Kristina Etter | December 31, 2018
2018 Review: 12 Months of CannabisTech
Remember how far you've come, not just how far you have to go. You are not where you want to be, but neither are you where you used to be. ~Rick Warren
Kristina Etter
Kristina Etter spent 20 years in corporate IT with a niche in mobile technology and IoT in agriculture. Today, she combines her love of technology with a passion for cannabis as the Editorial Director for Cannabis Tech.
Once again, it is the time of the year when most people are asked to participate in an annual review process of some type. A generally dreaded event where we’re asked to sit down with our superiors and talk about all the things we did or didn’t do over the last 365 days. However, one of my managers once reminded me that, “Occasionally, you have to step out of the trenches, look back, and realize just how far you’ve come.”
Although it has been about four years since I’ve had to take part in this ritual formally, I believe this advice is critical to the cannabis industry. We often get so fixated on moving forward; we forget to glance back, appreciate the richness of what we’ve learned, and celebrate the progress we’ve made. So as we look to 2019 with great anticipation, let’s take a moment to remember all that 2018 brought us.
Our Top Headlines this Year
As the current content editor for CannabisTech, I’m confident I speak for all of us when I say we’ve had a stellar year of articles, interviews, and webcasts. Our audience has grown more than ten-fold, and our global reach is expanding daily. Looking back over the months, these are the top ranking articles which led the charge:
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Little did we know in January of 2018, when we published Why the World Needs Hemp Plastics, that a year later, the industry would get the support it needs to push forward through federal reform and the passing of the Farm Bill.
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Extraction technology took the spotlight in February as Short-Path Distillation 101 became our top-ranked article, discussing the process and benefits of the high-tech extraction method.
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As daylight savings sprung forward in March, so did our article A Leap Forward in Cannabinoid Extraction with Ultrasonic Techniques, as it slid into the top slot for the month.
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In April, first place went to our overview of the science of tissue cultures in Cannabis Tissue Cultures 101, which provided a better understanding of the benefits and drawbacks of genetically identical plant specimens.
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Can Mobile Games Actually Help Cannabis Growers, reached the top in May, explored gamification within cannabis cultivation operations and how some game simulators may be useful tools in the education process.
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To usher in summer, we circled back to discuss the Commercialization of Hemp-based Bio-Plastics with Best Practices Plastics in June.
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In the month of July, we discussed A Solution for the Growing Cannabis Waste Problem. As the industry grows, the amount of waste produced is increasing, but how to dispose of it can be a challenge.
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The “Cannabidiol Explosion of 2018” will be remembered throughout time. Our article How to Make 99% Pure CBD Crystals to the top spot in analytics for the month of August.
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Purity remained a favorite topic in September, as Achieving Purity with Short Path Distillation took top accolades for receiving the most views.
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In October, we started the fourth quarter with a review of several Smart Grow Apps, as mobile technology continues to claim a significant stake in the cannabis industry.
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The Evolution of Ethanol Extraction gained momentum in November, as we discussed technology breakthroughs with Capna Fabrication.
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Another extraction technology, Hydrodynamic Cannabis Extraction, took center stage in December to round out our year.
Webcasts Gaining Ground
To the dismay of writers everywhere, as the pace of the world quickens, video webcasts and podcasts are gaining momentum as the preferred media. At CannabisTech, we are delighted to host a number of webcasts and podcasts in the cannabis sector. Here are the top video and audio webcasts for 2018 for each of our channels:
American Cannabis – Ellis Smith hosted several live webcasts this year, but none so popular as the interview with Dr. Alexey Peshkovsky, Ph.D., and subsequent article answering all the questions listeners had regarding ultrasonic liquid processing.
Cannabis Technologist – An Interview with Phil Gibson at AEssenseGrows allowed listeners to learn about advanced agriculture technology in the year’s most popular podcast for this channel.
Cultivate – New to CannabisTech this year, Genifer Murray’s webcast interviews cannabis professionals and life-changing moments. Her interview Chris Tuck, Wealth Advisor for SJK Wealth Management, about investing in the cannabis industry ranks in the top slot for most views in 2018 on her channel.
Ask A Hempster – In this top-ranked episode, Host Carell Lehrburger discusses Cloning Agricultural Hemp.
A Special Thanks to You, Our Readers
As we look back over the year at what we’ve learned and how far we’ve come, we know we owe our readers the most credit. Through your patronage, shares on social media, and general support of CannabisTech, we continue to grow.
Wishing you all a happy and safe New Year, we look forward to continuing our quest to bring you the latest science and technology in cannabis and hemp in the coming year. From all of us at CannabisTech, we can’t thank you enough for a stellar 2018!
