Agriculture

Massachusetts cannabis regulators took a guided tour of a outdoor cannabis farm on Thursday, in an attempt to learn more about issues facing the relatively-small number of businesses in the state who have attempted to take marijuana production back to its outdoor roots.

Mindful of how difficult it is to grow much of anything in the outdoor climate of Massachusetts, never mind growing a crop that is legal here but still entirely prohibited at the federal level, the Cannabis Control Commission traveled to Great Barrington on Thursday to hear from outdoor growers about the challenges they face.

United is one of the few cannabis companies in Central Massachusetts operating an outdoor cultivation site.

Matthew Koziol’s fascination with farming began as a child when he would visit his relatives’ dairy farm in Canada.

Outdoor growers face a litany of hurdles to bring product to market, but the end result can be an environmentally friendlier option to indoor production.

A long-term employee of J. Martin Landscaping in Westminster has secured $150,000 in financing to purchase the lawn care business portion of the landscaping enterprise. 

Following the closure of her Maker to Main grocery store in Worcester’s Canal District, shop owner Lynn Cheney has quickly found a way to continue to contribute to the community.

While the Massachusetts cannabis industry continues to feel growing pains, consumers’ appetite for cannabis has shown no signs of slowing. 

Just as cannabis businesses are gearing up for the holiday known as 4/20, an unofficial celebration of marijuana where dispensaries see some of their largest crowds of the year, eleven companies in Central Massachusetts received $430,000 from the first grants from the Massachusetts Cannabis Social Equity Trust Fund.

Founded in 2013, Freight Farms now has more than 600 farming units in 41 countries around the world, according to the company’s website.