Maximum Yield Cannabis USA December 2017 / January 2018 | Page 34

grow It is important to note that the State of Colorado does not normally issue cultivation licenses for this many plants. In fact, they never do. To function at this immense scale of production, Los Suenos operates under four different licenses. This licensing arrangement adds another level of complexity to a business venture already steeped in multifaceted regulation—the specificities of these licenses effect all business operations, from employee wages to product sales. VISION Mason shed a great deal of insight into the operational philosophy of the place, highlighting how the cultivation conditions in Pueblo have organically shaped Los Suenos’s business model and brand image. To illustrate, Mason reports that their approach to cannabis growing is to “let nature take its course.” Importantly, Mason stresses the fact that the climate in Pueblo provides the means for this system as Los Sueno’s garden is located at an elevation of approximately 3,700 feet and receives abundant sunshine. This notion is vital because there aren’t many geographies in Colorado (that are politically accepting of cannabis cultivation) that are conducive to ful l-sun, outdoor marijuana growing. Therefore, it is from this climactic niche that Los Suenos has developed its identity and business model. The industrial agriculture component of Los Suenos Farms is directly attributable to the climate of Pueblo as well, as growing 28 acres worth of cannabis canopy in greenhouses or warehouses would be a drastically different affair. Mason is confident in the large-scale model of the farm, stating that “nobody else is doing it like we are.” To be honest, he is right. On a daily basis, the team at Los Suenos accomplishes a careful balancing act between industrial production and extreme attention to detail. For these reasons, they are set- ting an industry standard in efficiency. As Mason puts it, they are “pushing the boundary every day.” It’s worth noting that cannabis businesses that push the boundaries with size and innovation are generally those who progress the industry. Along this line of thought, Los Suenos is literally writing the blueprint for industrial agriculture in the cannabis sector. Furthermore, as Colorado has become a model for a functioning, regulated cannabis industry, international eyes look to Los Suenos for guidance. Thus far, the farm has been visited by Canadian businessmen and politicians looking to gain some insight into the inner-workings of such an operation, 34 grow. heal. learn. enjoy. potentially using Los Suenos’s innovations to help with the launching of the Canadian recreational program next year. CULTIVATION INSIGHTS The cultivation team at Los Suenos Farms, led by Hoare, Sean Babson, and Eric Henderson, models their horticultural methods after the general vision at the farm, which is large-scale, natural growing. To this end, they use the native soil of the farm for plant propagation, a practice almost unheard of in an industry steeped in name brand soils. Also, Hoare reports that the watering tasks at Los Suenos are accomplished through the use of irrigation lines built into the soil within the rows of crops. Finally, the cultivators at the farm have adopted the use of powdered, water-soluble nutrients for their massive fertilization efforts—also a logical departure from the liquid nutrient lines that dominate the industry. To reiterate, efficiency with operational logistics is the key to success at Los Suenos Farms and practical means for accomplishing day-to-day tasks are essential for Hoare and his team. The growers at Los Suenos opted to grow smaller marijuana plants (by outdoor standards) than those seen in traditional large-scale operations. For them, it makes the most sense to grow their plants to between five and six feet tall. Again, this methodology is directly related to efficiency, mainly because attempting to grow 24,000 large plants simultaneously would be an expensive proposition and logistical nightmare. More- over, the size of the plants at Los Suenos makes them manage- able when it comes to pruning and support. To illustrate, the team at the farm simply supports the plants with tomato cages rather than what would be time-consuming, labor-intensive trellising and tying practices for an operation this big. As the employees at Los Suenos Farms consistently juggle the day-to-day logistics of such a sizeable cultivation operation, they must also navigate the fine legal nuances of the State of Colorado cannabis business. For Faber, the constant struggle between logistical efficiency and at- tention to detail requires a careful balancing act. Faber explains that each of Los Sueno’s 36,000 plants has a tracking tag. These tags feature a barcode, serial number, and RFID chip. These numeric markers represent a wellspring of information on each plant, including strain, age, repositioning, and location. By way of the State of Colorado-mandated METRC track- ing system, the aforementioned information must be available for the State at all times, through all growth phases as well as harvest. myhydrolife.com