Name: Daniella Catherwood
Company: Redecan
Title: Master Grower
Location: HEXO’s Cayuga, Ontario facility
(Editor's note: HEXO acquired Redecan in 2021.)
Cannabis Business Times: One word to describe your cultivation style? Indoor, outdoor or a combination? Daniella Catherwood: Combination
CBT: Can you share a bit of your background and how you and your company got to the present day?
DC: My career in the Cannabis industry started in 2012 under Canada's Marihuana Medical Access Regulations while living on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. This made for a natural progression into the current Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations (ACMPR) program. I was recruited by Richard Redekop, co-founder of Redecan, about an opportunity to be positioned as a lead grower at his state-of-the-art facility. I was the first grower hired at Redecan, and as a result, I was able to participate in the final stages of facility construction. I have now had the pleasure of jumpstarting two divisions of the Redecan, HEXO family. The greenhouse production facility located in Fenwick, Ontario and the outdoor production facility located in Cayuga, Ontario.
CBT: What tool or software in your cultivation space can you not live without?
DC: Method Seven eyewear. When working indoors or outdoors, growers are exposed to harsh lighting, and while this is great for the plants, it's not so great for your eyes. I am never without quality eyewear.
CBT: What purchase of $100 or less has most positively impacted your business in the past six months?
DC: Loupes for the cultivation team. Loupes are a great tool for pest identification, monitoring the efficacy of our biological program and when evaluating trichomes during the final stages of flower development. Providing the full cultivation team with a loupe, including cultivation personal to senior growers, focuses many eyes on the plants. We are able to catch and treat issues before they become problematic and make calculated decisions during harvest time to maximize peak THC and CBD ripeness. This simple tool elevates my team to become more technical and detailed growers.
CBT: What cultivation technique are you most interested in right now, and what are you actively studying (the most)?
DC: I am currently refining scheduling and pruning techniques specific to outdoor production. In an outdoor production facility, the transition from vegetative growth into flower development is longer than in an indoor facility that controls flower induction through lighting schedules. Timing of planting the crop is critical to achieving optimal plant size. The cultivation team is always bringing pruning ideas forward, and it is through trial and error that we have been able to maintain crop control, even when growing different varieties season to season. Proper scheduling paired with specific pruning techniques allows us to maximize light penetration and ensure airflow, which is required for healthy plant and bud development.
CBT: How has a failure, or apparent failure, set you up for later success? Do you have a “favorite failure” of yours?
DC: During my career, there have been many failures alongside the successes. Remaining humble and being able to own up to mistakes or bad decisions has been a key to maintaining forward momentum.
CBT: What advice would you give to a smart, driven grower about to enter the legal, regulated industry? What advice should they ignore?
DC: Jump in, the industry is always looking for talent. It’s not an easy gig, so be prepared to work hard and get dirty. There has been a lot of change in a short period of time, and as growers, we must remain adaptable.
CBT: How do you deal with burnout?
DC: Rely on where we share the workload and support each other. It's tough. Curating a solid reliable team is key to navigating burnout. I have learned to share my workload and ask my colleagues for help when needed. We have a strong core group of growers at Redecan, and many of us have been with the company from the beginning.
CBT: How do you motivate your employees/team?
DC: By working closely with my team and being open to their ideas. Motivation can be fostered through listening and implementing new ideas. Allowing my team members to try out an idea or tweak a process creates a sense of participation in crop success, which is a great motivator.
CBT: What keeps you awake at night?
DC: Stormy weather! Fortunately, we use Hoogendoorn, a software program that controls the facility. I can remotely log in, observe, and adjust settings from home when necessary.
CBT: What helps you sleep at night?
DC: A final crop walkthrough before leaving the facility for the day always allows us to go home with extra peace of mind. During our season, there is generally a focus area or stage of crop that requires more of my attention. Due to the sheer size of 98 acres of production area, I will target my walkthrough to a process that is in a sensitive stage. When I am satisfied that everything is in order, I can rest easier for the night.
Join us this year at the Paris Las Vegas Hotel & Casino for Cannabis Conference, the leading education and expo event for plant-touching businesses.
