Jeff Lowenfels is a hugh proponent of Organics. He is the world’s longest running garden columnist and the author of the award winning Teaming series: Teaming With Microbes, Teaming With Nutrients and Teaming With Fungi.

Sunny Kaercher is a strong advocate for making existing industries more sustainable, specifically by looking at closed-loop system design. An avid lover of the outdoors and natural systems, Sunny recognizes the importance of soil to support all living things. She works for Miller Soils, offering Biochar-based grow medias designed to mimic ecosystem balance and encourage beneficial biology. She has degrees from CU Boulder in environmental design/land use planning and environmental policy, as well as a natural resources GIS certificate. Sunny has soil research experience with the Colorado Department of Wildlife, has worked with a land trust making conservation easements, and has worked for several businesses focused on efficiency and Lean production, a philosophy that embraces eliminating waste and respecting people.

Feed the Soil, NOT the Plant: An Intro to Cannabis Cultivation Using Living Soils

Introduction to Living Soil Cultivation will be taught by Bryan Wachsman (303OrganicCannabis) With Over 10 years experience cultivating cannabis I am able to teach a very complex subject and make it easy to comprehend. Learn from my experience as well as my mistakes and take years off the learning curve of growing elite organic cannabis. Living Soil Cultivation is the future style of the organic cannabis movement!

Frenchy Cannoli is a Consultant, Educator and Writer in the Cannabis industry with special focus on hash making using traditional methods.

My focus today and for the near future, is on discovering the science behind traditional and modern techniques in an effort to pass on factual knowledge and information to the next generation of Hashishins.

My commitment is to the promotion and protection of the Breeders and Growers of California's Emerald Triangle, and to the legacy of this region which spans multiple generations and is priceless in its unique terroir and its economic potential.

Allegra Leghissa is a Ph.D.-seeking analytical chemistry graduate student at The University of Texas at Arlington, working under the direction of Prof. Kevin A. Schug. She was born and raised in Bologna, Italy. She left Italy in August 2014 after completing an undergraduate Chemistry degree at the University of Bologna.

Catherine Sidman has been a laboratory equipment expert specializing in vacuum applications for 14 years. Working closely with the Alchemist Resource researchers (formerly known as SkunkPharmers), Catherine introduced industrial brands like Agilent, Cascade TEK, Cascade Botanical, Welch and Edwards to the cannabis space in 2013. She has an in-depth understanding of how laboratory and vacuum applications can be optimized for cannabis processing.

Catherine now brings her expertise to Cascade Sciences, building bridges between industrial equipment manufacturers and the emerging cannabis processing entrepreneurs.

Dr. Vanessa Nielsen completed her Ph.D. at the University of Toronto, Canada in plant biology and physiology. She uses this background and fascination with novel lighting technologies to research the impact of light on plant yield at URSA Lighting. Her background and extensive experience in a plant biotechnology lab offers a unique perspective on lighting for the cannabis industry. Vanessa is always happy to share the best industry practice in cannabis growth and the latest discoveries of how to optimize lighting conditions for your plants.

Shlomo was born and raised in Jerusalem, Israel. Following his military service, he graduated from the Horticulture program at the JTI (Jerusalem Technological Institute).

After working as a grower for several years, with some of the leading Agriculture companies in Israel, Shlomo accepted an offer and travelled to Australia to manage a very large operation (350 acres) with a producer of cut flowers. During the same period, he was also involved in an IPM research project led by the University of Sydney combining the use of insects to control pest in crops in order to avoid the use of pesticides. As part of this cooperation, Shlomo also gave lectures to undergraduate students at the faculty of horticulture.

When the project in Australia ended, Shlomo moved to Portugal, to manage another large scale project (24 hectares) where he built very large and modern greenhouses, designed to produce several millions young plants per season for the export market. The company, under Mr. Booklin’s management produced an average of some 6 -7 million young plants per season, producing some 250,000 young plants per week. The company exported it’s product under very strict E.U. phytosanitary regulations, mostly to the U.K. and Holland but also to Croatia, Denmark, Belgium as well as other north European countries.

After 10 years in Portugal, in 2002, Shlomo has immigrated with his family to Canada and worked as a Head Grower, initially in B.C. and more recently in Ontario, with some of the leading producers of young plants in the industry.

Since 2014, Shlomo has worked with number of the largest L.P.s’ in Canada, namely Tilray, MedReleaf , Green Pharma and others, where he worked as a master grower, assisted in maximising production as well as sharing the “know how” involved in growing successfully on a commercial scale, while complying with Health Canada regulations.

In parallel, Shlomo has been providing consulting services to several LPs in the process of acquiring a growing license from Health Canada.Shlomo has also been working closely with the leading Medicinal Cannabis growers, researchers & scientists in Israel, to produce exclusive specific medicinal strains.

With more than 30 years of experience working with profitable large scale, commercial operations, and his unique familiarity with the Cannabis industry in both Canada and Israel – both leading Cannabis producing countries, his skills are producing top quality plants, with very efficient methods, while increasing productivity as well as profitability.

I'm 27 years old and I've spent my entire adult life in the cannabis industry. What started as a hustle to get high for free has turned into an international consulting business and a part of the movement to free Hemp. I am a partner in more than 10 separate cannabis businesses, was trained by GreyWolf, Joe Oaks, and Cascade Cat while at Pharmgold, and am the leading member of Future4200. My real passion is Permaculture, I own 20 acres on the Coast of Washington where I produce free bacon while improving my soil.

Murphy Murri became active in the cannabis industry almost a decade ago when she began managing Tree Line, a medical dispensary in Eagle-Vail, Colorado. Since 2009, Murphy has owned and operated seven different licensed cannabis business in Colorado including dispensaries, gardens, and an infused product/extraction facility. In 2014, she turned her focus to extraction and joined the team at ExtractionTek where she developed training programs and materials for their proprietary extraction equipment. Today, Murphy operates a private consulting firm that focuses on equipment safety and hands-on operator training for licensed cannabis businesses in the US and Canada.

Jesse Peters owns Eco Firma Farms and serves as the CEO of the Company. With more than 21 years of Marine Corps service, and nearly 10 years of professional fire fighter service, Mr. Peters has earned political credibility within the cannabis space; a space in which Mr. Peters has worked for over 26 years developing his craft as a cannabis subject matter expert and cultivator as a Master Cultivator. Mr. Peters is a founding member of the Oregon Cannabis PAC and the Oregon Cannabis Association and has testified to state and local legislators and has worked with the OLCC on rules governing cultivation regulation within Oregon. Through his work within the industry and by establishing Eco Firma Farms, Mr. Peters is arguably the force behind the most recognizable cannabis cultivation brands within the state.

Mr. Peters has owned Eco Firma Farms and served as the lead cultivator for the past 17 years. He began by assisting friends with their cultivations in the late 1990s, and moved into building his own cultivation in 2000. His cultivation garden expanded as medicinal regulations relaxed over the years, allowing for Eco Firma Farms to become a licensed, for-profit producer in the medicinal cannabis industry; moving into Oregon dispensaries with the passage of HB 3460 in 2012.

Under his leadership, Eco Firma Farms became the first company in Oregon to advertise wholesale cultivation and distribution of cannabis in both local and national advertising media. He also oversaw the establishment of a medical customer base in Washington State. Eco Firma Farms has become a pioneering company within the cannabis industry. Currently, Mr. Peters' duties at the company include working closely on brand development, sustainability practices, product development, day-to-day operations, property acquisition, new construction, and future multi-state opportunities.

In addition to owning Eco Firma Farms, Mr. Peters serves as a career firefighter for Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue in Beaverton and Tigard, Oregon. As a fire fighter, Mr. Peters is responsible for patient care, customer service, dealing with high stress situations, re-suppression activities, and assisting others through difficult times in their lives. In addition to his firefighting career, Mr. Peters served as a combat engineer in the United States Marine Corp. Spanning his career as combat engineer, Mr. Peters has risen to the rank of E7, Gunnery Sergeant, promotable to E8, Mater Sergeant. Mr. Peters was responsible for over 211 men under his role as a Company Gunnery Sergeant. Mr. Peters holds a secret clearance with the U.S. Government and has been sent to numerous leadership and professional schools, and has been involved in real world high level planning in multiple countries. Recently, Mr. Peters retired from the Marine Corps at the end of 2016 with his last duty station being Marine Forces Pacific Command.

Mr. Peters holds 3 Associate's degrees in Undergraduate Studies from Portland State University.

Through his years of military experience, fireghting career, and as owner of Eco Firma Farms, Mr. Peters has honed numerous leadership and organizational skills. Mr. Peters brings years of industry insight, as well as valuable knowledge of property valuations, construction development, and cannabis specific property and construction needs. Mr. Peters possesses the leadership experience required to scale up the management and operations of a large company within the cannabis industry.

Adam is a grower and breeder located in Eugene Oregon. He is most widely known for his work with CBD breeding and it's application in a medical setting. Adam has been involved in cannabis for over 20 years. He was selected as most influential in the industry by Canna Business in 2016. He is a lead writer for GROW magazine. While his focus is on breeding cannabis strains with extremely unique properties he also has a 40 acre cannabis farm, retail locations, and many other projects in the works.

This session will provide an in-depth examination of the 2018 NFPA Chapter 38: Marijuana Growing, Processing, or Extraction Facilities. The session will focus on the new rules set forth that pertain to extraction facilities including but not limited to: field verification, electrical components, LPG storage, exhaust, operator training, and gas detection. Each section and sub-section will be reviewed , with examples of the equipment, ancillary equipment, and accessories approved for use within Class 1 Division 1 and Class 1 Division 2 facilities in states allowing hydrocarbon extraction.

Dr. Travis Bliss is an intellectual property attorney in the Wilmington, Delaware office of the firm Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney and the chair of the firm’s IP Biotechnology Practice Group. Prior to attending law school, Travis obtained both a bachelor’s degree and a Ph.D. from the University of Delaware’s College of Agriculture and Natural Resources with a focus on agricultural biotechnology. Since graduating from law school, Travis’s practice has focused on procuring, monetizing, and enforcing IP rights for biotechnology and life sciences inventions, including obtaining, licensing, and enforcing patents and trademarks directed toward novel plant varieties. As the cannabis industry has begun to mature, Travis has become a thought leader and a prolific author and speaker on the topic of obtaining and monetizing IP rights in the cannabis space, including for novel cannabis varieties.

As a veteran of the Iraq war Mike became a medical patient to help with recovery, and his love for growing blossomed quickly. He is now the Owner / Grower at Geek Farms, Oregon established in 2012. Mike has been consulting in Colorado, Florida, Oregon and California for Grow Geek over the past year and making great strides for sustainable and high quality practices throughout the country.

Eric Schlissel is the CEO of GeekTek, a national managed IT/cybersecurity firm headquartered in Los Angeles, CA. Widely recognized as a thought leader in the IT industry, he has spoken extensively on data security issues facing the cannabis industry. He has been widely published and quoted in The LA Times, Wired, CIO Magazine, ChannelPro, InformationWeek, InfoWorld, the CCIA, NACB Insights and other leading publications. Possessing 20 years of entrepreneurial and investment experience, Eric is also a travel addict, aspiring bourbon connoisseur and foodie-wannabe.

Jennifer Martin is the winner of the 1998 San Francisco Bay Area Cannabis Cup, and a pioneer in the US Cloning Industry, having supplied Harborside Health Center and Berkeley Patients Group for many years. She is one of the few cultivators with over 15 years experience running a legitimate cultivation business, with over 20 employees at a time under her management. She currently works as an indoor cultivation site designer on the west coast, with expertise in vertical LED flowering, commercial cultivation methods, nutrients, genetics and workflow.

A retired attorney and judicial hearing officer, in good standing, I have suffered from Crohns Disease for more than 45 years and started using and growing cannabis, to deal with symptoms of the disease, about 44 years ago.

In 2015 I relocated from east to the west coast where the growing is legal and I can be open about my passion for Cannabis Sativa L.

As a market research analyst contributing to New Leaf Data Services and Cannabis Benchmarks®, Preston Gardner has over seven years’ experience analyzing alternative energy, biopharmaceutical, financial services, and petroleum. Previously, Preston has worked with The Vanguard Group, Wachovia Securities / Wells Fargo Advisors, MetLife Securities, and LPL Financial, primarily in the areas of business development and financial analysis.

He has been assigned to research the hemp and cannabis-infused oil market, including products containing CBD, CBN, and THC in order to provide transparency to cultivators, dispensaries, investors, traders, and cannabis market participants through validated production cost data and standardized benchmark price assessments.

Preston received his Bachelor of Science in business administration from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, his MBA from Wake Forest University, a Juris Doctor from Thomas Jefferson School of Law (specializing in compliance and regulatory law), as well as a Masters in Finance from Boston College. He currently resides in Palm Springs, California with his wife and two dogs.

Todd Dalotto is a horticultural scientist, public policy consultant, and court-qualified expert witness specializing in cannabis. He has a horticultural research degree with emphasis on sustainable agriculture and plant breeding from Oregon State University, is former Chair of the Oregon Health Authority’s Advisory Committee on Medical Marijuana (ACMM), as well as the ACMM’s Horticulture, Research & Safety Committee, has served on various legislative and rules advisory committees for the State of Oregon, and helped draft the regulations for Oregon’s Medical Marijuana Dispensary Program.

Todd founded the United States’ first hemp food business Hungry Bear Hemp Foods, authored the world’s first hemp cookbook "The Hemp Cookbook: From Seed to Shining Seed" (Inner Traditions), and founded Oregon’s first cannabis medical clinic, education & support center, Compassion Center.

His research objectives over the past seventeen years include breeding of in-bred lines, morphology, sustainable practices, hoophouse production, and mutualisms. Currently, he serves on Americans for Safe Access’ Patient-Focused Certification Review Board, the Cannabis Certification Council’s Technical Advisory Committee, and is president of CAN! Research, Education & Consulting in Albany, Oregon, where he breeds and conducts horticultural research, teaches, and consults businesses on the horticultural science and public policy of cannabis.

The Low-Down on Mold & Cannabis: Best Practices for Managing Mold in Your Grow

Erica Hernandez is co-founder and managing consultant of HS Scientific, a microbiological consulting firm specializing in Indoor Air Quality. She is a registered microbiologist with the National Registry of Certified Microbiologists, a program run by the American Society for Microbiology, and has spent several years working in the environmental sciences. She has over 6 years experience working at an environmental microbiology laboratory where she worked extensively with bacteria and fungi from air and water samples. She has trained under some of the best mycologists in the country, and the world.

An Ounce of Prevention is Worth a Pound of Cure: Your Guide to Creating a Successful Indoor Home Grow

U.S Veteran, Master Cultivator & Educator

Pro MAX Grow’s Educational Ambassador and Master Cultivator, Ellen Taylor Brown has mentored 100’s of cannabis growers throughout the U.S. over the last 10 years. Ellen’s extensive knowledge and first hand industry experience has made her a sought after cannabis expert. A veteran of the United States Air Force, Ellen was awarded the Air Combat Command - Nutritional Medicine Airman of the Year award in 2008.

As founder of Sinsemilla Seminars, Ellen Brown has taught thousands of students, patients and caregivers from all over the country in large classroom settings to freelance consulting in the marijuana industry for the last decade. Ellen’s educational outreach specializes in sustainable cannabis cultivation, best practices and how to create a multitude of cannabis by products from tinctures to edibles. A prominent advocate and educator, Ellen has spoken all over the world including the Northeastern Cannabis Institute, the Boston Freedom Rally and the High Times Jamaica Cannabis Cup, using her knowledge to inspire others to become their own best advocates.

Ellen uses her tremendous skill set to set up her students and clients for success in the cannabis industry. She continues to impart her years of wisdom and experience as a way to help create a much needed paradigm shift on a failing war on drugs. She believes that if we teach each other about the benefits of cannabis and hemp plant that we will be able to secure the plant’s safety for future generations. In an industry that is evolving, growing and thriving we need teachers and advocates who will empower and lead by example such as she has.

Beyond the Grow: Branding, Marketing, & Advertising for Cannabis Cultivators

Tom Alexander published Sinsemilla Tips in 1979 in Corvallis, Oregon after getting arrested with over 2,100 plants. Charges were dropped almost immediately but three sheriff deputies stole the evidence since it wasn’t needed in a court case anymore and were arrested by the Oregon State Police. Outraged at their light sentences of probation, Alexander wanted to write a book but local grower friends convinced him to publish an ongoing magazine.

Sinsemilla Tips was known around the world for introducing new and innovative indoor and outdoor techniques for cultivating Cannabis such as Sea of Green, Screen of Green, clones, advanced pruning, breeding strains, HID lighting, and organics using mycorrhizal fungi, guanos, humid and fulvic acid. When every issue came out, Alexander would take a road trip to Southern Oregon and Northern California to distribute the magazine and also touch base with growers in the region to find stories to publish. Sinsemilla Tips had numerous Humboldt and Mendocino growers writing articles under pen names. Alexander published Sinsemilla Tips for ten years until the DEA went after all of its advertisers in Operation Green Merchant. Alexander then published Growing Edge magazine which reported on high tech cultivation methods from around the world without the mention of Cannabis but the techniques reported on in the magazine could be used in Cannabis cultivation. Growing Edge was published for 20 years until 2009 when Alexander retired from publishing.

Alexander became a medical Cannabis patient and also a consultant to legal medical Cannabis growers throughout the west coast. He also has been a speaker at numerous Cannabis conferences.

Compliance for California Cannabis Growers: Exploring Best Practices through Real-World Case Studies

Dana Leigh Cisneros, Esq. is an experienced and aggressive attorney, focusing her efforts on Real Estate, Contract, Commercial, Business and Corporate Law for the past ten years. Marrying her legal expertise with her passion and understanding for the marijuana industry, she is excited to expand her practice into the cannabis industry, providing much needed legal advice regarding formation, licensing, permitting and compliance with the rapidly changing legal landscape in California.

Mrs. Cisneros prides herself on a strong commitment to maintaining the highest level of professional responsibility and moral standards. Legitimizing the marijuana industry has been a long time coming and the need for high quality legal representation from the outset is of paramount importance.

The Cannabis Corporate Law Firm knows when to advise its clients to say no. Being legally compliant and proactive is essential to protecting businesses, operators and investors in this emerging industry. With frequent changes in the law and a legal landscape full of inexperienced attorneys working outside their area of expertise, the probability of making critical mistakes is extremely high. The Cannabis Corporate Law Firm is here to build long lasting relationships with its clients to last decades, not to capitalize on a get rich quick market. Due diligence and careful examination from all aspects is key.

What Growers Need to Know About Using Pesticides According to the EPA: A Guide to Lawful & Unlawful Pesticide Use in Cannabis Production

Jon Jacobs: Owner of Jacobs Law Firm PLLC, Jon D. Jacobs spent nearly 27 years in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance and the Office of Administrative Law Judges. He has earned an international reputation specializing in pesticide, toxic substances, and emergency planning issues. His insider knowledge of EPA, DOJ, and other federal and state agencies offers an extraordinary and perhaps unique understanding of how EPA and the federal government operate. He maintains well established relationships with many key players at EPA allowing him to develop innovative strategies, options, and solutions that many other “environmental attorneys” are unable to accomplish.

His practice focuses on counseling a variety of clients involving environmental matters ranging from federal and state enforcement actions to public policy advocacy. His clients included international and domestic pesticide producers, start-up companies, other law firms, non-profits, and individuals.

Prior to private practice, Mr. Jacobs was a senior attorney in EPA’s Office of Criminal Enforcement, Forensics, and Training where he specialized since 2000 in environmental crimes involving EPA’s chemicals and pesticides laws. Mr. Jacobs’ practice at EPA’s Headquarters office in Washington, D.C. also included national program management responsibilities such as drafting federal legislation, regulations, guidance, and policy. From 2002-2006 he served in OCEFT’s Washington Area Criminal Investigation Office as a regional criminal enforcement counsel where he advised EPA’s special agents in over 30 investigations of environmental crimes under all of EPA’s statutes. He then assisted U.S. Attorney’s Offices in prosecuting these cases as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney (SAUSA) in Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia. His SAUSA responsibilities included a Clean Water Act jury trial and several grand jury proceedings.

Mr. Jacobs joined EPA in 1987 as the first full-time attorney advisor to EPA’s Office of Administrative Law Judges. In 1989 he became an enforcement attorney in EPA’s Office of Civil Enforcement’s Toxics Litigation Division, was designated a Department of Justice trial attorney, and later served as TLD’S Deputy Director co-managing EPA’s nationwide chemicals and pesticides civil enforcement programs. In 1994 he was selected to be a branch chief in the newly-created Toxics and Pesticides Enforcement Division where he (1) supervised a multi-disciplinary team of 14 attorneys, case development officers, and scientists engaged primarily in hundreds of administrative and civil judicial enforcement actions; and (2) directed the legal and technical national enforcement activities for TSCA, FIFRA, EPCRA, and CERCLA programs including numerous national compliance and enforcement initiatives (including voluntary disclosures and audit compliance programs).

During his career, Mr. Jacobs received numerous EPA medal awards for exceptional and outstanding service. He served as an instructor at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center and EPA’s National Enforcement Training Institute. Mr. Jacobs had a Secret security clearance.

Mr. Jacobs’ formal education includes a B.A. from Trinity College, a J.D. from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, and a Masters in Taxation from George Washington University’s National Law Center. Prior to entering government service his private practice experience included specializing in international taxation at the former Coopers and Lybrand accounting firm (now known as PwC) and BNA, Inc. (now known as Bloomberg BNA).

William Jordan: William Jordan’s goal at Jacobs Law Firm PLLC is to provide strategic and tactical advice to companies, organizations, and individuals on regulatory issues involving pesticides. This is based on Mr. Jordan’s more than 40 years of experience working in several key EPA offices responsible for the federal government’s regulation of the sale, distribution, and use of pesticide products. He has an unparalleled comprehensive knowledge, experience and expertise concerning the laws, regulations, policies, and procedures of the pesticide regulatory program. In addition, Mr. Jordan knows both the senior managers and staff at EPA’s Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP), the group within EPA responsible for carrying out this program, as well as state officials throughout the United States.

William Jordan was the Deputy Director for Programs in OPP from 2012 – 2015. During that time, he was one of the three senior officials leading the EPA regulatory program responsible for the ensuring the safety of pesticide residues in food as well as the safety of nearly 20,000 pesticide products approved for use in the United States.

From 1998 – 2012 Mr. Jordan was the Senior Policy Adviser in the Immediate Office of OPP’s Director. He was a member of OPP’s senior management team responsible for developing policies on and making decisions for the most contentious and complex issues facing OPP. Mr. Jordan was the Associate Director of OPP’s Antimicrobials Division from 1996 to 1998. This was part of an office-wide reorganization which established a new, multidisciplinary division of 60 staff. He was Acting Director of OPP’s Field Operations Division from 1995 to 1996 where he managed EPA’s pesticide field programs and communications programs with a budget of $18 million and 60 staff. Prior to that position Mr. Jordan was the Deputy Director and Chief of Policy and Special Projects Staff in OPP from 1988 through 1995, and served as an Attorney Adviser in EPA’s Office of General Counsel from 1976 to 1988 specializing in pesticide matters.

Strain-Specific Cultivation Techniques