[Audio] LA director on season as trimmigrant: ‘It wasn’t worth it’; Humboldt’s last week of news


In the latest episode of Humboldt Last Week (16:05): A writer and director out of Los Angeles is developing a scripted series based on her experiences working as a “trimmigrant” for a season here in Humboldt County. Last week a piece she wrote about that appeared via Salon, a website which according to them reaches 20 million unique visitors a month.

“Five hideous weeks of work amounted to just under $4,200. Before my time on the mountain, I’d had a romantic idea of hippies living on the edge of the law, getting stoned every day, trimming weed and raking in cash,” she wrote. “The harsh reality was that this was mind-numbing, back-breaking work, and trimmers had no recourse to fight back against unfair or dangerous employment practices. People who were slow like me could work twelve hours a day, seven days a week, and barely make more than minimum wage. It wasn’t worth it.”

In the podcast you can hear a summary of her article and an analysis of her piece by an anonymous seasonal cannabis worker.

The story begins at 16:05.

Also covered

A local lawyer boss exits after a controversial nine months, Humboldt wins as a vacation destination, an NFL-bound HSU student achieves another first, that heart-warming dad proud of his musician son, crime updates, movie updates, and much more.

Humboldt Last Week is a way to hear highlights from Humboldt’s last week a news. It’s available on iTunes, SoundCloud, top podcast platforms, and at kymkemp.com.

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Setting the bar "high"
Guest
Setting the bar "high"
6 years ago

Haha first year? Yea she was slow and pecking away at the mono fuel strains is tedious mind-numbing game of crumbles. Unless you already know wtf u are doing, or you are Asian you are doomed.

Buster
Guest
Buster
6 years ago

Personally, I’m really tired of hearing phrases like “on the hill” or in this case ” Before my time on the mountain”.

Anyway, reminds me of when I was a much, much younger person and you would hear about these people who were going to Alaska for the summer and making a ton of money in a couple months working in the fishing industry. I had a couple of traveler type friends who made the trek one summer and ended up in the fish gutting room of a cannery working long hours and having to sleep in a cold tent in a park with a bunch of other “gold” seekers and all they really had to show for it was a small bit of cash, illness and a life lesson.

Dirtywhiteboy
Guest
6 years ago

Im glad she had a bad experience ..the trimmers are over paid.

LabeledaNazi
Guest
LabeledaNazi
6 years ago
Reply to  Dirtywhiteboy

Yeah. Now u can personally tell them all to leave and not come back. Tell em humboldt sucks and the people are mean. By the way….you just suck at your “job” of trimming. I personally know someone who does 7-8 lbs a day! At 150 a lb that’s over a 1k a day working 12 14 hour days. So yes…u suck eggs

Kevin
Guest
Kevin
6 years ago

Some french guy a few weeks ago, “Zis year was terrible. Ze place we work for tree years make us trim all ze buds this year even de little ones. And only 150 per pound. And zay are not feeding us zis year. I only make 300-350 a day. It is not a good place to work anymore.” I said you need to count your blessings or go home.

Mendo matt
Guest
Mendo matt
6 years ago
Reply to  Kevin

No one is getting paid well!! Especially the growers 2000$ a lb ?? I call bullshit !! 14-1800 for the AAA indoor 700-1000$ for the best of greenhouse and 400-$700 for outdoor.. no one is paying more than 100$ a unit to get trimmed.. if frenchy is making 300-350$ a day no tax ! They should b stoked .. work is supposed to be hard .. or it would b called fun .. count your blessings machine are taking your jobs $ 20 an hour is the standard in mendo

Kym Kemp
Admin
6 years ago
Reply to  Mendo matt

I still know trimmers paid $200 per pound this season but that is very rare and probably this is the last season for that sum. However, $150 per pound is considered the lower end of average among the trimmers/growers I know.

Sohum mama
Guest
Sohum mama
6 years ago
Reply to  Kym Kemp

$100 per pound or you are overpaid. Period.

Kym Kemp
Admin
6 years ago
Reply to  Sohum mama

I don’t know anyone who admits to paying that low, but I’m sure there are some.

Jed
Guest
Jed
6 years ago
Reply to  Mendo matt

I agree with you Kym, business is business and the basic bottom line of profit and loss applies at some point. I know of some owners that whenever possible hire their friends kids for good money. You know who they are (hell, you probably watched them play sports with your kids) and as one of my buddies said describing his friend’s kid and friend…”they’re hands are like little machines”.

Dragonfly
Guest
Dragonfly
6 years ago
Reply to  Mendo matt

Yeah so tell me how many locals are you employing? And how many of them are older than 30. Most of you mega growers are a disgrace to the American labor movement. No better than our lazy greedy politicians.

Go home
Guest
Go home
6 years ago
Reply to  Kevin

Only 3 to 350 a day. I have a real job & make 150 before taxes. Then proceed to go home take care of my family & work more. Day in day out & I’m happy.

Shitty
Guest
Shitty
6 years ago

All trimagrents should stay where they are and don’t come to Humboldt its as simple as that ,you come without food shelter and are looking for a free ride [edit] as simple as that if your not from here stay out.

Who knew
Guest
Who knew
6 years ago
Reply to  Shitty

I agree!!! Stop complaining, trimmers can leave at any time. Locals are more than willing to work and support their families. Trimming is a big source of income for locals here. Keep our money local!! ❤️

Guest
Guest
6 years ago

5 weeks straight and only $4200? How slow did she have to be trimming? Even if she only did a half a pound a day for 5 weeks straight at $150 a pound that’s about $11,000?

Kevin
Guest
Kevin
6 years ago
Reply to  Guest

Yeah, slow as fuck. Are growers still employing those who trim less than a pound a day? Sounds like some one was doing this director a favor by keeping her around with such low production. [edit]

Kevin
Guest
Kevin
6 years ago
Reply to  Kevin

Thanks for the edit. Sorry about that Kym, I would hate for someone to be offended by my reference. Let’s see if I can put it differently. “Sounds like someone was doing this director a favor by keeping her around with such low production. **(Edit) Maybe her employer found her quite attractive or maybe she was trying to ascend social heirarchy using tactics learned in Hollywood on casting couches.** Is that a more suitable way to phrase what I was trying to say?

Kym Kemp
Admin
6 years ago
Reply to  Kevin

Sigh, why even go there? Is there any evidence of her flirting even in this article. Or is it just that she is a woman that makes you think she is attempting this? How old/young would she have to be before you discounted that as a possibility? Would you consider the possibility if instead, the author were a man?

Kevin
Guest
Kevin
6 years ago
Reply to  Kym Kemp

Sorry Kym. You seem to be misplacing the sexism I was trying to convey. I was implying that alot growers are mysogynist employers. I have seen slow workers kept around because the grower wants to get in their pants or all ready has. I wasnt trying to degrade one sex over the other, I was trying to give each the benefit of the doubt. The the hypothetical situations you edited out reflected both sides of the coin. Employer keeping worker for sexual reasons and employee trying to further their financial/social situation via sex with employer.

Drews
Guest
Drews
6 years ago
Reply to  Guest

Um…that’s 2,625.00$…just sayin….1\2 lb a day for 5weeks would be..not 11,000.00$…

Guest
Guest
6 years ago
Reply to  Drews

1/2 a lb a day at $150 a lb is $75 a day. 30-31 days in a month times 5 (weeks), that’s about 150 straight days (if she did work every day of those 5 weeks) $75x150days=$11,250. If I did something wrong with that math tell me, I’m not the brightest with math but seems about right?

Anonymous
Guest
Anonymous
6 years ago
Reply to  Guest

There are 7 days in a week, which means 5 weeks would be 35 days.

Juan
Guest
Juan
6 years ago
Reply to  Guest

5 weeks is 35 days, not 150.

5 months is 150 days.

Math101
Guest
Math101
6 years ago
Reply to  Guest

Yeah, you multiplied $75/day by 150days but 5 weeks, as you pointed out is only 35days. So it should be $75/day x 35days = $2625. It’s early you may need another coffee!

Einstein
Guest
Einstein
6 years ago
Reply to  Guest

Dear Guest. There are 7 days in a week. 7 days times 5 weeks is 35 days she worked.

$4200 divided by 35 days is $120 a day. That is a little under 1 pound a day.

Pretty good for a diva.

Redwood
Guest
Redwood
6 years ago
Reply to  Einstein

Your all arguing about nonsense…build hemp houses…throw the weed away

Sleepy Alligator
Guest
Sleepy Alligator
6 years ago
Reply to  Guest

No matter how many days are in the month 5 weeks is always 35 days……Always.

Guest
Guest
6 years ago

Interesting. Good to know 😁

River Rat
Guest
River Rat
6 years ago
Reply to  Guest

7 days in a week for 5 weeks = 35 days total. not 150 days. Agreed she was very slow or very lazy.

Mark Davis
Guest
Mark Davis
6 years ago
Reply to  Guest

5 weeks at 7 days a week =

5 × 7 = 35 days @$75 per day

35 X $75 = $2625

Guest
Guest
6 years ago
Reply to  Mark Davis

Bahaha sorry guys I get the idiot of the year award right here! You are totally right I have no idea why I was doing the math for 5 months of work not 5 weeks😂😂😂. Still a bit jet lagged but that’s no excuse for the terrible math you all had to unfortunately witness haha

Just maybe
Guest
Just maybe
6 years ago
Reply to  Guest

G-Think before always being so arrogant.

Guest
Guest
6 years ago
Reply to  Just maybe

Sorry didn’t mean to come off as arrogant at all just an extremely embarassing mis calculation on my part haha.

Be Careful
Guest
Be Careful
6 years ago
Reply to  Just maybe

Bad math yes but nowhere did i get the impression of arrogance.

Card counter
Guest
Card counter
6 years ago
Reply to  Guest

Hehe. Pot brain. Five weeks times seven dates per weeks is 35 days. 7×5=35. No…there is no such number as a bazillion either ….

Be Careful
Guest
Be Careful
6 years ago
Reply to  Card counter

Gazillion and Bazillion are imaginary numbers. Slang. Not real numbers.

Neighborhood watch
Guest
Neighborhood watch
6 years ago
Reply to  Guest

Holy shit you’re so wrong it’s not even funny

Kevin
Guest
Kevin
6 years ago

Yeah, did anyone hear the two airhead valley girls Steve Dodge had on the cannabis show two or three weeks ago? They were giving the low down and all the tips there are to know about trimming after coming here to work for two seasons. It was so difficult to listen to two stupid valley bimbos talk and talk about something they new next to nothing about, I had to turn it off.

sgrocker
Guest
sgrocker
6 years ago

Trimmers have been killing it for years. Even when the price was falling they were still making a 200 pound.Now at rock bottom they wine about 150 a pound. Hand trimmed pounds are going to be a thing of the past, wait and see what legal commerical grows will be paying for work my guess is minimum wadge and taxes taken out.

Miles
Guest
6 years ago
Reply to  sgrocker

Yep, 8$ per hour taxed wages for trimmers in Denver.

Sunnybank Roar
Guest
Sunnybank Roar
6 years ago
Reply to  sgrocker

It would be great to see production leave this area. The back to the landers are what made this place special, not the herb.

Anon Forrest
Guest
6 years ago
Reply to  Sunnybank Roar

Great “roar” Sunny one! I heartily agree. More than one neighborhood has gone down to greed..
“Money doesn’t talk; it swears.” B.Dylan

Little Fish
Guest
Little Fish
6 years ago
Reply to  Sunnybank Roar

(Edit)-a right, or; (Edit) yeah! Moved there and had no idea about the herb, got into it to pay for small piece of land, then, ICK! (Was great growing, but the selling part, not so much. Nor the scammers/rip-offs bosses/partners. Learned a lot about people, myself included. Lots of great people, also, but lost in the mix.

Shel
Guest
Shel
6 years ago
Reply to  sgrocker

Why pay a whiny trimmer when they can have mechanical trim machine? In no time it will pay for itself and more $ in the growers pocket.

Grin Reaper
Guest
Grin Reaper
6 years ago

Do the math. She made around $900/week cash. And she was new and slow and lucky anyone used her at all. If she wasn’t an American and came from a country like Spain, for example, with 50% unemployment for young people, that’s a small fortune, especially for an entry level position. In other words, she’s complaining from a privilege position, not that of a tourist/traveler who is so poor they come here without any money and want to earn enough to travel around the rest of our country and spend it before they go home. Some do take the money back, but they provide a needed service. Back to the point: no idea what she’s talking about, she made good money for her first time, and if you want to talk about awful workplace conditions try Walmart while you’re at it.

Truthy
Guest
6 years ago
Reply to  Grin Reaper

👍👍

Sick of your rude comments
Guest
Sick of your rude comments
6 years ago
Reply to  Grin Reaper

Have you worked for Wal mart? What poor working conditions are you talking about? Something you have read about? Perhaps you should research before you start slinging your rude comments about a company that donates a large amount of $$$ to each community they reside in. They are a very generous corporation.

Little Fish
Guest
Little Fish
6 years ago

Yer joking, right? Wal-mart has more employees on welfare than…Congress!

Miguel
Guest
Miguel
6 years ago

How right she is. Nothing glamorous about it. Many trimmigrants from out of country are here on mommy and daddy’s dime. They have credit cards and cash. Alot are in the bars each evening drinking, playing pool and working the internet. They’re here for the “experience”, then on to other worldly adventures. Most, if not all, are courteous, respectful, not trashy or smelly. The in country trimmers from out of the area are another story. This is my take on the scene in Willow Creek after 40 years.

groba dude osnt trustafarian
Guest
groba dude osnt trustafarian
6 years ago

I am sure tired of these alleged expose essays by lady reporters, and this one wasn’t even consistent from end to end… One would have to be pretty stupid to allow themselves to be locked into a horse trailer and towed to a secret location! I strongly advise anyone at all not to do something like this, as it is fully possible for women to be kidnapped, imprisoned, raped and killed, and in the meantime, your captors may come up with something even more unpleasant for you, since druggies are extremely sick people, and Humboldt is full of them! For god’s sake, don’t ever get into a van, truck or trailer, and if you are a woman, be prepared to dispense sexual favors for employment, or lose your life while fighting off sex-fiend druggies…

Regular insanity is bad enough in this county, but growers are the worst form of bottom-feeding scum in existence! Don’t sell yourself to these people, and if you do, insist on weekly pay, decent living conditions and food, or bail! Remember, you can tell a pot-head sex-fiend by the semen stains on his pants, since they are almost continually masturbating whenever they can’t find a rape victim! (Apologies to Hunter S. Thompson, R.I.P.)

AND: If you really want to be mistreated for low pay, get a job in one of the local health-care facilities! Try Mad River Hospital for the height of poor-quality low-paid employment, closely followed by Jerold Phelps Hospital, where they will be happy to make you do the work of three people, and then fire you if you make one minute of overtime, or try Mendo Coast District Hospital, home of low paid craziness, or even Redwood Hospital, a real shit-hole where they hate everyone… and let us pray…

Believe me now, or find out later – be careful out there and don’t get captured!

Say what?
Guest
Say what?
6 years ago

Wow, what a wild, hysterical bunch of BS.

groba dude osnt trustafarian
Guest
groba dude osnt trustafarian
6 years ago
Reply to  Say what?

So, it’s different on YOUR pot-farm?

It makes as much sense as the garbage story reprinted above…

Jeez...
Guest
Jeez...
6 years ago

groba dude osnt trustafarian:

Are u serious? Who are you to say that ALL cannabis growers are scum? Judge not unless thee be judged right? That’s not even a religious reference, it’s a good rule to live by.
Just because you precieve something one way does not automatically make your perception rule of law.

groba dude osnt trustafarian
Guest
groba dude osnt trustafarian
6 years ago
Reply to  Jeez...

Obviously, they are not all scum. Just you.

Your incredible entitlement and self-right to do whatever you want is remarkable. Just keep that up.

Try not to abuse anyone today, since you will obviously be breaking the law and then be saying it’s OK.

My perception may not be law, but it’s mine…

Dragonfly
Guest
Dragonfly
6 years ago

Watch out for an older box like Ford or Chevy passenger Van with license plate starting with 1 or 7 PH y? White male possibly tall. This individual was seen stalking a vehicle around Redcrest on HWY 101 during the afternoon. The possible victim a woman. His driving was irratic and he was crossing lanes behind her obviously looking at her license plate. Call 911 if this happens to you.

G-MAS
Guest
G-MAS
6 years ago

If you work for honest folks you’ll get paid. You dont.pay taxes,or give to anything but yourself. All other folks who work for a living pay taxes!! When we were growing we had quite a bit,and PAID EVERYDAY FOR THEIR WORK.And yes we claimed on our taxes,but not for weed,for building. Point is we paid TAXES!!honesty is always the best policy

Anon Forrest
Guest
6 years ago
Reply to  G-MAS

I’ll second that, G-Mas.

G-MAS
Guest
G-MAS
6 years ago
Reply to  G-MAS

We.built buildings allday,everyday,still do.we are contractors.we don’t anymore,it’s to costly,to much Bullshit. We are not stupid,nor is our bookeeper.

justaperspectiveview
Guest
justaperspectiveview
6 years ago

That’s still $21/hr at 40 hours. More than I’m making at my “real” job I have with a 4-year degree at $15/hr. Just sayin’.

guest
Guest
guest
6 years ago

She’s talking 12+ hour days I believe

Taurus Ballzhoff
Guest
Taurus Ballzhoff
6 years ago

I am pretty sure I could write an item at least as obtuse and puerile as “Tara’s”, that would make equally poor copy…

I have never been to an actual “pot farm” but I would sure as hell never trust drug dealers to haul me to a secret location outside Arcata. In the dark or otherwise. Not even if I were Spanish…

Damn, how stupid ARE dopers, anyway…

Bozo
Guest
Bozo
6 years ago

If you read the story… she had to spend some time re-trimming molded buds.
IMHO: She probably would have made $6,000 +- without that.
Also… no housing costs and meals provided.

Wages are probably gonna crater after the Central Valley farms come online.

Go home
Guest
Go home
6 years ago

What did you expect? Five star accommodation? Get a clue & stay were you came from.

Taurus Ballzhoff
Guest
Taurus Ballzhoff
6 years ago

Also, everyone complains about the trimsients, and the trimsients complain about, hell, everything, but so much weed is grown around here that it would never get to market without an ARMY of laborers!

Wouldn’t it make more sense to rent say, the fairgrounds in Fortuna, centralize processing and packing, and then there would be a safe place to camp and prepare food and live without strangers on sacred pot-growing lands? There HAS to be an alternative to all this craziness, in a way that levels wages and conditions.

Using a new approach is what could save the cannabis industry from itself. If folks worked together instead of 30,000 people growing individually, you may all survive in the canna-buisiness….

Buster
Guest
Buster
6 years ago

While your idea may have some merit in an industrialized, legal economy…please stop trying to make up new words such as “trimsient”. Trimmigrant seems to be sufficient.

Taurus Ballzhoff
Guest
Taurus Ballzhoff
6 years ago
Reply to  Buster

My word is as good as yours. My ideas are not patented, either, so take them and grow, if you choose to. Explore alternate universes, and feel free to change the whole world. Thanks!

And “trimmigrant” seems to imply some immigration. Many of these people are not eligible to immigrate, so it is an inaccurate description. “Trimsient” is more appropriate because the persons so described all disappear when the rain and cold arrive. See “transient”…

Buster
Guest
Buster
6 years ago

Fair enough, “trimmigrant” actually implies migration as in the traditional migrant farm workers that tend to travel from farm to farm picking fruits/vegetables, planting, pruning, etc when work is available. One of my own short comings is that “transient” has a negative implication as in bum, derelict, etc.

Taurus Ballzhoff
Guest
Taurus Ballzhoff
6 years ago
Reply to  Buster

Well, I say if a bum’s a bum, then he’s a bum… Transience means change, something temporary. Most trimmers are not migrants, like fruit pickers and folks that follow crops. Heck, there’s so many grapevines everywhere that the people who work in viticulture are buying homes and staying put! The people who come through to trim are eclectic, seem to be from everywhere, and often seem to be only temporarily here. The only work they seem to want is “trimming”, therefore: trimsients! I think it’s a beautiful and descriptive term, but I won’t try to force you to use it or like it…

Silverlining
Guest
Silverlining
6 years ago

Like the Blue Diamond Co-Op for almond growers.

Double speak outside of cheek
Guest
Double speak outside of cheek
6 years ago

A lot of the trimmigrants are coming from Spain. They have money in their pockets but are still stealing from local grocery stores. Ridiculous. They should be sent back home and not allowed re-entry for a year or so.

Be Careful
Guest
Be Careful
6 years ago

The unemployment rate in Spain for under 25 year olds is 37.8%

Double speak outside of cheek
Guest
Double speak outside of cheek
6 years ago

From those who are busting them for stealing.

Jeez...
Guest
Jeez...
6 years ago

I’m just gonna go out on a limb here and say that there are far more local heroin addict/tweeker types that steal…. just saying.

G-MAS
Guest
G-MAS
6 years ago

Can’t be tax evasion,if you pay taxes!!

Bill
Guest
Bill
6 years ago
Reply to  G-MAS

That is not actually true because you could sell it medically as a non-profit.

Buster
Guest
Buster
6 years ago
Reply to  G-MAS

Granny,

Good to you and yours for paying something but how can someone pay federal taxes on something that is illegal?

G-MAS
Guest
G-MAS
6 years ago
Reply to  Buster

Not granny.and yrs ago we did it. Not saying nothing else.we run a licensed business now. We don’t mess with growing. The greed we saw coming years ago and never looked back. Please have a safe evening

Guest
Guest
Guest
6 years ago

Honestly it should be 70 bucks a pound it was 200 when it was worth around 2,000 it dropped to 150 when it was average1,500 a couple years back now it’s going for 700 so 10 percent is 70 bucks…

guest
Guest
guest
6 years ago
Reply to  Guest

so YOU trim it

Math skills
Guest
Math skills
6 years ago

And in the 80’s it was $100/# while mkt rate was $1600 which is not 10% but 6.25% At a generous $900/# trim wages should be 60$/# – tops!

Buzz
Guest
Buzz
6 years ago

Entitled rookies will always have a hard time, she should focus on her strong background in the liberal arts.

Sounds like she had an abundance of unreasonable expectations coupled with a lack of skill and proper connections to a decent farm – I would have fired her!

That said, I’m sure her series will be wildly entertaining and a huge hit! Producers are lining up already no doubt 😂😂

Timothy McVeigh's ghost
Guest
Timothy McVeigh's ghost
6 years ago

Not to worry the UFCW is making headway unionizing cannabis work.
http://www.ufcw.org/cannabis-workers/
Prices will skyrocket back up once the labor goes union
Just wait….

humkid
Guest
humkid
6 years ago

bull, big AG has taken over and they wont be payin high wages.min wage you will see.

Crumple
Guest
Crumple
6 years ago

Another self entitled un-skilled laborer snowflake showing up in the emerald triangle expecting an adult daycare experience

G-MAS
Guest
G-MAS
6 years ago
Reply to  Crumple

Snicker

Cove guy
Guest
Cove guy
6 years ago

4200 in five weeks is way more than minimum wage even at 12 hours a day that comes to 14 dollars an hour for a 60 hour work week. Hey if it’s too hard I’m sure McDonalds is hiring

Life is Good
Guest
Life is Good
6 years ago

If C.H.U.M.P. hasn’t commented this thread means zero.

Quantifiable
Guest
Quantifiable
6 years ago

I like how she said no matter how many hours she worked she could only make minimum wage??? Was she not allowed to get “stoned every day”? And for ” backbreaking work” what was she trimming???? Pine trees?

Quantifiable
Guest
Quantifiable
6 years ago
Reply to  Quantifiable

Just read the article they were getting 200 per and it was her friend that took her up there??? Wasnt a greqt place to work but they paid her promptly when she left.

LOL
Guest
LOL
6 years ago

Hahaha this is from a greenhorn. Listen this job is like any seasonal job, and they aren’t for everyone. Some people arent cut out for fisheries, weed processing, trails crews, etc. They are hard working jobs for hard working people . Go find your strengths elsewhere, because trimming ain’t yours 😂😂 we have made up $1500 a day.