by Brittney Graham
Growing cannabis is new for the state of Oklahoma, growing other crops on the other hand, not so much. Ben Neal founded Sage Farms back in 2014 as a produce farm. After seeing the potential of aeroponic growing and how he could contribute to his community, he designed and manufactured a commercial growing system in 26,000 sq ft of greenhouse space. After the passing of SQ788 in 2018, Sage Farms added medical cannabis to their crop list.
I had the opportunity to chat with Ben about his farm and I could hear the knowledge and excitement of it all through the phone. Not to mention the compassion he has for the community and the love he has for all plants. The cannabis grow itself started out hydroponic as that is how the produce had been grown before it. However, living soil is their medium of choice for 80% of the medical cannabis plants at Sage Farms now and 20% of the cannabis is in a Dutch pot hydro medium, as their motto is all about staying organic. And honestly, who wants to argue with that? Not me.
I, of course, had to take this opportunity to ask what kind of strains happen to be growing in a space that holds great potential. Ben had a chuckle at this since they are currently growing around 20 different strains. Some of those include OG Kush, Blueberry, and Mamba Negra however another percentage of those are ones that Sage Farms breeds themselves. Every grower loves a good Pheno hunt and I know I am not just speaking for myself when I say we are excited to see what strains come from this farm!
When it comes to growing cannabis as opposed to produce, there are similarities and differences all in the same. When I asked Ben about this, he handed down this bit of grower’s knowledge; “You’re always fighting little battles. It is similar, but cannabis has an extra splash of complexities. When it comes to the bud- it can trap moisture, you can get bugs in there, and sometimes there isn’t a whole lot of coming back from it.” With that being said, anticipated and unanticipated grow challenges have been just that- challenges. Sustaining the plant using living soil is one way to approach such hurdles.
Sage Farms itself is splitting into two brands, essentially. One is the farm itself and will focus on growing the cannabis plant. The other brand is handling the processing side – it will be product-focused and is called STERLING CANNABIS COMPANY. And let me just tell you, their products are mouthwatering!
Take a look at some of their new offers below:
- Micro-dose Mints: Also known as “The less stress micro-dose mint”. These babies are peppermint flavored mints that have very low amounts of THC but are amazing for discreet micro-dosing. They can be used with headaches, hangovers, or honestly any pain relief! The benefit of micro-dosing is being able to tailor the dosage amounts to your particular need by taking one, two, or three – you decide! Of course, taking multiples at a time will give you more of a high and less of a micro-dose, so it is recommended to take one at a time.
- Cannabis-infused Olive Oil: Cooking clean and sugar free? Not to mention the lovely relaxed stress free “good night’s sleep” awaiting after ingestion. Sign me up -this stuff is incredible!
- RSO (Rick Simpson Oil): We already discussed just how organic Sage Farms is, so you can see how excited one might be to find that Sterling Cannabis Company has released patient quality Rick Simpson Oil for those that need that extra shot of healing.
- Shatter: This shatter is like actual glass! None of that “clump” that some of us have been seeing on the shelf – this stuff is pure quality!
