Let’s start at the beginning—what was your first connection to cannabis, and how did that evolve into breeding?

I had two older brothers that first introduced me to Cannabis at a young age. I began to grow my own plants indoors in my late 20s from seeds ordered out of Marc Emery;s Cannabis Culture Magazine. Once I began growing regular sex seeds were the only thing on the market and discovering males led to personal projects to try and make my own seed as well as make crosses out of the seeds I was buying and the clones I was able to trade for.

Before you were working with cannabis, you bred reptiles—how did that experience translate (if at all) to working with plant genetics?

Yes I was in the reptile business during my late teens and into my 20's. I did importing and selling, private shows and parties for children and breeding large constrictors in my basement. Snake genetics and plant genetics are similar in the way we phenotype and isolate dominant and recessive traits. Colors, patterns, features can be found in certain genetic make ups and selective breeding in snakes or fish or dogs, or anything really, brings those traits to dominance. Once you have a stable version expressing the traits you desire, it's a matter of math and numbers to hit that desired genetic makeup. With seeds the life cycle is quicker then with an animal and the feedback is very fast. This allows the breeder to be able to move through many generations of parents and progeny and have a very large number of plants to sift through to look for what they want. Naturally the seeds became more interesting to me and the hunt was addictive.

Was there a particular strain or experience that solidified your love for cannabis? Any mentors that helped guide the beginning of your journey?

Over the years there have been a few stand outs. I think every 10 years or so a strain comes around that just seems to check all the boxes for the end user, or they make some special memories around that strain and it becomes a favorite. I believe this is universal and I've had a few standouts that hold great memories for me. Blue Moonshine was my first seed purchase alone with Skunk no.1. Great White Shark and White Rhino spent a couple years with me cutting my teeth and learning to grow at a bigger scale. Cutting clones and keeping mothers was learned in the White family. I had a mentor during this time in my life who would show me the ins and outs of illegal indoor cultivation and buy all the seedless product each run. I would get serious about actually developing a brand and breeding for the public a decade later and meet Mike Trichome from Stone Age seeds over social media. A friendship began and he sent me my first real genetic material that started to change things for me. Mike ended up passing away and I have continued to line breed the material he set me up with in his honor. Another fallen friend was a great up and coming breeder, Jimmy Gemelli from Beyond Top Shelf who unfortunately passed just as he was about to crack into bigger things.

You're based in Ontario, right? How has the Canadian cannabis scene influenced your work, especially with all the changes to legalization and medical access over the years?

It is really hard to operate in Canada for a recreational seed breeder. I don't promote here anymore or do events here and prefer to travel to the USA for Omuerta. The laws here, although federally legal, prohibit me from having a business bank account or having a line of credit. As the landscape changed here from illegal to federally legal across the country, the black market imploded for a while and things got really nasty out there as people realized they were going to be out of work. I chose to retreat to my grow room and concentrate on breeding and diving into the work.

We’ve been lucky to carry your work at NASC for a few years now. I think you first met Beth at a trade show—do you remember how that relationship started?

I have scratched my head and thought about that day many times since. My only answer is destiny or fate or karma returned. I had emailed NASC a few times trying to speak to someone and offer a sales pitch but I am really not good with selling myself. I tend to be very hard on myself and my own worst critic at times. I was at my little table when Beth walked up and introduced herself. She told me she had heard about Omuerta Genetix all day from people at the show and so she came over to investigate and thankfully she liked my pitch and offered to carry OG at NASC. I have had a great relationship with Beth and some of the people over at NASC since.

Omuerta is all about regular photoperiod seeds—no fems at all. Why stick to regs in a market that often pushes feminized everything?

Honestly for me at the time it was what I knew. I come from a time where intersex plants were killed off and not let to muddy the genepool. They were shunned as inferior and a problem. My personal opinion on fem seeds is they are a great way to bank a cutting in stasis, to bring a cultivar back to stable neutral seed form for storage to back up a strain. The market has shifted and demanded feminized seeds for ease of use with smaller plant counts and more numbers of new growers coming into the hobby. The age of fast and easy is upon us and people don't want to waste time growing males. They don't have the space or desire to use a male plant and so feminized seeds are more attractive to new consumers. But I believe for procreating purposes, a male is always needed to either bring in vigor or reestablish traits that are beginning to drift. I wanted to breed for breeders knowingly putting strong high quality males out there for people to use and do exactly what I was doing when I started. make their own seeds and play around with crossing stuff. That's my legacy. That was the idea anyway.

Many of your strains are developed to F3 and beyond, or IBL. Why is that kind of genetic stability important to you?

Anything that is F3 and above, I really like and linebreeding was a way to preserve the seed as well as a personal stroke to my self esteem to continue to raise the bar on myself. I long ago ripped off the rear view mirror and stopped watching what everyone else was doing. I compete with myself to get better, to show my work and to still be passionate about projects and not just turn out what I think will sell or what's hot right now.

You also use probiotic and organic practices in your breeding—how do those methods impact the final product and the health of the genetics?

I am very proud to state that I have not owned a PH meter for years. All Omuerta plants are raised probiotically and organically in living soil. I was turned onto this method of growing by Alan Adkisson who runs the Probiotic Farmers Alliance and has a product called Grokashi that promotes mycelium growth and is a secret weapon for overall plant health. The use of probiotic techniques with organic teas and living soils produces a stronger seed that is resistant to pathogens and has a stronger immunity for those first few weeks of life. The parental stock, their parental stock have never seen a salt based nutrient. It is my philosophy that healthy roots bear tastier fruits.

You’ve mentioned that THC isn’t your focus—that you care more about the full experience, including minor cannabinoids and terpenes. How do you think the industry’s obsession with THC numbers is affecting breeding?

Honestly I think we are quickly running off a cliff with all these clone reversals pollinating other offspring of clone reversals. By chasing a high THCA number for a market that is beginning to be trained to buy only the highest number, we are going to lose a lot of great Cannabis that has taste, effect and medicinal properties for a selling point. I often offer this analogy when speaking about cannabinoids. Imagine going to see your favorite band and only the lead singer is plugged in... That's THCA. Now imagine up close and personal with your favorite band playing in a warm auditorium where the sound is crisp and the bass you can feel in your chest.. That's all the cannabinoids working together at different levels to bring you depth and effect.

This one comes from Ben at Dirty Bird—he’s a huge fan of your work and wanted to ask: What traits do you prioritize in pheno hunting? Yield, terps, plant strength, etc.?

Thank you Ben , I am honored sir! First thing I do is research the 2 parental strains I am considering working with. I want to know everything in their genetic make-up history and see if there are any similarities or genetic matches in the background. My theory is like an organ transplant, if you got a liver from your cousin it may work better than a liver taken from a stranger and not be rejected as easy. Then I look for the chassis or structure of the plant. I want vigor and health so that I know I'm getting the plant's true expression, or close to it. If I have that the terpenes and anthocyanins should be very active and expressing as well. Then I go by my feelings. Some breeds will not turn out. Some seeds will take too long or the plants aren't receptive to the pollen and take a couple doses. You can do everything right but sometimes a little luck comes into play as well.

If you’re selecting for terpenes, do you use a certain scale or method to evaluate them, or is it more of a gut feeling?

100% Gut feeling... If I like it or if I think I could compliment it I chase it. I do look at terpenes sort of like the colors on a color wheel and try to match scents and tastes that compliment instead of clash. Some people ask me why I haven't crossed Thousand Oaks with 72 Virgins?! And I think eww sounds like a gross combination, you do it yourself.

You’ve been a medical patient for over 20 years. How has that shaped your understanding of what cannabis should do for people?

I think Medical needs to come first as we got recreational and legal status off of their backs. They opened the doors and went to prison for us decades before we had the option to drive down to the corner dispo and buy a preroll. But I also think medical cannabis isn't the end all / fix all for most people. I think a healthy diet and physical exercise combined with a proper sleep schedule as well as proper medication and a Dr's input is probably the more responsible way to go. For people that are on extreme pain drugs or can ease their afflictions by a little cannabis, I think it should be a human right.

You’ve got deep roots in the grassroots community—and even risked a lot to provide access in the early days through your dispensary. What does grassroots cannabis mean to you today, in an era of big money and corporate weed?

It still exists in pockets of America but it will end soon as the corporate machine moves in with more money and lawyers. The Canadian model is unfortunately coming for everyone. Large corporations with subpar product and governments charging exorbitant taxes on it.

What’s something you think the cannabis world is doing right—and what’s something you’d love to see change?

I love the fact that its considered normal now in Canada and no one cares where you smoke, I;d like to see the packaging rules change and get away from the disposable plastic tubes and cans that seem to litter the parks and forests recently. I would like to see a path forward for ma and pa shops that wish to grow and sell their own. I would like to see farmers markets and nurseries carrying live clones for purchase. There is still an area left to push the envelope.

You work with growers of all experience levels when testing your strains. What’s one piece of advice you’d give to someone just starting out as a grower?

Internet is great, there is a wealth of information out there in videos and podcasts and online articles and AI engines. But a few good books on Cannabis botany is my preferred source of knowledge and avenue of advice.

Of all the strains you’ve worked on, is there one that’s especially close to your heart or that tells a personal story?

Haydens Strain, Named after my daughter. Gunners Gift, Named after my dog. Quetzalcoatl as it was my first real release under Omuerta and 72 Virgins as it was the starter material gifted to me by Mike Trichome.

What’s next for you and Omuerta Genetix—are there any new projects or directions you’re excited about right now?

Well, funny you should ask that. As I just got done trashing fem seeds in some people's eyes, I have just released my first feminized seeds and will start going through the catalog with the plan to offer feminized seeds and crosses of all my IBLs. The market has demanded it and to stay relevant I must offer them alongside our regular sex seed drops.