Ryan Calamia and Eva Erickson started Haze Valley Nursery (formerly Radio Ridge nursery) in 2016 in northern California. Shortly thereafter they were joined by Matt Alldridge and Hollis Buchanan in 2017. In late 2020 the operation was going through massive struggles fighting hop latent viroid. They were not able to get accurate and sensitive enough test results to identify infected plants and recover from the outbreak. At that moment, TUMI Genomics decided to enter the cannabis industry designing a qPCR diagnostic test with 3 internal controls to accurately detect Hop Latent Viroid (HLVd).

The Haze Valley team was able to stay ahead of the problem thanks to TUMI Genomics. Over the course of 10 months of regular testing and the implementation of improved standard operating procedures (SOPs), they successfully reduced the level of HLVd from 30% to under 5%, saving over $80,000 that would have been spent on inaccurate testing and lost revenue. Today, Haze Valley is under a testing program with TUMI Genomics that is allowing them to stay clean.

The Challenge for Radio Ridge in 2021

In mid 2020 the team at Haze Valley knew they had a problem. Their plants were not looking healthy and they had spotted “stunted” plants in the facility next door. After finding a few positive test results for hop latent viroid in their crop, the team realized their facility was suffering from a pathogen outbreak. Unfortunately, the search for solutions was not reliable. Test results from different local labs were inconsistent and slow. The sample collection systems were inconvenient and often resulted in sample degradation. By early 2021, Haze Valley was spending $11,000 a month on HLVd testing but was not able to reduce the frequency of HLVd positive plants. They even started sending complimentary clones when they heard clients complain that something was wrong with what they believed to be tested, clean plants.

Frustrated with their testing results, the team made the decision to conduct an experiment: she would conduct a blind test by sending the exact same sample to multiple labs with different numbering. The results were wildly inconsistent, with labs getting positive and negative results for the same samples. After running this experiment a few times, the team at Haze Valley came to the conclusion that using these labs for further testing would never help the nursery recover from hop latent viroid.

Why Haze Valley Nursery chose TUMI Genomics

Eva Erickson is credited with introducing TUMI Genomics to the world of cannabis pathogens. TUMI Genomics began by developing diagnostic tests for the human health industry during the 2020 pandemic, but switched gears to agricultural pathogens after Eva described how hop latent viroid was devastating not just her operation , but the cannabis industry in general.

The first call between the teams was perfectly timed. Haze Valley was looking for a dependable solution, and the scientific team at TUMI Genomics was capable of developing one. The accuracy of TUMI Genomics’ HLVd test was demonstrated when the assay was subjected to the same blind experiment that Haze Valley had devised for the other, unsuccessful labs. The results from TUMI Genomics were precise, dependable, and quick. Not only were the results accurate but the TUMI team spent time explaining and educating Haze Valley about viroids and helping to improve SOPs to limit spread.

In the following months, Haze Valley Nursery was able to recover from hop latent viroid with the assistance of TUMI Genomics. Delivering clean products to their customers instilled confidence in the market, allowing them to continue their path to growth.

Today, the Haze Valley team is strict and consistent when it comes to HLVd testing;

“Now we are diligent in ensuring that our mother stock is clean…we quarantine and test three times any new genetic that we take in”.

Consistent results from TUMI Genomics

As TUMI Genomics' first customer, the Haze Valley team was instrumental in helping to develop and test sample collection procedures that are unique in the market due both to simplicity and a process that ensures the integrity of the sample and allows legal shipping of samples across state lines.

Haze valley became a recurring customer due to the consistency of the results, the timely turnaround, and the expertise and educational approach of the TUMI Genomics’ team.

“The consistency of the results demonstrates that we are truly working with educated scientists”

Lowering positivity rates while saving thousands of dollars

Before partnering with TUMI Genomics, “we (Haze Valley) were losing $30K a month between inconsistent testing and filling affected orders. Since we began with TUMI, positivity rates for HLVd at Haze Valley dropped from 30% to under 5%. With a dramatic reduction in the number of customers requesting replacement clones due to HLVd positive plants, the company has generated savings of around $8,000 a month”.

From Radio Ridge to Haze Valley Nursery

The Radio Ridge crew is continuing on their path to success. After consolidating the business as a reputable source of clones and teens, and significantly growing their customer base, the team has moved its operations to a new location in Corralitos Valley near Watsonville, CA. With the inclusion of Sjoerd Broeks, a respected and original grower from The Netherlands, the team has established a new company, Haze Valley Nursery. Eva is pleased to see that now their clients are more educated about pathogens.

“One of the first questions you get now is, “do you test for HLVd?”

With the transition to Haze Valley Nursery comes a fresh emphasis on stepping up phenohunt efforts and funding R&D initiatives. The company will be able to provide superior clones and teens for their clients in a pathogen-free setting supported by this new focus. Haze Valley intends to expand their clientele and market, producing more clones in the over 40,000 square feet of canopy they are now building in a natural environment.

Haze Valley nursery continues to partner with TUMI Genomics to ensure they are providing the cleanest, healthiest clones possible to the market.

“Every smart cultivator needs to test for pathogens”

How Haze Valley Nursery Controlled an HLVd Outbreak