Innovator Spotlight:
LightSky Farms
Burton, MI
Innovator Spotlight:
LightSky Farms was founded in Traverse City, MI, in 2009 by Shannon Walters. His background included winemaking, cultivation, and specialty wines, and he translated these techniques and his scientific knowledge to produce high quality, meaningful products in the cannabis industry. Since then, LightSky Farms has become a cult favorite in the ultra-competitive Michigan market, while Shannon has become a 40x High Times Cannabis Award winner and achieved a World Cup in CBD.
It is easy to see why so many Michiganians are loyal to the brand. The expert growers at LightSky Farms are driven by quality and dedicated to their craft at every stage. Nutrients are hand-mixed, moms are hand-watered in nurseries, food and water are carefully curated and treated, and each plant gets all the attention and love of a single child. Although not cheap or easy, the minutia and extreme care exhibited at LightSky Farms sets it apart as a one-of-a-kind brand, whose products deliver a well-rounded profile and an unsurpassed experience.
LightSky Farms has emphasized quality through cutting-edge technology and best practices since their founding. Their experts gather data and use analytic equipment to decipher the bigger picture. Pheno hunting and selective breeding allow them to grow novel strains with unique profiles Fluence’s VYPR and RAZR-M LEDs enable maximum optimization, plant expression, and energy efficiency from seedling to harvest.
The latest example of exploring cutting-edge technology is LightSky’s trials with Fluence’s VYNE intercanopy lighting. Analyzing data from multiple trials, LightSky Farms has seen the total market value of their crop increase due to improvements in the consistency of bud size, mass, and chemical potency.
By “spoon-feeding” each plant with the exact inputs it needs—nutrients, water, light, et al., its full genetic potential can be reached. This meticulous passion helps to explain how LightSky Farms and Shannon Walters manage to bring out colors, aromas, and flavors that most growers rarely achieve.
Project Overview
| Cultivator Name: | LightSky Farms |
| Location: | Burton, MI |
| Crop: | Cannabis |
| Fluence Fixture: | VYPR 2p, RAZR-M, VYPR 3x2 |
| Type of Facility: | Indoor (85,000 square feet) |
| Results: | Reduced energy costs Improved flower quality Greater environmental control |
Challenges
Ultra-competitive Michigan cannabis market
High barrier costs to entry
Needed advanced technologies with deep data capabilities
ChallengesCut Edges, Not Corners
Quality is the central pillar at LightSky Farms. Each technology, process, and package is filtered through the lens of the customer’s experience. Instead of cutting corners, the expert growers at LightSky employ cutting-edge technology with a data-driven approach. They dabble in new ways to improve their facility and final products, and they operate on the frontier of information and science. Their philosophy towards superior quality requires extensive trials and testing with high thresholds, including High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). From the start, Walters and his all-star team trialed a variety of lighting options before deciding that Fluence fixtures worked the “absolute best.” Fluence’s VYPR fixtures were a natural choice for growing high-quality cannabis that is rich in cannabinoids and desirable terpenes. Intercanopy lighting is just one major example of LightSky’s dedication to innovation.
LightSky Farm’s 85,000-square-foot facility is entirely vertically integrated, meaning all the magic happens under one roof. The operation utilizes four flower rooms (with three cultivars per room), a dual-tier rack, an up-down flowering room, a seed test room, a mother room, and a nursery. Fluence VYPR LEDs provide ideal lighting conditions and spectra across the various stages. Each room hosts 90 Fluence fixtures at 660 watts with advanced controls, such as wireless flex dimming, which provide total environmental control and optimal light intensities to achieve peak quality.
ResultsWorld-Class Expertise
LightSky’s success is made apparent by loyal customers and copious awards. After more than thirteen years in Michigan, Shannon Walters and his expert team continue to produce the most popular and celebrated cannabis strains and products. By using 100% original source material with no additives, customers know exactly what they are getting when they buy premium THC and CBD products from LightSky, including flower, tinctures, topicals, pre-rolls, edibles, and award-winning cartridges. LightSky Farms combines world-class expertise with leading technologies and best practices to cultivate the award-winning experience that continues to mesmerize Michiganians—as well as those who travel there to see what they’ve been missing.
Reduced energy costs
Improved flower quality
Greater environmental control
