--- title: Because You Cann - A Family Farm in Alberta description: Serena Donovan, owner and CEO of Because You Cann, joined State of Craft to share what life is like and the challenges for a micro-cultivator in Alberta. image: https://certicraft.com/hubfs/State%20of%20Craft%20Ep%2022%20Cannabis%20%26%20Farming%20in%20Alberta-1.jpeg --- # Because You Cann - A Family Farm in Alberta Published
 Jun 08 2023 Last Updated Apr 06 2024 Author
 Sami Majadla ![Because You Cann - A Family Farm in Alberta](https://certicraft.com/hs-fs/hubfs/State%20of%20Craft%20Ep%2022%20Cannabis%20%26%20Farming%20in%20Alberta-1.jpeg?height=477&name=State%20of%20Craft%20Ep%2022%20Cannabis%20%26%20Farming%20in%20Alberta-1.jpeg) ##### Speak with us today! [Get in touch](https://certicraft.com/contact-us) Share - - - **On Episode 22 of The State of Craft, we were joined by Serena Donovan, owner and CEO of Because You Cann, the second micro-cultivation facility licensed in Alberta. ** **Serena and her husband Ian operate Because You Cann in addition to farming 4000 acres as a family business with their five adult children. ** **Serena and Sami discuss the challenges of operating a micro facility in Alberta and some ideas of how the situation can be improved to help businesses survive.** ** **[You can watch the full episode here.](https://certicraft.com/learn/state-of-craft-podcast/ep.22-cannabis-farming-in-alberta) For those who don’t have time to watch the full episode, here is a summary of some of the points discussed. - It’s great that we now have access to a wide variety of products. It feels safe to try new products. - Opportunities exist for collaborations and businesses to work together. - The application for AGLC license cost increased from $200 to $3000 since last year on top of licensing fees. They won’t let you sell your own product in your own store without buying it back through them. - We need LPs to look at bringing micros under their wing - it’s hard for micros to move product - Lots of amazing products are coming out of micros and need to get SKUs for their product. A lot of micros are sitting on a lot of product that they need to move. - We need collaboration with different companies to raise the whole industry. - As a micro-cultivator, you have to be willing to work with multiple partners. - Collaborations make sense - right now micros are all trying to do everything and it’s not sustainable. If someone can help with distribution, micros can focus on growing. - Consumers don’t know the challenges cultivators face. We need to find a way to get them to ask for micro product. Budtenders need to know as well and should promote local products. - Some companies have great information posters - but we need support from the government in making sure they get seen instead of forcing them to be taken down. - Different people respond to cannabis in different ways - some people get sleepy with sativas. We need to be able to talk about it, but we aren’t allowed to explain with informational posters. - Undercover AGLC Inspectors are a thing. - Excise tax should be removed from medical sales - we shouldn't be taxed on medicine, and it’s the only industry where that’s the case. - Every province is different for taxes and excise rates - this should be standardized. - Alberta is among the highest taxed provinces - it stops some cultivators from coming to market. - Taxes on cannabis buildings used to be covered under agricultural buildings and not taxed, but that has been removed and now they are taxed. Every level wants to tax cannabis and it’s not sustainable. - Health Canada and the CRA aren’t always helpful - sometimes they aren’t very forgiving for small mistakes. They aren’t always consistent in what they request. - Don’t be afraid of Health Canada and the CRA - they aren’t always right, and sometimes it’s worth talking to a supervisor. - Some auditors have no experience in the cannabis industry. [Watch the episode on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSiEcsphpgY). *This article was written in tandem with Mike F. * ### Ready to discover how much time, money, and stress CertiCraft can save you and your team? [ Book a Demo ](https://certicraft.com/contact-us) ## Related articles Here are some other posts with the Cannabis Policy tag. ![WATCH: Easy Cannabis Distribution with CertiCraft Compliance Software](https://certicraft.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Distribution%20Feature%20Iamge.jpg?width=470&height=260&name=Distribution%20Feature%20Iamge.jpg) ###### WATCH: Easy Cannabis Distribution with CertiCraft Compliance Software Watch how CertiCraft simplifies cannabis distribution and sales. Our all-in-one solution streamlines your operations, saves time, and reduces errors. [ Open Article ](https://certicraft.com/learn/cannabis-compliance/watch-all-in-one-cannabis-distribution-with-certicraft-compliance-software) ![Canada’s Cannabis Crisis: Over-Taxation is Strangling Licensed Producers](https://certicraft.com/hs-fs/hubfs/government%20overtaxation%20farmers%20screwed.png?width=470&height=260&name=government%20overtaxation%20farmers%20screwed.png) ###### Canada’s Cannabis Crisis: Over-Taxation is Strangling Licensed Producers Why are cannabis taxes in Canada so burdensome for businesses? Here's how cannabis excise tax and other fees are drowning the industry. It’s time to rethink cannabis tax. [ Open Article ](https://certicraft.com/learn/cannabis-policy/canadas-cannabis-taxation-crisis-how-over-taxation-is-hurting-cannabis-businesses) ![Why They Switched (Back) to CertiCraft #10: Enigma Farms](https://certicraft.com/hs-fs/hubfs/clienttestimonial_enigma_rough2-1.png?width=470&height=260&name=clienttestimonial_enigma_rough2-1.png) ###### Why They Switched (Back) to CertiCraft #10: Enigma Farms Hear why Enigma Farms switched back to CertiCraft Seed to Sale Software after trying out a competitor. Spoiler: CertiCraft is easy to learn & easy to love. [ Open Article ](https://certicraft.com/learn/case-studies/why-they-switched-to-certicraft-10-enigma-farms) ![Why They Switched to CertiCraft #9: Sathiananthan Farms](https://certicraft.com/hs-fs/hubfs/clienttestimonial_sam_rough2.png?width=470&height=260&name=clienttestimonial_sam_rough2.png) ###### Why They Switched to CertiCraft #9: Sathiananthan Farms Read how CertiCraft Seed to Sale Compliance Software helped cultivator Sathiananthan Farms from day 1, with responsive customer service and easy reporting. [ Open Article ](https://certicraft.com/learn/case-studies/why-they-switched-to-certicraft-testimonial-sathiananthan-farms) [ View all posts ](https://certicraft.com/learn) ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Sami Majadla", "url" : "https://certicraft.com/learn/author/sami-majadla" }, "dateModified" : "2024-04-06T00:32:12.715Z", "datePublished" : "2023-06-08T15:58:14.000Z", "headline" : "Because You Cann - A Family Farm in Alberta", "image" : [ "https://certicraft.com/hubfs/State%20of%20Craft%20Ep%2022%20Cannabis%20&%20Farming%20in%20Alberta-1.jpeg" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://certicraft.com/learn/cannabis-policy/because-you-cann-alberta", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://certicraft.com/hubfs/CertiCraft_Logo_Main.png" }, "name" : "CertiCraft" } } ```