to a broad public. Dr. Vergara recently joined the Harvest New York Extension Team from Cornell University as an ‘Emerging Crop Specialist’ to help hemp farmers with their crop. Dr. Vergara’s scientific publications include the comparison of the cannabinoids by the federally produced Cannabis to that produced by the private market. These results...

My guest this week is Dr. Monique McHenry Monique is a botanist with a background in plant diversity and evolution. She is the director of the University of Vermont Cannabis Science and Medicine and Plant Biology Certificate programs, director of the Medical Cannabis Center for Research and Education, and co-director of the cannabis pharmacology course at the University of Vermont Medical School. She is also Co-Founder of the CASE Institute, a plant-based pharmaceutical research enterprise. Dr. McHenry completed her Bachelors and Master’s of Science at the University of Colorado and her Ph.D. at the University of Vermont. Now on to the...

This episode is a bit different. I didn’t know what to do for our 100th episode and my friend Suzanne, who you all know as the Bug Lady, convinced me to let her flip the tables and interview me to share a bit more about myself, how this podcast came to be, and some of what I’ve learned from the many amazing guests I’ve had the privilege of interviewing over the past 4 years. When I first started the podcast, I didn’t really know if anyone would tune in to listen. As of writing this introduction, we are almost at...

My guest this week is Steven Arthurs. Steven graduated from the Imperial College London with a Masters of Science in Plant Protection and Integrated Pest Management. He also received a Diploma in Applied Entomology and went to get a PhD in Insect Pathology. He did his Post Doctoral work at Texas A and M researched biological pest control for thrips on ornamental plants and investigated insect/virus interactions while conducting greenhouse trials to evaluate new insecticides. From there he worked as a research entomologist with the USDA for 5 years before becoming an Assistant Professor in Entomology at the University of...

My guest this week is Dr. Wendy Zellner.  Dr. Zellner received her Doctorate ifrom the University of Toledo in 2012 where she trained in molecular and cellular biology, focusing on the role of silicon in plant defense responses.  Upon graduation, she pursued a four-year postdoctoral position with the USDA-ARS, where she continued studying the role of silicon in alleviating both abiotic and biotic stress in tomato and tobacco.  Her current studies are to design standard methods for quantifying the uptake of silicon from fertilizer material in addition to identifying uptake mechanisms for silicon in model species and testing for similar...

My guest this week is Dr. Ethan Russo. Dr. Russo is a board-certified neurologist, psychopharmacology researcher, and author. He is the Founder and CEO of credo-science.com. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania (Psychology), and the University of Massachusetts Medical School, before residencies in Pediatrics in Phoenix, Arizona and in Child and Adult Neurology at the University of Washington in Seattle. He was a clinical neurologist in Missoula, Montana for 20 years in a practice with a strong chronic pain component. In 1995, he pursued a 3-month sabbatical doing ethnobotanical research with the Machiguenga people in Parque Nacional del Manu, Peru. He...

My guest this week is Michael Wilson. Mike is the owner and head cultivator of Maine Craft Cannabis, a cannabis cultivation company licensed under Maine’s medical cannabis program.  Maine Craft Cannabis grows organically in living soil beds, and I met Mike when he reached out 2018 regarding consulting and dialing in the program in his facility. We’ve stayed in touch ever since, sharing ideas and test results as we continue to learn. Before joining the cannabis industry, Mike had a career in Mechanical engineering designing industrial centrifuges and x-ray machines. If you want to learn more, you can check out...

My podcast this week is a bit unique in that we will be discussing how to diagnose deficiencies in cannabis and how to use a dichotomous key. We have a new document available on our website that has the dichotomous key we reference in the podcast as well as images showing the deficiencies related to each mineral we discuss. So if you wanted to follow along to the podcast with visuals you can check it out here. My guest this week is Brandon Hudson. Brandon is a second generation cannabis cultivator with over 35 years of direct experience with this amazing plant....

Our guest this week is Jeremy Plumb. Jeremy was the Director of Production Science at Pruf Cultivar, one of the most technologically advanced cannabis cultivation facilities in North America. At Pruf, Jeremy combined decades of cannabis horticulture experience with cutting-edge technology to deliver previously unattainable consistency in both product quality and consumer effect. Prior to his leadership at Pruf, Jeremy was a co-founder of Farma, recently acclaimed by Rolling Stone as one of Oregon’s top dispensaries. Jeremy has served as a cannabis consultant to Israel medical cannabis researchers and as a cannabis policy advisor for US members of Congress. He...

My guest this week is Ryan Lee. Ryan is an educator, breeder, and researcher specializing in the chemical and genetic diversity of the cannabis species. Ryan comes from a background in neuroscience focusing on the endocannabinoid system, but later focusing on plant breeding technologies and the study of the molecular aspects of the cannabis genome and how we can use science to shape and improve the plant. Now on to the show!      

Samuel Hoefler is a 10-year cannabis industry professional and current Head Grower of Prūf Cultivar. Sam is finishing an agronomy at Oregon State University and focuses primarily on nutrient management, irrigation techniques, and cannabis crop production. Sam has created a novel cultivation model at Prūf Cultivar while building one of the most advanced and informative data sets on cannabis nutrient values to date. Sam’s long term goals include establishing optimal nutrient ranges for cannabis, creating an open platform for industry professionals to share knowledge, and to continue pursuing a lifelong passion for researching cannabis cultivation. Elevated Phosphorus Fertility Impact on Cannabis sativa 'BaOx' Growth and Nutrient...

My guest this week is Dr. Heather Grab. Dr. Grab is a Senior Lecturer at Cornell University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences in the School of Integrated Plant Science. In this role she teaches multiple courses focusing on Cannabis cultivation and processing and mentors students in Cornell’s Hemp Master of Professional Studies program. In collaboration with Cornell experts and industry partners, she delivers best practices for the cultivation and processing of Cannabis and Industrial Hemp to professionals in the Northeast and beyond. Prior to this position Heather was a USDA NIFA post-doctoral researcher in the Entomology Department at Cornell...

My guest this week is Rufus Akinrinlola. He is a Ph.D. Candidate and Graduate Research Assistant in the Entomology and Plant Pathology Department at the University of Tennessee Knoxville. He works in the research programs of UT Specialty Crops and Field Crop Pathology, focusing on Sustainable Disease and Integrated Pest Management Systems, where he’s co-mentored by Drs. Heather Kelly and Zachariah Hansen. Rufus has an MS degree in Agronomy (Plant Pathology) from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and a BS degree in Microbiology from Adekunle Ajasin University, Nigeria. His areas of interest include management of field and specialty crops with emphasis...

My guest this week is Dr. Anna Paltseva. As an international urban soil scientist and assistant professor, Dr. Anna Paltseva's mission is to educate communities about the critical importance of soil health in growing nutritious food, supporting healthy ecosystems, and helping to reduce harmful greenhouse gases. Her expertise is in helping people identify and remedy soil contamination in urban gardens. She has a passion to help others to understand the impact of heavy metals on the health of soils and the best ways to improve soil quality. https://geology.louisiana.edu/soils-lab      

My guest this week is Dr. Jordan Zager. Jordan is an expert in natural product biosynthesis and chemical analysis of cannabis resin compounds. Dr. Zager earned his PhD from Washington State University, where his research set the stage for studying the regulatory events governing gene expression in cannabis and their effect on the biosynthesis of trichome-bound cannabinoids and terpenoids. Early in his career, Jordan set his sights on aggressively applying modern scientific methods to the medicinal and recreational cannabis industry and to bring cultivators the tools to become exceptional. Dr. Zager is now the CEO and co-founder of Dewey Scientific...

My guest this week is Lee Briese with Centrol Consulting. Lee is an independent crop consultant from central North Dakota. He provides agronomic advice that helps farmers build customized systems to grow and manage crops profitably. He specializes in helping farmers adopt practices to protect and improve their soil and local environment including reduced till, notill, cover crops, crop rotation and increased plant and economic diversity. You can find them online at CentrolTV.com.       

Dr. Nadia Sabeh (A.K.A. “Dr. Greenhouse”) is President and Founder of Dr. Greenhouse, Inc., an agricultural and mechanical engineering firm located in Sacramento, CA that specializes in the design of HVAC systems for indoor plant environments. She is considered the subject matter expert in the field of controlled environment agriculture (CEA). Dr. Sabeh first became interested in CEA as an undergraduate, while working on a small shiitake and oyster mushroom farm in southern Idaho. For over 20 years, Dr. Sabeh has dedicated her education and career to helping farmers control their environments, allowing them to grow crops indoors, in greenhouses...

My guest this week is Dr. Jack Munz. Jack obtained a Bachelor of Science in Botany from Colorado State University while working as a lab assistant facilitating the development of genetic  markers for invasive species. Jack then earned a Master of Science from Illinois State University where  he worked towards increasing vegetable oils in temperate grasses like corn for biodiesel production using targeted gene expression. He also has a Ph.D. in Botany from the University of British  Columbia during which he worked to unravel the genetic regulation of nitrogen starvation responses in  plants with next-gen sequencing technologies. Jack is now...

Our guest this week is my good friend, Suzanne Wainwright-Evans also known by many as The Bug Lady. She is an Ornamental Entomologist specializing in integrated pest management.  Suzanne has been involved in the Green Industry for more than 25 years with a primary focus on biological control and using pesticides properly.  She is a graduate of the University of Florida with degrees in both Entomology and Environmental Horticulture.  She has worked throughout the United States and internationally consulting to greenhouses, nurseries, landscapers and interiorscape companies.  She is the owner of Buglady Consulting, now in business for over 21 years.  ...

My guest this week is Dr. Abbey Wick. Abbey is a North Dakota State University Extension Soil Health Specialist and Associate Professor, and has experience working with farmers on soil health building practices like incorporating cover crops into rotation and transitioning to no-till systems.    Since 2012, she has had her hands in over 50,000 acres of soil and influenced management on over 200,000 acres of farmland in the northern plains just with the personal relationships she’s developed with farmers.  There are many other farmers she influences through her bi-weekly magazine articles and television segment along with discussion-based Extension programming.  She...

My guest this week is Dr. Kevin Mehr. Dr. Mehr has spent the last five years driving the development of large-scale micropropagation programs for cannabis in North America. Kevin received his Ph.D. in Genome Science and Technology from the University of British Columbia and translates this experience with genetics and plant science to every facet of operations, product innovation, and establishing new sales channels. Kevin has established key partnerships with some of the largest licensed cannabis producers in Canada and the US and continues to ensure company execution while driving the industry forward. https://3riversbiotech.com    

This week’s podcast will be a bit different than my usual topics. As many of you know, there’s more to cultivation than just what happens in our gardens. Whether we like it or not, taxes and proper accounting are crucial to keeping your business afloat. I sat down with two CPAs, Betsy Morem and Mark Waller who have founded an accounting firm specializing in working with folks in the cannabis industry.  Betsy Morem, CPA, co-founder and managing partner of Morem & Waller, CPAs, PLLC has enjoyed helping small businesses and start-ups create, maintain, and improve their accounting systems since 2015. She partners...

My guest this week is Eleanor Kuntz. Eleanor is a trained herbalist and geneticist bridging the gap between traditional herbalism and modern science. She is the CEO and co-founder of LeafWorks Inc., botanical verification company using genetics to improve medicinal quality, sustainability, and transparency in the supply chain. She is also co-founder of Canndor, the People’s Herbarium, the first herbarium committed to documenting and preserving cannabis cultivars and varietals along with the collective knowledge gained through community engagement. This is her second time on the show and if you are interested in learning more about herbariums, we talk more extensively...

Our guest this week is Dr. Jim Barrett. Jim has a bachelor of science from Auburn University in Agricultural Sciences, a Masters of Science from Auburn University with an emphasis on Physiology of Vegetable Crops, and a pHd from Michigan State University with an emphasis on physiology of horticulture crops. He was a professor at the University of Florida from 1978-2016 with a focus on crop production in controlled environments. A major component of his work was evaluating Plant Growth Hormones, also knowns as PGRs and developing new application strategies for greenhouse crops. After retiring from the University, he went...

Our guest this week is Tom Miles.Tom is the president of T.R. Miles, Technical Consultants, Portland, Oregon, a biomass energy consulting firm, which designs, develops, installs, and commissions systems for processing wood, agricultural, and urban residues. Innovative biomass systems include pyrolysis, gasification, and combustion, sizing, drying, densification, handling, modification of boilers and gasifiers to improve efficiency and emissions, and systems to recycle nutrients. He has developed heat and power systems in developing countries. His knowledge of ash transformations in biomass led to recycling nutrients using pyrolysis ofresidues to biochar which can improve soil health and sequester carbon. Hehas sponsored and hosted online discussions of biomass energy andbiochar since...

Prof. Yoram Kapulnik is the Executive Director of the U.S.-Israel Binational Agricultural Research and Development Fund (BARD) as of August 1, 2017. He is the former Director General of the Volcani Center in Israel (2011-2016) and prior to this position, he served as the head of numerous Institutes within the Volcani Center.Born and raised in Israel, Prof. Kapulnik received his doctorate in Soil Microbiology from the Hebrew University and as a Fulbright Fellow, completed his post-doctoral work at the University of California, Davis (1984-1986). He worked for more than 25 years as a Professor of Plant physiology and biotechnology at...

Our guest today is Nelson Lindsley, of Poetry of Plants. You can check him out on Instagram under “poetryofplants” Nelson has been cultivating cannabis for over a decade and working in the industry for over two decades. An artist by heart and an innovator by trade, he has worked with the majority of leading grow room technology and techniques that are available on the current market and studied their application for efficient large scale cultivation. Over the last three years he has consulted on cultivation sites in Washington, Oregon, Colorado, Pennsylvania and California. After working with Nelson we have added...

My guest this week is Rob Knechtel, founder of Black Swallow Living Soils. Although Rob’s life long interest in growing cannabis began in the late 60’s, he has spent the past 45 years in a completely unrelated industry designing, installing and marketing fireplaces. When the Canadian government announced approximately 5 years ago that they would be legalizing cannabis production, Rob, his wife Lou and son Nathan decided to start up Black Swallow Living Soil. Nathan runs the day to day operations with his team, and Rob along with his wife continue to concentrate on further building the Black Swallow brand....

Cari Peters Raymond is Vice President at her family’s company, JR Peters Inc. She is proud to be the 3rd generation of Peters at the company, following both her Father and Grandfather, who introduced the original Peters fertilizers over 72 years ago. At J.R. Peters, Cari is the formulator of all products developed by JR Peters. She heads a hard-working team (the Jack’s Blue Crew) to bring new fertilizer formulas that provide solutions to growers’ nutritional issues. She also manages the J.R. Peters Laboratory & provides tech support – as in, real solutions to growers using the lab or Jack’s products. She has development many formulas...

My guest this week needs very little introduction. If you’ve ever studied lighting you’ve probably read some of his research. Bruce Bugbee is a professor at Utah State University and President of Apogee Instruments.  He is internationally known for his work with NASA to design food production systems for people living on Mars and has been a frequent speaker at conferences on indoor food production on Earth.  In 2011 he received the Governors Medal for Science from Utah Governor Gary Herbert. He has recorded several videos on photobiological principles; search for “bugbee agriculture”. Perhaps his pinnacle achievement is summarizing everything...

My guest this week is Bryant Mason of Soil Doctor Consulting. Bryant is a Certified Crop Advisor who specializes in organic cannabis nutrition. He has spent the last three years working to combine precision laboratory techniques with data science in an effort to unravel the complexities of cannabis soil and crop nutrition. Along with his work on soilless media, he also helps outdoor cultivators around the U.S. with nutrient management and cover cropping.  www.soildoctorconsulting.com  

Don Marshall has dedicated his life to teaching students about how plants grow and bridging the gap between botany and practical horticultural applications. Don is the founder of the Environmental Horticulture program at Lake Washington College, where he taught for over 40 years.  In addition to teaching, Don is a Certified Professional Horticulturalist, ecoPro, and Certified Arborist. He owns and operates Plant Designs, a landscape design, installation and maintenance firm specializing in organic fine gardening.  Don co-authored Home Landscaping, Northwest Region published by Creative Homeowner, now in its 4th printing.

Virginia Emery is founder and CEO of Beta Hatch, a pioneering insect farming company that is industrializing insects for agriculture. Beta Hatch is fueled by a passion to see insects reach their true potential in our food systems. The company has grown to be internationally recognized for its scientific approach to scaling insect production and operates North America’s largest mealworm farm for animal feed production in Washington. Virginia is the country’s most innovative insect entrepreneur, recently recognized as a Visionary Grist 50 Fixer. Virginia has a PhD in entomology from the University of California, Berkeley, has been awarded over 20 grants and honors, and...