JWC builds value by developing patentable technology “
How JWC is perfecting cannabis cultivation methodology, one plant at a time
For a company to thrive it must know what business it’s in. For James E. Wagner Cultivation Ltd. (JWC), a Licensed Producer of medical cannabis in Kitchener, Ontario, a single moment of clarity provided the company with the answer. As a technology company first, JWC is building value by developing patentable technology and intellectual property focused on creating stable and reproducible methods for the cultivation and processing of cannabis.
JWC was established in 2008 as a family-owned collective producing cannabis under Canada’s Marihuana Medical Access Regulations (MMAR). “When the MMAR was eliminated, we were in shock,” says JWC’s CEO, Nathan Woodworth. “But we soon realized that we had already gone a long way to developing the expertise, the technology and the methodologies to compete in the newly announced Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations (ACMPR). We were determined to ramp up the technology we had developed for use on a commercial scale.”
Until legalization, cannabis had always been a small crop. JWC’s owners realized they had only a five- to 10year window for establishing a commercially viable method to produce medical cannabis at scale.
“We have to use every hightech and scientific procedure and methodology available to us to achieve a much faster march forward,” says Woodworth. “Initially we studied different growth methodologies in different spaces in order to control and understand the variables involved.”
Natural soil presented an inconsistent growing medium, full of random elements. JWC experimented with hydroponics, and with using homogenous substrates including rock wool, clay pellets, silica and a mixture of peat moss and coconut husks.
“Some mediums worked better than others, but we were essentially feeding the medium and hoping that the roots of the plant would take up those nutrients,” says Woodworth. “That’s why we strive to eliminate these variables from cultivation. They can significantly change the finished product.”
Each plant at JWC is cloned using a unique process that maximizes the consistency and quality of cuttings. Additionally, the company sought a radically novel solution for removing soil from the cultivation equation. The result is the patent-pending Growthstorm™ aeroponic enclosure, in which the plants’ roots remain suspended in air. Held in place, roots are misted with a mix of moisture and aerosolized nutrients to provide optimum growth.
“Because we have near complete control, and because the nutrient solution reacts directly with the biology of the plant, we can produce harvests with consistent characteristics,” says Woodworth. “We know exactly how much moisture and nutrients each plant absorbs, and we observe the result, collecting data in real time to narrow down the best possible growth regimen.”
JWC’s 15,000-sq.-ft. pilot production facility in Kitchener will be complemented by rapid expansion at its second site planned for late 2018 and will make the company one of the largest aeroponic cultivators of any crop in the world.
Plants are currently separated from the outside world by a technologically sophisticated system of negative air pressure and at least three barriers to protect plants from outside organisms, pathogens and contaminants. The new facility will offer a minimum of five. Additional growth “pods” can be added to the facility with technical precision.
“We’ve also worked with partner companies to create unique controls that automate every aspect of plant growth,” says Woodworth. “Lights, pumps, air controls — everything is monitored, activated and deactivated by primary logic controllers. We’ve developed proprietary control software, Growthstorm Management™ that can track every millilitre of nutrient that goes into each plant. We maintain a life record of every plant that we have ever grown — more data than can be accessed in any other growth system.”
JWC has also worked with engineers to develop the Tempest Trimmer™, a patent-pending automated trimming system that improves on quality produced by experienced hand trimmers while reducing processing time.
“When a plant stops growing, you have to worry,” says Woodworth. “Like a thriving plant, JWC continues to research, grow and improve, using proprietary technology to achieve that goal.” Learn More:
• jwc.ca
each plant at JWC is cloned using a unique process that maximizes the consistency and quality of cuttings using a radically novel solution for removing soil from the cultivation equation.”