Underground growing operation is aboveboard.

Even if you don't recognize the name you have probably heard about Prairie Plant Systems. They are the Saskatoon-based company doing research for Health Canada on the development of medicinal marijuana. This contract helped put Prairie Plant Systems on the map as a credible producer of plant made pharmaceuticals (PMP) establishing it as a world leader in the development of biosecure underground growth chambers (BUGC).

In the early 1990s, Prairie Plant Systems began to explore the possibility of developing a growth chamber in the unused portion of an otherwise active mine in Flin Flon, Manitoba where miners reported that discarded orange and apple seeds had grown to six inches in complete darkness. One of the first crops that Prairie Plants grew underground was long stemmed roses. The trial produced 80 plants and 1,100 roses that were later given to the miners.

The challenge in growing plants underground is light distribution. With sufficient lighting in place, a mine offers all of the environmental parameters necessary to efficiently grow plants. Prairie Plant Systems has discovered that with waste heat from lighting systems and constant geothermal temperatures, the cost of operation for an underground growth chamber is similar to traditional greenhouses above ground.

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In fact, plants grow better underground. Slightly elevated levels of [CO.sub.2] and strict control of environmental parameters mean that plants spend less energy on stress response and allocate more energy to growth. The company predicts that a two-acre underground facility could produce products and/or PMP biomass worth between $100 million and $300 million per year.

Growing plants underground makes sense. Many of the risks commonly associated with PMP production are alleviated by the use of BUGCs. Mine locations are isolated from farmland and surface crops. All inputs are well defined with little chance of contamination or environmental impact. Concerns about impact on wildlife are eliminated, physical entry is highly secure and movement within the facility is regulated. In fact, the Flin Flon facility's lab-like conditions and level 8 security make it the first of its kind in the world. By comparison, level 5 security is required for labs that handle the Ebola virus.

Prairie Plant Systems has expanded to three underground research facilities including a 22,500-acre underground mine in Michigan that the company obtained in 2004.

Prairie Plant Systems' other lines of business include environmental reclamation and contract propagation and research.

Prairie Plant Systems' success has attracted a variety of investors but President and CEO, Brent Zettl credits the vision of early investors like Golden Opportunities Fund with helping his company succeed. "The investment climate within Saskatchewan could be characterized as 'conservative to pessimistic' at best. The investment made by Golden Opportunities Fund has encouraged our company that venture capital financing is plausible today. Investment into small companies like Prairie Plant Systems is critical to realize new opportunities presented by the combination of advancing technologies and new markets."