“Necessity is the Mother of Invention”

Dr. Robert Flannery is the first PhD in the United States with certified technical expertise in growing commercial Cannabis.

While going through cancer treatment, Dr. Flannery’s mom sought recommendations for safely medicating with Cannabis. Dr. Flannery’s unmatched expertise in the field and his absolute vigilance for his mom’s health created the most stringent standards – no applied chemicals, no pesticides, and no additional risks of being harmful to his mother.

No products matched his high standards for his mom, so Dr. Flannery decided to make his own clean product. And in doing so, Dr. Robb Farms was born.

Dr. Robb Farms products are made with care, for the people we care about.

Informing the Industry

So, he’s pretty good at growing Cannabis, but something irked him when he first started working in the industry. Other than the antiquated methods and technology that he regularly came across while consulting with other growers, he noticed the overabundance of pesticides and plant growth regulators they used on their plants. Dr. Flannery informed them that using a chemical that is a suspected mutagen, a known carcinogen, or that simply turns into cyanide when applied with heat is in fact turning this medicine into poison. The resounding responses to these warnings were “Don’t care.” Well, Dr. Flannery does care.

What’s your PhD in?

When Dr. Robby Flannery was working on his PhD research, he was regularly asked by friends and colleagues, “Hey, what’s your PhD in?” Naturally, Robby would reply, “My PhD work is in Plant Biology with an emphasis in Environmental Horticulture with a specific expertise in hydroponic crop optimization for cut-flower production.” To this long-winded response, he often heard, “So, growing weed then?”

Although he didn’t know at the time, Dr. Flannery would end up “growing weed”. Come to find out, he’s really good at it, too. When he first entered the Cannabis industry, he came to understand that he was the first PhD in the United States with specific expertise and technical training in commercial Cannabis production. He applied his training to his first grow cycle which resulted in an increase in yield by 33%. Over the first year, he saw an average increase in overall cannabinoid content by 37%. This was all through implementing typical practices that he has learned since he started working in the horticultural world in 1999. And don’t even get him started on the advanced light pigment manipulation research he’s currently conducting on Cannabis with his friends at UC Davis, Cornell University, and an industry leading lighting group.