How long have you been the cultivation manager ? Two years as of October 2024 .
What are your day-to-day responsibilities ? I oversee plant health all the way through the growing process , as well as quality control through trimming , drying , and curing , making sure everything runs smoothly and efficiently all the way to packaging .
What are some of your favorite strains and their terpene profiles ? AF-1 , Guava Bomba , and Gelato – they have more of a fruity / citrusy profile , which are some of my favorites !
How many different positions within this industry have you learned over your career ? As the cultivation manager , I am a man of many hats . I have learned pretty much every other position we have at the facility . I mainly started off in the greenhouse , learning as much as I could there , and recently , I have been learning all there is on the post-harvest side .
What has been your greatest accomplishment as the cultivation manager ? The improved product quality that we achieved while simultaneously doubling our production output with the second license added to our facility .
What is your favorite thing about working as the cultivation manager ? My favorite thing about being the cultivation manager would be the knowledge I ’ ve gained about the industry , the plants , and the products .
Are there a lot of long-term employees at Solgrone like yourself ? Nearly half of our employees have been with the facility for a year or longer .
What is your personal favorite strain you currently grow ? My favorite strain that we currently grow would be our AF-1 , which has a really strong smell and taste and is smooth to smoke .
What advice would you give other industry workers who want to become cultivation managers ? It takes time , hard work , and dedication . Have patience and try to learn as much as you can inside and outside the facility about the plant and the processes , as well as being eager to help wherever and whenever needed .
What do you think separates your cultivation from others within the state ? We are a hybrid greenhouse with state-of-the-art HVAC controls . We get the best of both worlds with increased quantity due to the sunlight , but also increased quality achieved with our environmental controls . I personally think that plants grown in greenhouse settings like ours can have more defined terpene profiles than standalone indoor or outdoor grows .
Solgrone produces Daybreak cannabis , Good Taste edibles , and Pinpoint extracts under its parent umbrella company , High Fidelity Brands . Since Solgrone ’ s second licensed greenhouse addon , it now operates its 2.5-acre greenhouse with 30,000 square feet of flower canopy space and growing over 14,000 plants in its flowering room . Its output and quality have been higher than ever , with 136 new genetics on the way .
Clayton Stallings is the Director of Sales & Marketing for
The EVOLUTION Magazine
October 2024 33