We’ve seen plenty of different people enter the legal cannabis industry in recent years—largely due to the fact that the stigma around weed has significantly decreased. Additionally, the plant has become increasingly legal throughout the United States and Canada. Cannabis events, for example, have begun popping up everywhere, and for a subject once considered taboo, there’s no shortage of weed-centric extracurriculars.
In lamens terms: the landscape of pot has drastically changed.
Something as simple as growing weed, which was once considered a pretty serious crime, has now taken on a different identity entirely: it’s now the subject of friendly (totally legal) competition. In fact, a pest management company has even decided to sponsor one of Colorado’s most prevalent cannabis growing competitions called The Grow-Off. The sponsorship is providing us with yet another example of the ‘Green Rush’s’ impact on modern society.
Pest Management Company Sponsors The Grow-Off Weed Contest
Marrone Bio Innovations, a pest management company based in Davis, California, is set to co-sponsor, this year’s competition.
The Grow-Off, which judges Colorado’s best growers, originated back in 2016. While it’s original focus was on both medical and recreational marijuana, this year’s August competition is set to prioritize recreational pot, according to the competition’s co-founder Jake Browne.
Due to the influx of regulations regarding the grow-process, Marrone Bio Innovations might just be the ideal sponsor. According to Lisa Malabad, the Cannabis Segment lead at MBI, the partnership projects to be mutually beneficial. Especially considering that pest management is one of the more pressing issues when it comes to growing safe, clean weed.
“I truly admire the integrity of The Grow Off and am impressed by the care, professionalism and pride that these growers have in their operations, both large and small. We at MBI fully support growers and the broader cannabis industry, and as a part of these initiatives, we are providing growers with IPM educational materials such as articles, videos and other references to enable better identification and management of pests using MBI’s highly effective suite of products,” said Malabad.
According to MBI’s press release, the company has studied cannabis growing extensively and has determined that:https://globenewswire.com/news-release/2018/06/19/1526509/0/en/Marrone-Bio-Innovations-Co-Sponsors-The-Grow-Off-in-Colorado.html
- Pest management is critical to maintaining the health and viability of a cannabis crop.
- Mites, powdery mildew and aphids are key problems that will wipe out a crop if not kept in check.
- Many growers that are already using MBI products are extremely satisfied with the results, while others are interested in trying MBI products but have not yet done so.
- Shared education in the industry is widely needed.
Pam Marrone, MBI’s founder and CEO, also believes the two industries are now attached at the hip. Especially, when you factor in some of the well-chronicled pesticide problems weed-legal states have had in recent memory.
“That industry has had some problems with the misuse of pesticides and toxic chemicals. There is a real role for us to help them green it up,” Marrone said to The Sacramento Business Journal.
An Expanding Competition
This year’s competition will feature 52 fully-licensed growers in the Colorado area. The Grow-Off has also expanded into California, which legalized recreational marijuana back in January. The first-ever Northern California competition is already underway, with a Southern iteration beginning in September.
It’s safe to say that the legal cannabis industry has been fully embraced, wouldn’t you say?
