THE HEMP ISSUE
R O GU E VA L L E Y , O R E G O N
MISSIONLAGOFARM
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Drone photo courtesy farm
OREGONLEAF.COM
Mission Lago Farm was founded in 2016 with the sole purpose of crafting the very best hemp available. After prepping the beautiful property and developing the foundations of the business, the crew at Mission Lago had an incredibly successful first-season cultivating and selling thousands of pounds of premium hemp flower. They rely on strictly organic growing methods, combined with Southern Oregon’s climate and a small, passionate staff. With 99 percent of hemp cultivation companies focused on scaled biomass production intended for extraction, these seasoned Cannabis growers have found a way to differentiate themselves with an ultra-premium product not found elsewhere. Oregon Leaf was fortunate enough to catch a tour of their incredible Rogue Valley farm just before harvest and sit down with Founder and CEO Nick Akins to learn what sets Mission Lago apart.
OCT. 2018
By NATE WILLIAMS @NATEW415 / OREGON LEAF
How and when was Mission Lago founded?
Mission Lago Farm was started two years ago when Ethan Brown, the Simpson family and myself had a strong interest in the hemp/CBD market. We believe (and have seen first hand) that CBD has incredible benefits to the human body as well as animals and we felt that the CBD market was on the verge of exploding. After traveling to several states researching the markets and landscapes available, we decided on Southern Oregon. This area has some of the best growing conditions in the country and Oregon has one of the best and most well-run hemp programs in the US. It was a great fit for our team and our vision. What went into picking this site/property?
Our main farm is located in Rogue Valley, just outside of Central Point, Oregon. This valley has one of the best microclimates, that is ideal for outdoor growing, that we have seen in Oregon. Prior to us purchasing, the land was used primarily for a livestock farm for the past 20 years, which has made the soil incredibly fertile for growing hemp. Great soil and very strong water rights were some of the biggest factors in selecting this property for our operation.
Is the goal to produce biomass for others to utilize or will Mission Lago also develop its own products?
Our main focus and niche market is CBD hemp flower. This is really the only product we produce besides extraction material. Our grower Ethan Brown has been a medical grower for almost 20 years and is very particular about the flowers themselves as well as preserving the terpenes and structure. Our harvest process is unlike any other hemp farm, as we focus on the flower and producing high-quality extraction material (biomass) rich in CBD content, terpenes and flavor. We do not hard dry or mulch any of our product as we believe that ruins the overall quality. It takes a much longer amount of time and labor to achieve this but we have found that there is a very large CBD flower market domestically and internationally. Both markets demand a high-quality final product. What genetics are you running?
This season we are growing seven different strains. Our best selling from last year Special Sauce, as well as Elektra, Lifter, Pineberry, AC/DC, Suver Haze and Sour Space Candy. These genetics have all been bred specifically for the Oregon climate. They are typically done in the middle of September and out of the ground before the rains start to come down in October.