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Stepping out of the unregulated medical marijuana market in California and into the world of legal, adult-use cannabis, with licensing and high taxes to follow, has been no small feat for most farmers in Northern California\u2019s hail from the Emerald Triangle, which includes Mendocino, Humboldt and Trinity counties. Considered by many as the cannabis capital of the world, this is where many of the cultivars we enjoy were first developed.<\/p>\n
One such Southern Humboldt County farmer, Sunboldt Grown owner Sunshine Cereceda, was comfortable in the medical marijuana space, using the cooperative model where patients supported farmers. There, she developed and branded cultivars of her own, like Loopy Fruit, Wanderlust, Delphina and Redwood Summer.<\/p>\n
Cereceda saw the writing on the wall with issues of legalization for the small farmers to the north, and her message is the still the same: Farmers need to brand themselves, their farms and their cultivars in order to effectively compete and be known.<\/p>\n
They also need to do away with the middleman\u2014or the \u201cBro Distro\u201d\u2014as Cereceda dubbed them. This refers to the old-school method of moving material and product on just a handshake, with the small farmer at home often getting the short end of the deal. It worked to a point back in the day, but today trust is being exploited by what she calls \u201ccorporate sharks.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCannabis has always sustained us, even through the hard times, so why is it not going to get us through now, after all these years?\u201d Cereceda asks. \u201cIn my mind, the small cannabis farmers need to change their mindset. They need to do away with all the bad habits developed in the past unregulated markets in order to move forward.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cereceda went on to explain that in the days of prohibition, they were functioning without a future. But now, small cannabis farmers can leverage their own history as they legally build their businesses.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cRookies and bad habits built the industry during prohibition. From my roots in activism, I understand the challenges of the messenger,\u201d she said. \u201cBut we have this product that\u2019s already branded from our region\u2014we\u2019re known as rockstars in the industry. There\u2019s no stronger cannabis community in the nation. We\u2019re just in transition. It\u2019s a learning curve, to say the least.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cereceda\u2019s mom brought her to Southern Humboldt from her birthplace of San Luis Obispo, CA, when she was seven years old.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI was raised by an activist,\u201d Cereceda says. \u201cMy mother organized and protested nuclear energy and weapons. She was there during the Diablo Canyon rally in 1978 with [CA Governor] Jerry Brown\u2014she was one of the organizers.\u201d<\/p>\n
Part of her mother\u2019s advocacy included protecting the redwoods, and Cereceda followed in her footsteps, majoring in geology at Humboldt State University. \u201cI studied geology mostly because it\u2019s Mother Earth, and I wanted to understand the earth\u201d she said. \u201cI thought it was all about plant life, but then I realized it was the rocks and the earth itself.\u201d<\/p>\n
The degree led her to work on road inventories for Humboldt Redwoods State Parks, followed by a gig with Pacific Watershed Associates.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Watershed stewardship is an important issue in California and is directly tied to the health of the forests and rivers.\u00a0For decades, the watershed was largely ignored by small and large-scale cannabis operations from both the unregulated medical and illicit markets during the days of the Green Rush. They would reroute water coming down the mountains to suit their needs, with unpermitted roads crisscrossing the hills, making it nearly impossible for literally hundreds of hill farmers to come into compliance today.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s important to note that the erosion of the roads is also a direct result from the timber industry, now expected to be corrected and paid for by the farmers.<\/p>\n
\u201cDuring a town hall meeting prior to legalization, water experts were brought in to let us know that, even in a drought, we could gather enough water to care for our crops using rain-catchment systems,\u201d she said. \u201cCannabis farmers have taken the lead in responsible water use for agriculture in the state.\u201d<\/p>\n
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<\/a><\/figure>\nResponsible agricultural practices are key in sustainable and\u00a0regenerative farming<\/a>, which is what the Emerald Triangle is known for. But it\u2019s not enough to compete in an overregulated market, where the farmer feels the brunt of taxation\u2014not only on the farm, but also on the shelf, as retailers bump their losses down to the farmer at check-out.<\/p>\n \u201cFarmers are at the end of the line in a capitalistic system, and we carry the tax burden as it gets kicked down from retailers and brands that buy bulk and package it themselves,\u201d Cereceda says. \u201cI\u2019m lucky that I have good retail partners, but that took time and consistency to establish. If you\u2019re still using your Bro Distro, you\u2019re losing a big chunk of income.\u201d<\/p>\n With the promise of distributors and umbrella brands representing farmers a clear disappointment\u2014garnering a mere $400 to $500 per pound\u2014Cereceda says it\u2019s time for farmers to represent themselves in the marketplace and build a brand.<\/p>\n Doing all the work herself with her team, from seed to shelf, including packaging, Cereceda said she\u2019s been able to get $1100 to $1200 per pound.<\/p>\n \u201cFarm management skills [and] managing workers\u2014it takes a lot of years and a concentrated effort to be good at it, and that all adds to your bottom line\u201d she says. \u201cYou can\u2019t just get a license and think it\u2019s all going to work out alright with your output. Historically, we pay for our operation out of each harvest, but that\u2019s like working paycheck to paycheck with no guarantee your next crop will be moved. Our distribution right now is weak.\u201d<\/p>\n Reducing risk plays a big factor in succeeding in the regulated market, and Cereceda says the more a farmer opts out of their own work, the less they\u2019ll make. It\u2019s just common sense.<\/p>\n \u201cHow about growing what you can move yourself?\u201d she asks. \u201cThis is capitalism, count your blessings. This is how it works.\u00a0The middleman will take all your profits if you let him. And your Bro Distro isn\u2019t much better. It takes one year to grow a crop; it takes several years to grow a business.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n One distributor Cereceda speaks fondly of is\u00a0Berner, CEO and co-founder of Cookies<\/a>, with longtime Southern Humboldt Farmer, Kevin Jodrey in the mix.<\/p>\n \u201cBerner is underrated,\u201d she says. \u201cHe\u2019s doing a great job supporting farmers and has gotten more customers off the black market on the streets and into shops than anyone else. He allowed so many black-market growers back in the day to prosper growing his genetics\u2014they got brand recognition for his cultivars. Can\u2019t say enough good about Berner.\u201d<\/p>\n Berner is a stage name for San Francisco Bay Area hip-hop artist, Gilbert Anthony Milam, Jr., who branded his Cookies cultivar during the medical market in California. Cookies was made legendary after the Scouts of America forced him to shorten the name from Girl Scout Cookies to Cookies.<\/p>\n Showing the face of the farmer\u2014telling their stories in today\u2019s social media marketing mindset is everything.<\/p>\n The once shy Cereceda is now posting photos of herself on social media from the farm, holding her colas in the forest, telling the stories of how they were created and named\u2014sharing her charmed farm life with the world.<\/p>\n Typically, it takes years to create a cultivar. It\u2019s not uncommon for each farmer to have specific stories surrounding the work, the detailed variations of the flower, and the cultivar\u2019s name, which often involves a sentimental or meaningful story from the farm.<\/p>\n Sunboldt Grown\u2019s website beckons, \u201cTaste the Redwoods,\u201d noting all cultivars are grown in the loamy ancient soil, taking on nuances, just as in viticulture in the South of France and the growing of grapes for wine taking on the essence of lavender or rosemary nearby.<\/p>\n The plants are grown in the flood plain deposits of the Eel River, with no additional water needed. This is called dry farming, and the farmers refer to themselves as\u00a0\u201cterroirists\u201d<\/a>\u00a0(from the French word\u00a0terroir<\/em>, meaning earth or soil), who allow for the place to be expressed in the flower they grow.<\/p>\n Cereceda\u2019s crops are also grown by the cycles of the moon, not uncommon among farmers. In fact, the historic\u00a0Farmer\u2019s Almanac<\/a>\u00a0still provides lunar cycles as a planting guide. The almanac explains that just as the moon\u2019s gravitational pull creates the tides of the oceans, it also promotes plant growth by creating more moisture in the soil.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWanderlust was inspired by sailing on the ocean,\u201d Cereceda says. \u201cThe word implies an urgency to be moving, to not settle in one place.\u201d<\/p>\n From its website, Wanderlust is a hybrid of Blue Dream and Agent Orange, with flavors of lemon-lime zest and fresh Douglas Fir needles, finishing with a splash of orange juice. The smoke is medium-bodied with a dense, velvety richness. A ten-week strain, its delicate flower is sensitive to the cold.<\/p>\n \u201cRedwood Summer is named after the campaign and initiative from 1990, to stop the clear-cutting of all old-growth redwoods,\u201d Cereceda said.<\/p>\n The backstory to the Redwood Summer campaign is heartbreaking and personal to the region. Earth First! began the movement. It was led by Judi Bari during the Timber Wars that continued into the 1990s and ended when Bari and her partner Daryl Cherney were seriously injured after a pipe bomb was planted in their car. The cultivar is a tribute to Bari and the movement that continues to educate and protect the old growth forests.<\/p>\n Delphina was created by crossing Purple Nepal with Rebel Moon (NorCal Diesel). Cereceda uses this cultivar to make old-school, solventless, bubble hash as it yields high-quality resin. A sweet and savory aroma, it\u2019s spicy, and the smoke is likened to breathing in the forest floor, delivering a deep state of relaxation and euphoria.<\/p>\n \u201cDelphina is a Greek woman from Delphi, Greece, where the Earth Goddess Gaia was first celebrated,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n According to author Darian West, the Oracle of Delphi was considered the most influential woman of the ancient world from 800 BC until 393 AD, when her last recorded entry predicted the end of the Roman Empire, declaring, \u201cAll is ended.\u201d Delphina proclaimed Socrates the wisest man in the world, predicted the rise of Alexander the Great and foretold the death of Nero.<\/p>\n Small cannabis farmers have a hard time getting out of the illicit market. For the most part, they can\u2019t afford licensing; can\u2019t move product; distribution is weak; taxes are high; and ordinances are unreasonable and\/or ill-informed to begin with, causing undue hardships.<\/p>\n \u201cEveryone is codependent in this space,\u201d Cereceda says. \u201cThe handshake deals don\u2019t work anymore. The days of your best buddy distributing for you are over.\u201d<\/p>\n For the first time in history, cannabis farmers are feeling the brunt of growing the world\u2019s most illicit and beloved herb on the planet. Just as with food farmers, they aren\u2019t getting a living wage, with no subsidy from the US government to bail them out when times are hard, or the price per pound is too low to pay the bills.<\/p>\n \u201cEveryone is borrowing on us, and we\u2019ve been way too complacent about it for far too long,\u201d\u2019 Cereceda says. \u201cOn the other hand, this product\u2014this cash crop\u2014is from Mother Earth, and the fact that we\u2019re doing as well as we are up here is just amazing to me. We need to own our right to be here and work smarter.\u201d<\/p>\n The post Face of the Farmer: Sunshine Cereceda, Sunboldt Grown<\/a> appeared first on Cannabis Now<\/a>.<\/p>\n
Stepping out of the unregulated medical marijuana market in California and into the world of legal, adult-use cannabis, with licensing and high taxes to follow, has been no small feat for most farmers in Northern California\u2019s hail from the Emerald Triangle, which includes Mendocino, Humboldt and Trinity counties. Considered byContinue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":502,"featured_media":54747,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[148,50,180,5,100,16174,780,65,139,11712,6103,3230,16175],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54746"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/502"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=54746"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54746\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":54748,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54746\/revisions\/54748"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/54747"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=54746"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=54746"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=54746"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
Branding a Life<\/strong><\/h4>\n
<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/a><\/figure>\nFarmer as Influencer<\/strong><\/h4>\n
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\nRead More: Face of the Farmer: Sunshine Cereceda, Sunboldt Grown<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"