About: An overview of cannabis – from cultivation lessons, genetics and breeding insights, to harvesting, processing and different consumption methods. This lecture will share insights from worldwide cannabis industry travel, reveal trends in the cannabis world and offer unique explanations about cannabinoids, terpenes and flavonoids – and how to get the best from them!
Tom Forrest, Churchill Fellow – Cannabis Industry and Cultivation Expert
Bio: A global leader in the cannabis industry, Tom is the first ever Churchill Fellow for Cannabis Agronomy and publisher of a White Paper for the Australian industry on cannabis botany, global industry and cultivation. As part of this fellowship in 2019, Tom spent time at 50 licensed commercial growing operations in 10 different countries.
Tom has significant experience and formal education in business, horticulture and protected cropping, with specialist training in hydroponics and plant botany. Tom has intimate knowledge and understanding of pharmaceutical standards required of cannabis agronomy. This combined with his business and marketing qualifications and expertise has seen Tom become a sought-after lecturer, speaker and advisor on sustainable and successful cannabis cultivation.
Awarded ‘Advocate of the Year’ in the 2022 Australian Cannabis Awards, and pioneer of the ‘Cultivator of the Year’, Tom has been actively working in cannabis agronomy to further the Asia-Pacific industry. Most recently, Tom’s farm won the Environmental, Social and Governance Award, and the Industry Collaboration award at the 2023 Cannabis Industry Awards.
Tom has instigated and pioneered multiple successful cannabis projects in Australia and New Zealand including a university project in 2016/2017 and worked with more than 50 groups throughout Australia and New Zealand providing consulting and equipment procurement services.
Tom has worked with ASX listed companies, universities and private businesses in the Australian and Aotearoa New Zealand cannabis sector. Tom is a co-founder and Cultivation Director for Puro (Marlborough, NZ), co-founder and Managing Director of Indicated Technology Pty Ltd (Melbourne, VIC) and Communications Manager for Stealth Garden Wholesale (Adelaide, SA).
