In British Columbia, the largest cannabis harvest in Canadian history

A harvest of 60,000 cannabis plants is underway in Rock Creek, British Columbia, in what is expected to be one of the largest legal outdoor cannabis harvests in North America.

The farm's 24 hectares of cannabis SpeakEasy Cannabis Company are secured by a tall wire-mesh fence equipped with surveillance cameras and motion detectors, as well as a row of barbed wire at the top. Over the next few weeks, the farm is expected to harvest approximately 70,000 kilos of cannabis.

As far as we know, it will be the biggest harvest »of Canadian history," said farmer Marc Geen, founder of SpeakEasy.

He believes this also overshadows any legal operations south of the Canadian border, since U.S. regulations do not allow for such large-scale outdoor cultivation.

Marc Geen's secret? «It really depends on the weather,» he said declared the farmer, who proved capable of producing large quantities of cannabis outdoors without relying on expensive greenhouses or other equipment needed to protect the plants.

«The temperatures are perfect. They don't go above 40°C, but rather range from 32 to 35°C during the summer (and) it's very, very dry.»

Marc Geen comes from a family of farmers that has been tending the lush lands of the Okanagan—the region in the southern part of the province—for five generations. His company received its medical license to grow cannabis seven years ago and was approved for its first outdoor recreational cannabis crop last spring. Today, the company’s approximately 80 employees are working hard to cultivate 24 hectares of cannabis.

One of the drying rooms

Marc Geen, the founder of Speakeasy

«I think it’s really good for the community,» said Isis Morrison, an employee at the farm who lost her main source of income during the COVID-19 pandemic. «Personally, because of COVID, I wouldn’t have a job if it weren’t for this wonderful place.»

Most of the large cannabis harvest will be sold as dried flower, with the remainder to be processed into oil for tinctures or vape pen.