After receiving the greenlight from Health Canada, preparations are underway in southern Ontario for what will soon be Canada鈥檚 largest legal outdoor cannabis farm.
Located on 100 acres of land in Brant County, just west of Hamilton, Ont., 48North鈥檚 farm is about to be home to 250,000 marijuana plants.
The company already operates two indoor cannabis facilities in Ontario, in Kirkland Lake and Brantford, but the owners call this particular undertaking 鈥渦nprecedented鈥� in the country.
鈥淚t鈥檒l be Canada鈥檚 largest and likely the world鈥檚 largest legal cannabis farm,鈥� Jeannette Vandermarel, a co-CEO and director of 48North, told 麻豆影视 Kitchener on Tuesday.
While most legal cannabis operations are confined to growing their plants indoors, Vandermarel said planting marijuana outdoors will allow them to produce larger and taller crops.
鈥淲e鈥檒l be planting them out in the fields and it will grow quickly,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hey call it weed for a reason.鈥�
Alison Gordon, a co-CEO and director of 48North, said outdoor farms provide more economic benefits as well.
鈥淲hen you鈥檙e growing outdoor, you have a low-cost input and a quality input that you鈥檙e able to extract and turn into the vapes, and edibles, and all these products that both patients and consumers are really for in the Canadian market,鈥� she explained.
The soil, too, is an important factor in determining the quality of the crops and Vandermarel said their location, which was once used to grow tobacco, is perfect for their purposes.
鈥淭his is ideal land to grow cannabis on,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t grows really well here in southern Ontario. There鈥檚 a lot of people growing it currently with medical patients.鈥�
The owners said security will be a priority with so many acres of valuable plants to protect.
Mike Garbowsky, a security manager for the company, said they will have fencing, motion sensors, and more than 100 cameras on the farm to ensure that intruders stay off the grass.
The outdoor operation will also be a source of employment for approximately 200 seasonal workers and at least 50 full-time staff when production begins, according to the owners.
Vandermarel said they may need to hire even more workers as she expects there will be plenty of room for growth in the market.
鈥淭his really is a game changer for the industry and I think outdoor cultivation will be the norm,鈥� she said.
