The Globe and Mail reports in its Monday, July 6, edition that Charles Vennat, the chief executive officer of 48North Cannabis, was recently seen atop a planting machine crawling along the 100-acre Good Farm in Brant county, Ont., dropping seeds into the soil in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. A Canadian Press dispatch to The Globe reports that Mr. Vennat was at work on his company's second crop of outdoor cannabis -- a fairly new venture for licensed cannabis producers. While many marijuana producers started out with massive indoor facilities to prepare for the legalization of cannabis in Canada, a handful have turned to outdoor cultivation to take advantage of savings from free sunlight and lower electricity and staffing costs. Health Canada began handing out licences to cultivate cannabis outside in 2019. There were 391 cannabis licence holders as of May 31. About 56 are authorized for outdoor cultivation, up from 28 last December. Most say savings make outdoor cultivation attractive. Canopy Growth got into outside growing last year with a test crop in Saskatchewan, but is back at it again this year. Outdoor cannabis farming also allows for a drop in labour costs because of increased mechanization.