Connect with us

Cannabis News

150 acres of greenhouse projects delivered, and strong outlook for 2026

Published

2 weeks ago

on

“This year has been exceptional for our team and our customers,” said Abe Wiebe, Founder and Director of Greenhouse Sales at Universal Fabricating. The North American manufacturer and integrator of commercial greenhouse solutions today announced the successful completion of a record year of significant growth, operational excellence and strong demand for high-tech protected crops in North America.

“Project 150 hectares in a challenging, fast-paced and competitive market is a testament to the dedication of our employees, partners and subcontractors, the strength of our supply chain and the trust growers place in our solutions.”

© Universal Fabrication

© Universal Fabrication

© Universal Fabrication

© Universal Fabrication

Double Diamond Growers’ 73-acre New Construction expansion in Ontario has recently been completed

Highlights of the 2025 project
In 2025, Universal Fab completed around 150 hectares of greenhouse projects, many of which had to be completed within tight deadlines. Projects ranged from advanced glass greenhouses to turnkey controlled environment greenhouse installations.

US expansion
Reflecting on the year, Abe has noticed a large expansion of projects in the USA. In addition to the Canadian production facility in Ontario, Universal Fabricating also has a production location in Texas. He attributes some of this growth to local expertise.

“Operating in the US gives us insight into local market conditions and consumer preferences, increasing our competitiveness,” he explained, adding that the ability to pivot between markets and supply chains provides a decisive competitive advantage across borders.

“Having a US manufacturing facility allows us to source materials domestically, avoiding the import tariffs we would otherwise incur if shipped from Canada, while continuing to leverage our Canadian manufacturing facilities for domestic projects.”

In a year characterized primarily by tariff-induced cost increases, the strategic allocation of production and materials helped the company better serve its customers.

© Universal FabricationIn November of this year, foundation work began on the new 25-hectare expansion of Southern Flavor Farms in Georgia, USA.

2025 investments
In 2025, Universal Fabricating became a member of the National Association of Greenhouse Manufacturers and participated in several trade shows in North America. The company also continued to invest in engineering, automation integration and project management capabilities, further strengthening its operational base.

© Universal Fabrication

© Universal Manufacturing

© Universal Manufacturing

Construction of a 30-acre Phase 3 expansion at Undersun Acres in Staples Ontario, scheduled for completion by the end of January 2026.

Forecasts for 2026
Looking ahead to 2026, despite ongoing global uncertainties and challenges, Universal Fab enters the year with a stable order book and a healthy project pipeline, reflecting sustained demand for greenhouse capacity and modernization.

Abe expects further growth driven by new greenhouse developments and expansions in planning or execution, greater adoption of energy-saving technologies and smart climate designs, and continued investment in people, digital tools and strategic partnerships.

“We see continued momentum in 2026, particularly in high-efficiency greenhouses and innovations,” Abe added. “We will continue our focus on execution excellence, innovation and supporting producers as they sustainably scale. We have strong fundamentals and clear strategic priorities, and we will continue to deliver value to our customers in 2026 and beyond.”

For more information:
Universal Manufacturing
Abe Wiebe
Sales Director and Co-Owner
Telephone: +1 519-326-1333 ext. 219
Email: (email protected)
www.universal-fab.com

Canadian Headquarters:
1956 Setterington Drive, Kingsville, Ontario N9Y 2E5

US Division:
4131 Country Road, Sunman, Texas 75486

Related Topics:
Continue Reading

Cannabis News

Technical advances in cannabis curing focus on water activity and terpene stability

Published

6 hours ago

on

January 18, 2026

By

Curing is one of those phases of cannabis production that almost everyone agrees is important, but that importance hardly translates into cannabis facilities. It’s understandable that growers want to maximize their canopy space first and foremost. After all, more flowers, more income. However, the irony is that by the time a plant reaches the curing room, most of the money has already been spent. The genetics are locked in, the lights have done their job, the rooms have been marked, the harvest has been carefully handled. And yet, quality is often validated or left behind.

Simon Knobel of Calyx Containers has spent an amazing amount of time thinking about this disintegration. The company started about 9 years ago, when Simon and his co-founder Alex were still in school and adult cannabis was becoming legal in Massachusetts. “Back then, cannabis packaging meant pill bottles, borrowed wholesale from the pharmaceutical world and reused without much thought,” explains Simon. “Our initial instinct wasn’t to do something revolutionary. It was just to build something that made sense for cannabis.”

As the company developed a range of packaging formats, the focus was on quality at the point of sale. “Scent retention, ease of use, shelf life, that was the pace of our design process. What took longer to fully register was that the degradation didn’t just happen after packaging. In many cases, it was already baked in during curing.”

Simon and Calyx did extensive market research to understand what was happening with quality degradation. “It’s good to talk not only with operators, but with consumers.” A story stuck. Simon recalls interviewing a client who was on a ski trip with his family and trying to hide the fact that he had cannabis with him. This awkwardness of smell, discretion and manipulation became a design problem. The sliding cover, integrated gasket, meant the elimination of the twisting motion that gave some users a literal pain in the wrist. But it also opened up a deeper line of research.

As Calyx began to talk more seriously with growers, a recurring question came up. Where exactly does quality start to slip? To answer this, the company partnered with the Cannabis Research Coalition and worked with Dr. Allison Justice on research based on the cure. “What we found was that it wasn’t particularly comfortable for anyone relying on legacy methods,” says Simon. “One of the biggest drivers of terpene preservation was the stability of water activity. When water activity drops below 0.55 aW, the stomata begin to collapse, then shrink, then break. At that point, the mono-terpenes escape.”

These mono-terpenes are responsible for most of the aromas associated with quality cannabis. “They are also volatile in nature. Once they’re gone, they’re gone,” highlighted Simon.

© Calyx Vessels

Basic methods and alternatives
Traditional healing methods are based on burping. Opening containers, exchanging air, manually regulating humidity. “This methodology works, but it also introduces oxygen. In addition, the plant material is also subject to mechanical stress. Both oxygen and mechanical stress accelerate degradation, thus hampering quality.”

Calyx Cure was designed as an alternative to that ritual. “Instead of active intervention, Calyx Cure uses a passive atmospheric film with selective permeation properties. The layers are designed to allow specific gases to move through the material while others are restricted. Biological curing processes continue, but without opening the container, without introducing excess oxygen and without handling the flower.”

In controlled studies, Calyx saw a 33% improvement in monoterpene profile preservation compared to traditional approaches such as turkey pouches. “Practically speaking, that first hit of aroma you get when you open a jar, driven largely by monoterpenes, is intact.”

Complicating the picture is that curing is not reversible. There is a persistent belief that if cannabis dries out too much, there are no moisture packs or other interventions that can bring it back. “Excessive drying slows down the enzymatic reactions, alters the aging process and permanently changes the composition of the terpenes. Once the quality is lost at that stage, the bottle cannot revive it,” he said.

© Calyx Vessels

Curing and speed to market
Therefore, post-harvest processes cannot be the last element of cannabis facility design. “Sometimes speed or short-term cost savings drive the decision. Cure less, move product faster and assume the container will handle the rest.” Market dynamics don’t help either. When a new market opens and the shelves are empty, speed is rewarded and cutting corners can be the difference between hitting dispensaries later.

Calyx approaches it as a manufacturing and engineering problem rather than a branding exercise. Unlike much of the packaging industry, which operates largely as a middleman, Calyx operates its own factory in Utah. “That vertical integration allows us to iterate quickly. New designs can be prototyped in 1 or 2 weeks.”

This can be a huge plus, as quality control is a hot topic in the wider world of agriculture, not just cannabis. The industry often talks about wanting nutraceutical or food standards. These industries have already solved the complexity of the supply chain. They know how to produce in one region and deliver consistently to another. Cannabis, especially if it wants to move globally, will need similar discipline.”

And as with food packaging, sustainability is part of that equation in cannabis. Calyx has extensively studied compostable and hemp-based structures. “Compostable materials struggle with terpene conservation and water activity control. If the package breathes too much, the plant pays the price.”

Instead, Calyx’s approach to sustainability is based on reducing the use of materials at the manufacturing level. “The cover molded joint is a good example,” explains Simon. “Traditional seals require cutting circular inserts from large sheets, creating huge waste. We’ve designed molds where a small amount of polymer forms the cover and joint in one plane, creating almost zero waste and a fully recyclable component.”

Healing, it seems, is not passive waiting. “It’s an active and fragile process,” says Simon. “And like most fragile things in cannabis, it benefits from being engineered rather than inherited.”

For more information:
Calyx vessels
1991 W Parkway Blvd. West Valley City, UT, 84119-2026
724-303-7481
(email protected)
calyxcontainers.com

Continue Reading

Cannabis News

Michigan Lawmakers Weigh Bill To Create Statewide Cannabis Reference Lab To Standardize Testing

Published

6 hours ago

on

January 18, 2026

By

The facility “will allow us to inspect test results from private laboratories.”

By Katherine Dailey, Michigan Advance

Seeking to ensure stricter safety controls in Michigan’s cannabis industry, Representative Mike Mueller (R-Linden) introduced a bill to the Michigan House Rules Committee on Thursday that would establish a statewide cannabis reference laboratory to standardize testing facilities across the state.

The legislation, House Bill 4501, would establish a lab that was first funded in fiscal year 2024 appropriations and has been in the process of opening ever since.

Derek Sova, policy and legislative assistant for the Michigan Cannabis Regulatory Agency, explained to the committee that this bill was essential to ensure that laboratories had explicit authority to possess marijuana, given that it is still a federally illegal substance.

Currently, there are 17 privately owned and state-licensed cannabis testing facilities or laboratories in Michigan, Sova explained.

But some manufacturers will engage in what they call “lab shopping,” where multiple labs test their products until they get the results they want.

This laboratory, he said, “will allow us to inspect the results of private laboratory tests.”

“We are not looking to take responsibility for the test,” Sova continued. “Our goal is to make sure that the labs that do the testing themselves, that the labs get the correct test results that have to do with the testing.”

He added that the laboratory will also provide the opportunity to carry out research in-house, as opposed to asking a private laboratory to conduct state examinations.

“What this would do is to have a central state-regulated lab that would be able to take samples from every lab that tests marijuana to make sure they’re not getting bad samples or that the bigger producers are manipulating some of the findings to make sure they’re not pushing things that could go wrong with marijuana,” Mueller said.

Representatives from the Michigan Cannabis Industry Association and the state Office of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs also expressed support. invoice.

This story was first published by the Michigan Advance.

Marijuana Moment is made possible with the help of readers. If you rely on our pro-cannabis journalism to stay informed, consider a monthly Patreon pledge.

Continue Reading

Cannabis News

Vivent Biosignals & Green Laniel join forces to bring plant-driven agriculture to the US

Published

1 day ago

on

January 17, 2026

By











Vivent Biosignals and Green Laniel Consulting have announced a partnership to accelerate plant-driven irrigation and irrigation in key U.S. agricultural markets. Green Laniel Consulting is a US-focused provider of agronomic solutions led by Mauricio Manotas.

By combining Vivent’s ability to decode plant biosignals in real-time using plant biosensors, machine learning and AI with Green Laniel’s deep experience in agronomy, grower operations and US market access, the partnership allows growers to make decisions based on what really matters: how the plant itself is responding.

© Vivent Biosignals

The partnership will cover a variety of crops and production systems, initially plant-driven irrigation and greenhouses for perennial crops, including potatoes, directly guided by plant feedback.

“By combining Vivint’s plant-level intelligence with Green Laniel’s strong presence and agronomic leadership in the US, we are enabling a new generation of plant-driven farming systems. This partnership helps growers improve yields and quality while significantly increasing resource efficiency and sustainability.” says Mauricio Manotas, Green Laniel Consulting.

For more information:
Vivent Biosignals
Tel.: +41 79 5114627
Email: (email protected)
https://vivent-biosignals.com/



Publication date:













Continue Reading
Advertisement

Trending

Copyright © 2021 The Art of MaryJane Media