Vertical farming could mean year-round fresh produce for even the most remote places in northern Canada. Photo: Johnny  Greig/iStock/Getty Images

The rise of vertical farming

The development and future of vertical 'plant factories'

Reading Time: 7 minutes Broadly speaking, commercial vertical farming operations are humankind’s attempt to grow food under conditions more controllable than Mother Nature allows and with a minimum of wasted space. Many seem like sci-fi greenhouses: hydroponics, plants growing in stacks or up walls and high-tech sensor setups that seem straight out of the mind of Gene Roddenberry. And, […] Read more


(CanopyGrowth.com)

Canopy Growth sheds California facility amid liquidity worries

Cannabis producer aims to rein in costs

Reuters — Canadian pot producer Canopy Growth said on Thursday it has completed the sale of its facility at Modesto, California as part of its divestitures to raise funding amid liquidity concerns. The sale, the fifth such deal since April 1, is part of Canopy’s ongoing efforts to improve liquidity by reining in costs through […] Read more

(Dave Bedard photo)

Net farm income down in 2022 despite high commodity prices: StatCan

Hike in farm fuel, fertilizer and feed costs is the largest in nearly 50 years

Farmers’ realized net income dropped by over eight per cent in 2022 as expenses outpaced the rise in cash receipts, a new Statistics Canada report says. Realized net income is the difference between cash receipts and operating expenses, minus depreciation and plus income in kind. When cannabis is included, realized net income dropped by nearly […] Read more


Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland walk with copies of the 2023-24 budget on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on March 28, 2023. (Photo: Reuters/Patrick Doyle)

Interest-free cash advances get extra lift in federal budget

Fertilizer diversification, solids non-fat processing also up for funding

Federal Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland’s latest budget envelope for Canadian farmers up against rising costs of production includes a temporary boost to the interest-free portion of cash advances. Freeland’s 2023 federal budget, released Tuesday, includes $13 million in 2023-24 for Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada to temporarily increase the interest-free limit for loans under its Advance […] Read more



(Fudio/iStock/Getty Images)

Biden overhauling U.S. marijuana policy

Prior federal offenses to be pardoned; moves could ease U.S. business for cannabis firms

Washington | Reuters — U.S. President Joe Biden took steps to overhaul U.S. policy on marijuana on Thursday by pardoning thousands of people with federal offenses for simple marijuana possession — and initiating a review of how the drug is classified. Biden said thousands of people with prior federal convictions could be denied employment, housing […] Read more

Signage outside a Tweed cannabis store in Winnipeg’s Osborne Village, roughly 60 metres west of the high-density neighbourhood’s Tokyo Smoke store. (Dave Bedard photo)

Pot producer Canopy Growth to shed retail stores

Company working on 'path to profitability'

In full cost-cutting mode, Canadian cannabis producer Canopy Growth Corp. is set to shed a significant chunk of its vertical integration model by selling off the retail pot shops it owns across the country. Smiths Falls, Ont.-based Canopy announced Sept. 27 it has an agreement in place with OEG Retail Cannabis — already the owner/operators […] Read more


Cannabis plants at a licensed indoor production facility in Winnipeg. (Dave Bedard photo)

Canada to review impact of cannabis legalization four years on

Review will also look at regulatory challenges in pot sector

Ottawa | Reuters — Canada on Thursday launched a review of the country’s legalization of recreational cannabis use four years ago to evaluate its impact on youth, Indigenous minorities and others, and analyze its effect on the economy and the illegal marijuana market. Canada became the first developed nation to legalize use of recreational marijuana […] Read more

Interior view of the Aurora Sky cannabis production facility near Edmonton. (Aurora Cannabis video screengrab)

Aurora buys control of major B.C. hothouse veg firm

Bevo Farms to take over Aurora Sky cannabis production site

A major player in B.C.’s greenhouse vegetable sector is about to expand its operations into an Alberta cannabis grow facility — backed by a major investment from the plant’s owner. Aurora Cannabis on Aug. 25 announced a subsidiary is buying a 50.1 per cent stake in Bevo Agtech, the parent of vegetable and ornamental plant […] Read more