Pubdate: Wed, 04 Mar 2015
Source: Willits News (CA)
Copyright: 2015 Willits News
Contact:  http://www.willitsnews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/4085
Author: Adrian Baumann

GROWERS LAUNCH CO-OP; LAYING GROUNDWORK FOR LEGALIZATION

As early as June the Emerald Grown Co-op, a new first of its kind 
marketing co-op, expects to publish a catalogue advertizing the names 
and wares of a larger number of Mendocino marijuana farms, inclucing 
glossy photos of landscapes and marijuana, branding messages about 
core-values, and even a star on a map of Mendocino showing the rough 
location of the farm.

On March 1, at Harwood Hall in Laytonville the Emerald Grown Co-op 
held its first meeting with about 67 local cannabis growers in 
attendance to hear a pitch, and possibly sign up for an organization 
that hopes to lead North Coast marijuana out of the underground and 
into a profitable future. Not the least of their goals is what they 
call "canna-tourism," and they envision the catalogue not only as a 
way to market directly to consumers and dispensaries, but as a tool 
for luring marijuana tourism to the region-a first step in the 
creation of the much anticipated bed-and-bud economy.

Though the organization desires to spread statewide, planning to hold 
future events in other counties, it was launched in Mendocino County 
as a nod to the activism of local groups. Oorganizers cited the 
tradition of "craft" marijuana cultivation in the area.

Though the co-op was formed by the leadership of the Emerald Growers 
Association (EGA), it is being organized as a distinct entity, with 
an independent board currently being selected. Initially having a 
membership in the EGA will be a requirement for joining the co-op for 
local growers.

The meeting was facilitated by Hezekiah Allen, executive director of 
the EGA, with Kristen Nevedal and Casey O'Neill also of the EGA, and 
Leo Stone the owner of Aficionado a boutique marijuana producer.

The enthusiasm for the proposed co-op was widespread but not 
universal. Some growers expressed doubts about how successful the 
co-op could be and whether dispensaries in the cities would 
cooperate. There was also a worry about moving too quickly into the 
light, citing fears of police raids, and thieves as a chief concern. 
One telling moment was the difficulty some had in coming up with a 
name for their farms, and being public about it. O'Neill commented 
that, "As criminal cannabis growers we didn't have a name of our 
farms." But stressed this process was an important part of 
transitioning to thinking of themselves as "craftspeople."

The meeting broke into groups to hear individual farmers talk about 
the benefits of going public, and joining the co-op. During his 
portion of the talk Stone commented that, "Right now this is like 
Napa and the tech industry in the 70s." He stressed that part of this 
tradition for the growers was to stop thinking and talking about 
themselves as "dope growers" and beginning to call themselves "craftsmen."

Said Allen, "It's time to show the world that we're the global 
leaders in this industry."

In support of the co-op Fred Bieberbach, a farmer from Willits, said 
of proposals in the meeting, "It's the only way we're going to 
survive as independent agriculture, is by grouping together."

Farmers attended from at least as far away as Siskiyou County. Dia 
Damaon and Elizabeth Bradley were representing the Jefferson Growers 
Association, with Bradley sporting a "State of Jefferson" hoodie. 
Their organization includes only 11 farmers, but they were 
enthusiastic about joining the co-op and going back home to convinced others.

The eventual goals of the co-op will not be realized while marijuana 
remains illegal and regulated through law-enforcement. One of the 
main priorities for the EGA, and the various other organizations 
representing cannabis growers such as the Mendocino Cannabis Policy 
Council, and California Cannabis Voice, is to get marijuana 
cultivation designated as agriculture by the state.

California agricultural code lays out the rights of co-ops, listing 
them as, "The production, marketing, or selling of the products of 
its members. (b) The harvesting, preserving, drying, processing, 
canning, packing, grading, storing, handling, shipping, or 
utilization of any product of its members, or the manufacturing or 
making of the byproducts of any product of its members. (c) The 
manufacturing, selling, or supplying to its members of machinery, 
equipment or supplies. (d) The financing of the activities which are 
specified by this section..."

Allen mentioned such possibilities as issuing crop insurance, and 
providing the equipment to build rain storage ponds at discounted 
prices. Also mentioned was the possibility of centralizing the 
processing of marijuana, the curing and trimming. However, until the 
status as agriculture is granted, the co-op remains, as Allen 
describes it, "A marketing firm that's member owned."

Jeremy Daw, an economic consultant with ForteFive consulting in the 
Bay Area, has been studying the marijuana economy for some time and 
has recently partnered with local advocacy groups to study impacts on 
the North Coast. Daw supported the co-op idea enthusiastically 
saying, "The best idea to save the small farmer of the north coast is 
to adopt the Sunkist model or the Organic Valley model." Adding that 
he envisioned two futures for the North Coast industry, one in which 
business moves to the central valley and another in which a strategy 
of branding and leveraging through a co-op is able preserve historic 
market share.

As Daw pointed out perhaps the most famous agricultural co-op in the 
state is Sunkist, which is operated as a not-for-profit owned by the 
fruit producers. Sunkist's own website provides a succinct 
explanation of what agricultural co-ops can do for producers, 
"Cooperatives give producers clout...an independent grower stands 
alone against the competition. As a member of a cooperative, each 
individual grower joins with other growers to gain a mutually larger 
market share."

To that end the leadership of the co-op and the EGA are asking 
members to lobby their local governmental officials. Said Allen, "We 
consider local government to be our most powerful potential 
partners...they're part of the future, we need to partner with them 
to make this work."

Third District Supervisor Tom Woodhouse, a member of the Mendocino 
County Board of Supervisors' Marijuana Ad Hoc Committee, expressed a 
continued desire to work with various organizations, saying, "People 
are really interested in our ad hoc and I'm really proud of the 
people of the county for taking this first step because it's going to 
be a big deal and so we need to be prepared for it, not just react 
after it happens." He added that he is excited for the inter-county 
summit that is happening soon in Santa Rosa, where country officials 
from across Northern California will meet to discuss marijuana.

During the latter half of the meeting the attendees were asked to 
fill out basic information as part of a marketing exercise. On 
three-by-five cards they wrote down key values for their farms, and 
tried to come up with names. And as the group worked on that 
quintessentially American project of defining a brand name, Swami 
Chaitanya stood up to give a short speech on trademarking and urge 
participants to band together; paraphrasing Benjamin Franklin, he 
said, "Someone once said that we have to hang together or we'll hang apart."
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom