This article, written by Kristina Etter, was originally published on Cannabis Tech on February 5, 2020.
Across the emerging landscape of the legal cannabis and hemp industries, several new businesses and startups have attempted to make their mark and cash-in on the green rush. While many of these entities claim to revolutionize the industry, frequently, their claims are unsubstantiated, under-developed, and untested. In a volatile new industry, many new startups never make it to fruition.
On the flip side, a few well-established companies are seeing fresh opportunities for existing technologies within the booming industry. By adapting and customizing solutions to suit the needs of the cannabis industry, many ancillary businesses are finding a new niche.
Doing business for nearly three decades, one Minnesota company sees such an opportunity, helping cannabis companies with a portfolio of solutions designed to make a variety of everyday tasks more manageable, such as elevating the lights and increasing drying capacity. Additionally, the Lift and Grow system also provides a safer working environment and reduces the opportunities for worker injuries, a win-win for everyone.
LIFT AND GROW OFFERS CANNABIS PRODUCERS PROVEN SOLUTIONS
Outside of the cannabis industry, Lift and Store has been doing business since before the dawn of medical legalization. With 28 years of expertise, the company quickly recognized common problems among growers that their solution could resolve.
“When talking to seasoned growers, they would tell stories of their first operations where they could lovingly adjust the lighting each day,” said Chris Benyo, CEO of Lift and Grow. However, as legalization started to create more demand, growers often had difficulties scaling their methods. Benyo believed their technology could provide a better way.
Precision Grow Light Spacing
With the exponential growth of the cannabis industry, the landscape is growing increasingly competitive. Using precision controls, Lift and Grow helps commercial operations maximize their output and improve ROI.
Consistent errors in lighting can negatively impact any indoor garden. Proper spacing between the canopy and lights allows the plants to maximize photosynthesis processes and will enable producers to increase their electrical ROI. The Lift and Grow system is designed on three basic principles to help growers get the most out of their lighting systems:
- Inverse Square Law – a mathematical rule which helps indoor growers determine the proper spacing between the lighting fixtures and the garden canopy.
- Cross Illumination – a method of perpendicular spacing between lights to achieve uniform lighting as a means to counterbalance light degradation.
- Electrical Expense – Although challenging to decrease electrical expenses, the cost per pound of cannabis production can be easily measured and monitored for efficiency.
The Lift and Grow system allows lighting movements as small as one millimeter, allowing cultivators to have the ultimate control over their operations. Easy to use and infinitely intelligent, the system integrates with existing grow systems, is aware of its location, and allows one technician to adjust dozens (72 or more!) of grow lights with the touch of a button.
Beyond Lighting
Using the same technology, Benyo recognized another potential solution Lift and Grow could offer the industry. “Universally across the industry, almost everyone has sized their drying rooms too small,” Benyo stated.
Using their existing technology, Benyo, “started connecting the dots that people haven’t seen before,” and the team went to work to design a drying solution to increase capacity without increasing real estate while improving safety and security for employees.
The Lift and Grow drying racks each have up to 128 sq. ft. of drying space, adjusts to the worker, and folds into the ceiling when not in use. Controlled by a single panel, the motorized system eliminates putting employees on ladders to hang-dry plants, and the system can be locked for security, as well.
In a white paper, Mat Rhoades, an experienced grower, estimates a 40-acre hemp field will cost nearly $16,000 in labor. Factor in the safety risk of using ladders and potential worker injury, and Lift and Grow’s drying system will pay for itself within two harvests.
MEETING REGULATIONS BEFORE THEY EXIST
On the cusp of national legalization, cannabis producers stand to face a flurry of regulation. We can assume that OSHA, or the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, will be a regular and permanent fixture in cannabis manufacturing, just as it is in other industries. Meeting and exceeding these guidelines will help cannabis producers avoid fines and injuries.
Workers’ compensation litigation for falling off of a ladder can be devastating for the employee and cost companies millions. With an excellent safety record themselves, more than 10,000 installs without an incident, the team at Lift and Grow has both the experience and the expertise to help your company improve efficiencies, improve your electrical ROI, and keep your employees safe.
Join this webcast about Lift and Grow’s revolutionary new technologies, which make painstaking, laborious tasks at your facility easier and safer. Watch Now by Clicking here!
