Ascension Farm
The tight-knit team
There’s Fire in Maine
A lot of people start growing because they want the dank—very few make a career out of it. But for co-owner of Ascension Farm, Jeff Winnard, a single plant helped steer him to success and this entire sea of green. Now the crew at Ascension is riding the waves of success in the Maine medicinal market, with eyes on the horizon for what’s up ahead.
Strive to grow to a higher standard
High up on a hill, on a peaceful plot hidden behind houses and pastureland in a town with a smaller population than most sports stadiums, something is growing. The tight-knit team at Ascension Farm in Farmingdale, Maine have been quietly building something beautiful among a growing community.
Assembling the cultivation A-Team
Brought together by their mutual passion for the plant, each person in this trio of cultivators brings their own unique set of superpowers to Ascension. Co-owner, Jeff, handles the branding, creative, and business side, while Co-owner Douglas has more of a hand in managing the day-to-day at their facilities. Chris, an electrician by trade but committed cultivator in his own right, brings the edge they need to stay on the forefront of technology, streamlining their systems from top to bottom, while keeping tabs on everything—from root to tip of the trichrome.
“Once we got AROYA you're kind of able to be at 10 places at once. And you can do that from your couch."
Jeff Winnard,
Co-Founder Ascension Farm
of operation
revenue increase in 2 years
per light before AROYA
per light after AROYA
"I think once, which I don't know if it was an anomaly or not with the GMO, we hit five and we were like, at 120 grams of square foot or something like that."
Jeff Winnard,
Co-Founder Ascension Farm
“Once we got AROYA you're kind of able to be at 10 places at once. And you can do that from your couch."
Jeff Winnard,
Co-Founder Ascension Farm
Do the most with the least
Step into their inconspicuous setup and you’re immediately hit with the efficiency that’s built into their operations. Walls of expertly-arranged Dosatrons. An impressive suite of environmental sensors (we quickly spotted the ATMOS 14 in their drying room and AROYA Nose hard at work in their flower rooms). Then there’s the platform: dedicated dual monitors display their data in AROYA while iPads around the facility give the entire team visibility to see their tasks for the day and what’s going on in their grow via readings like light, substrate EC, and room Vapor Pressure Deficit (VPD). Another huge plus: it’s allowed them more freedom to step away.
Laid-back and legacy
The proof that their decisions are paying off aren't just found in the end product, but the culture they’ve created for themselves. Simplifying their workflows with tech has given their team more tools to learn, grow, and do better. Now everyone has access to data to guide their decisions, merging the art of legacy growing with metrics, and letting the team push their plants at the right times during each phase of growth. For Jeff, crop steering his craft cultivars is more than just pushing what’s possible in the realm of THC levels and terps.
Happy employees and good weed
Now that Jeff, Douglas, and Chris are closing in on six years of operating experience, they’re looking forward to the future. Next up for their cannabusiness plans include more vertical integration, like expanding into the retail space and opening their own Ascension brand of dispensaries. Mainers can also expect to see their products hit the recreational market soon, because if there’s one thing we have learned since interviewing the guys at this grow, it’s this: once they set their sights on something, nothing seems to stop them.
And we’re stoked to be a part of that.
“It's really, the process is like a Zen kind of activity that you get into. And when you get to see the plants blossom and turn into something, it's just a really good feeling…the amount of time that has to go into growing the weed and at the end of it, it's like when it works, it's just an amazing feeling.”
Jeff Winnard,
Co-Founder Ascension Farm
