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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...

This podcast is about how a commercial cannabis facility was able to dramatically increase their yields by making some small changes in operations that allowed them to incorporate science and the scientific method which was key in making decisions that both reduced labor costs and raised yields by more than 50%.In this podcast, I talk with Dr. Ben Higgins. Ben works with both Gold Leaf Gardens and KIS Organics and is also part of our consulting group. He is the research scientist for Gold Leaf and with KIS Organics he handles the custom Blumat designs for growers as well as...

GREENHOUSE TOUR: Sustainable Large-Scale Cannabis Production with The Green Organic Dutchman (TGOD) & KIS Organics Get an inside look into one of Canada’s leaders in organic, sustainably grown cannabis. Tad Hussey interviewed TGOD’s VP of Growing Operations, David Bernard-Perron. Tad and David discussed the ins and outs of how to grow high-quality, organic cannabis. They talked specifically about the innovative technology and processes TGOD uses to streamline complex organic growing methods, to produce clean and pure, certified organic cannabis. Here are a few of the other topics covered in this Greenhouse Tour: The benefits of growing organically in living soil...

Suzanne Wainwright-Evans 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. Additionally, Suzanne is frequently published in trade magazines, teaches workshops and lectures professionally to industry groups. Her lectures use her extensive library of insect photos and macro insect movies. She has spoken...

Delmond Marshall, inspired by his father, started the Flint Unity Farming Project to help and inspire the area youth in Flint, Michigan. In 2014, officials in Flint switched the city's water supply to the Flint River as a cost-cutting measure for the struggling city. In doing so, they unwittingly introduced lead-poisoned water into homes, in what would become a massive public-health crisis. Without access to safe drinking water, the health of the residents of Flint quickly began to decline. In 2016, Delmond Marshall started the Flint Unity Farming Project to offer hope and learning to his community by teaching and...

Dr. Chris Hayes began his journey into biologicals while working on his PhD; then continued in the field as a scientist at Cornell University/NYSAES in Geneva, NY.  At Cornell, he worked on the strains of Trichoderma, T22 & G41, which would ultimately become the active ingredients in RootShield Plus.  He left Cornell approximately 25 years ago to help start BioWorks.  For the past quarter-century, he has worked in various areas within BioWorks with the ultimate goal of helping those interested in using biologicals to understand the do’s and don’ts to maximize the effectiveness of biologicals in programs to prevent plant sickness and loss. ...

Brian is a founding partner of Anderson Porter Design, Inc., an international practice focused on design and architecture for the cannabis industry. Anderson Porter Design provides strategy, technology, design, and thought leadership, built on 20 years as a general practice in Architecture. Since 2014 they are focused on buildings for plants: Controlled-Environmental Horticulture (CEH), Extraction / Manufacturing, and Retail Dispensaries.   Brian merges a RISD education in the craft tradition of making and designing objects with an analytic data-driven process to drive value along the cannabis supply chain. He has a Master's degree from Harvard and has been in practice...

Kelly Vance came to Beneficial Insectary in 2016 after a 17-year career in greenhouse ornamental and landscape pest management with a strong focus on biological controls and soft chemistry. Since joining the team in Redding, he’s worked in a wide variety of ornamental, food and hemp/cannabis crops developing bio control programs for a myriad of crop pests. He has written company literature and is developing a series of release videos for the Beneficial website as well. Kelly moved to Redding from Salem, OR in November 2018 and covered the western United States for Beneficial Insectary before moving into the IPM Technical Lead...

Kelly Vance came to Beneficial Insectary in 2016 after a 17-year career in greenhouse ornamental and landscape pest management with a strong focus on biological controls and soft chemistry. Since joining the team in Redding, he’s worked in a wide variety of ornamental, food and hemp/cannabis crops developing bio control programs for a myriad of crop pests. He has written company literature and is developing a series of release videos for the Beneficial website as well. Kelly moved to Redding from Salem, OR in November 2018 and covered the western United States for Beneficial Insectary before moving into the IPM Technical Lead...

Ladybugs are amazing insects and wonderful aphid predators. However, there are a ton of reasons why you should never buy them and why they shouldn't even be legal to sell.  I was fortunate to get an expert who has been studying ladybugs and their ecology for decades. Dr. J.P. Michaud is an insect ecologist specializing in biological control and other aspects of crop protection entomology.  He has a background in evolutionary ecology and many of his research endeavors are guided by the implications of evolutionary theory.  His interests include cultural and conservation approaches to biological control of aphids in field...

This week’s podcast relates to soil testing. A lot of growers and cannabis consultants use soil tests to make fertility decisions for this crop. What I learned in the last two weeks really changed the way I view these tests and my conversation with our next guest will hopefully explain in better detail how these tests work, what information on them is most useful, and what we should be basing our production decisions on. This week’s guest is Bill McKibben. Bill is an accomplished agronomist and author of 2 books relating to soils. The art of balancing soil nutrients and...

This week's podcast is all folks that will be speaking or attending the Biocontrols Conference this year. There are a ton of wonderful speakers and talks. Here's the link if you want to check it out! https://www.biocontrolsusa.com/ I caught up with Suzanne Wainwright Evans, who most listeners are familiar with, to talk a bit about the cannabis aphid, which is the topic of her talk at the conference. I also interviewed John Sanderson who is a professor of entomology at Cornell University with over 30 years of experience in pest management experience on greenhouse crops. Ronald Valentin, the director of...

Paul Cockson has been working with plants since 2008.  His love for plants was a lifelong passion that developed and grew through the Nebraska Master Gardener program and through his involvement with Hubner’s Nursery.  Paul received his BS from NC State during which time he published 5 refereed journal articles, received the International Society for Horticulture Society for Horticulture Science Young Minds award, published over 20 extension and outreach publications, and published 3 e-books.  Paul has a passion for scientific investigation with the end goal of providing growers and producers with applicable and impactful production knowledge and practices.  Paul is...

Dr. Adie Rae (publishing under Wilson-Poe) is an NIH-funded neuroscientist who has been studying cannabis, opioids, and their interaction for her entire career. She has a strong publication record in chronic pain, addiction, and harm reduction. Dr. Rae is currently an assistant scientist at Legacy Research Institute in Portland OR and holds a joint faculty appointment at Washington State University. Her multi-faceted work ranges from synaptic physiology to clinical pain management. Dr. Rae's long-term academic research goal is to define the harm reduction potential of cannabis in the opioid overdose epidemic. As a co-founder of Smart Cannabis, Adie leverages her knowledge of pharmacology to enhance consumer wellbeing and support craft cannabis producers. Smart Cannabis is a Portland-based consulting and research firm that...

My guest this week is Deron Caplan. Deron is a horticultural scientist and the Director of Plant Science at Flowr  in Kelowna, BC. He was the first person in North America to earn a Ph.D. with research focused on cannabis production. Dr. Caplan has written and published several peer-reviewed articles on cannabis production, focusing on irrigation, growing media, fertilization, and propagation. He has testified on cannabis production before the Canadian Senate’s Standing Committee on Agriculture and Forestry and has provided expert commentary on cannabis for a variety of media outlets, including CBC, Nature, and Rolling Stone Magazine. You can follow Deron on...

  Andrew Black is the Certified Kind Founder and Director. Andrew spent the past 11 years working for Oregon Tilth, one of the nation’s most trusted organic certification agencies. Andrew has worn many hats in organic certification, including Farm Program Manager, Inspector, Final Reviewer, Latin American Specialist, and Certification Officer. Andrew has inspected hundreds of farms and food processing facilities in the United States and Latin America and has made certification decisions for hundreds more. He is an expert compliance reviewer for products certified to the USDA National Organic program plus the organic standards of the European Union, Canada, and...

This week’s podcast is with David Bronner, CEO aka Cosmic Engagement Officer for Dr. Bronners, the top-selling brand of natural soaps in North America. Not only do they make the best soap, but they’ve dedicated themselves to advocacy around our food supply, regenerative organic agriculture, animal welfare, fair labor practices, and responsible integration of cannabis and psychedelic medicine into American and global culture. In my opinion, this is one of the best examples of how a company can operate ethically and sustainably in today’s society and it was an honor to spend this time with David. I could spend the...

This week’s podcast is a bit different from my usual podcast. I sat down with John Z, a dedicated cannabis grower and all-around cannabis enthusiast who interviewed me on a variety of topics ranging from soil, compost tea, microbes, growing philosophy, and much more. The goal with this podcast was to answer some listener questions and just offer a different perspective on some topics we’ve already covered in past episodes. I met John through our Patreon hangouts and it’s been a lot of fun hearing about his growing experiences as well through this process.  

Colin Bell is the Co-founder, co-inventor, and Chief Growth Officer at Growcentia, the parent company of Mammoth. Colin 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 left his academic position at Colorado State University in March 2015 to launch Mammoth, a young company in the Ag-Tech sector that develops microbial biostimulants to sustainably increase plant yield, and all-natural biocontrol products to prevent pests. Their first product, MAMMOTH P® is a beneficial bacterial...

In this podcast, I interview my good friend Justin Magill. Justin is the head grower for Legit Cannabis North, a legal indoor cannabis facility here in Washington State. Justin has been growing using living soils in beds longer than anyone else I know and he has been instrumental in developing the KIS Soil and working out methodology around re-amendment.  This podcast was an opportunity to share some of what he's learned over the past decade through experience, and Justin shares both his successes and failures, which I think is really helpful to growers. My hope is that some of what...

In this podcast, I interview Dr. Ben Higgins, Chief Research Scientist at Goldleaf Gardens. Ben earned his Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from the University of California, Santa Cruz where he studied functional ecology, organismal morphometrics, and physiology. Ben works alongside their experienced staff to refine, research, and develop new methods in organic cannabis cultivation. He lives in Olympia, WA with his wife and two daughters, and loves to explore the natural beauty of the area with them as often as possible. We discuss how to interpret research, create useful data in your facility, and a new white paper on pots vs living...

Jeff is the co-author of "Teaming with Microbes, The Organic Gardener's Guide to the Soil Food Web" published by Timber Press in August 2006 to great acclaim and revised in 2011. It is touted as the most important gardening book published in the past 25 years and won the prestigious Garden Writers of America Gold Award for gardening books. It has been translated into Korean and French and soon Slovenian. Jeff is also the author of "Teaming with Nutrients, The Organic Gardener's Guide to Optimizing Plant Nutrition" published by Timber Press in May 2013. The shorthand title is "how plants...

Controlled Environment Agriculture is such a technical field that it can be confusing and a bit daunting for growers. I also think it's importance gets overlooked many times when discussing variables relating to plant growth and plant health. I'm honored to have Dr. Nadia Sabeh on to help explain some of the key principles to consider when growing indoors or in greenhouse environments. Dr. Nadia Sabeh (A.K.A. “Dr. Greenhouse”) is President and Founder of Dr. Greenhouse, Inc., an agricultural and mechanical engineering firm that specializes in the design of HVAC systems for indoor plant environments. Dr. Sabeh has her Ph.D. in...

Determining if LEDs are Right For You and Your Grow Part 1: What is an LED? Part 2: Can LEDs provide the correct light that plants need? Part 3: What are some useful calculations? Dr. Rebecca Knight Ph.D., Sr. Application Engineer Rebecca is an engineer and R&D scientist with experience in a broad range of fields: science, engineering, marketing, and business development. She holds a Ph.D. in Plant Biology from the University of Texas, an M.S. in Agricultural and Biological Engineering from Purdue, and Chemical Engineering and Japanese undergraduate degrees.  She is passionate about vertical farming, horticultural LEDs, plant secondary...

My guest this week is Reggie Gaudino. Reggie is the chief science officer for Steep Hill Labs. Dr. Gaudino oversees all scientific research and development for Steep Hill and is the driving force for Steep Hill's genetic research program. Dr. Gaudino directed a team of researchers which led to the development of GenKit™, the first cannabis DNA-based sex test. The research from Dr. Gaudino has been peer-reviewed and published, leading to important new discoveries in the cannabis industry. Dr. Gaudino received his BS in Molecular Biology and PhD in molecular genetics from the State University of New York at Buffalo, and he conducted 4 years of post-doctoral research at Washington...

My guest this week is Reggie Gaudino. Reggie is the Chief Science Officer for Steep Hill Labs. Dr. Gaudino oversees all scientific research and development for Steep Hill and is the driving force for Steep Hill's genetic research program. Dr. Gaudino directed a team of researchers which led to the development of GenKit™, the first cannabis DNA-based sex test. The research from Dr. Gaudino has been peer-reviewed and published, leading to important new discoveries in the cannabis industry. Dr. Gaudino received his BS in Molecular Biology and Ph.D. in molecular genetics from the State University of New York at Buffalo, and he conducted 4 years of post-doctoral research at Washington...

My guest this week is a timely one.  Michael Bowman is the Founding Chair of the National Hemp Association. He is also the author of Section 7606 of the 2014 Farm Bill, a provision that grants U.S. farmers the right to cultivate hemp in states where hemp production is now legal for the first time since Congress passed the 1933 Farm Bill.  He’s known in some circles as “Mr. Hemp” for his activism and he has been instrumental in shaping the State of Colorado’s hemp policy as Chair of Colorado’s New Energy Future and served as Co-Chair of Governor-elect Bill Ritter’s Energy Transition...

Dr. Eleanor Kuntz Geneticist, Environmentalist, Entrepreneur, Cannabis Advocate Eleanor Kuntz, Ph.D., is a trained herbalist and entrepreneur who is bridging the gap between traditional herbalism and modern science. Eleanor works with plant genetics to design and implement Best Agricultural Practices for improving medicinal qualities and implementing responsible raw ingredient choices to mitigate supply chain risk for natural product companies. As a U.S. Forest Service volunteer, Kuntz researches plant population demographics and dispersal dynamics to develop guidelines for sustainable wild collection and permitting regulations in southeastern native plant populations.  Devoted to honoring the benefits of plant-based medicine, enhancing our connection to...

Dr. Allison Justice Allison graduated from Clemson University with a Ph.D. in Plant and Environmental Science. During her time at Clemson, Allison taught greenhouse management to undergraduate students, where they focused on organic methods and production. Allison’s dissertation involved investigating the effects of a beneficial mycorrhizal type organism (Piriformospora india), where she learned that organic, sustainable growing can be easy, cost-effective, and produce aesthetically pleasing plants when done properly. Through research, Allison is elevating the standards of cannabis cultivation both indoors and in greenhouse settings. Allison also is a partner of a 40-acre hemp farm and large scale extraction facility...