Cannabis Steals the Show as Emerald Cup Winner Honored as Business of the Year by SoHum Chamber of Commerce
Jason Gellman of Ridgeline Farms grins as he tells the crowd at last night’s Chamber dinner that “times sure have changed—from the days of hiding to the days of public recognition.” [All photos by Kym Kemp]
To enthusiastic applause, Gellman noted, “Times sure have changed—from the days of hiding to the days of public recognition.” He said that this award was acknowledgement that cannabis businesses have long been the backbone of the Humboldt County economy. “This recognition is about more than Ridgeline,” he said.
However, Gellman’s strain, Green Lantern, took first place in this year’s Emerald Cup’s Licensed Sun Grown competition burnishing Southern Humboldt’s reputation for cultivating some of the finest cannabis in the world. So, he and his farm team were honored for their contribution.
Josh Monschke and Julie Peacock of Gyppo Ale Mill accept congratulations from Ernie Branscomb.
The winners of the Chamber’s New Business of the Year award last night, Julie Peacock and Josh Monschke of Gyppo Ale Mill, beer brewers and restaurateurs from Shelter Cove, were recognized by Chamber President, Michelle Bushnell reading a section from their website that nods to the descendants of the original cannabis growers and the loggers in this community. She quoted, “Whether we tell the story of our grandfathers running timber or our fathers running from the feds through the timber, collectively we raise an independently brewed beer.”
Like Ridgeline Farms, Gyppo Ale Mill, also managed to add a little luster to Southern Humboldt this last year as they took the prize for Best of Humboldt at the popular Hops in Humboldt festival.
The winning table decoration was created by Root 101 Nursery which is located in both Garberville and Rio Dell.
The cannabis thread also continued through the presentation by Root 101 Nursery that won the table decorating contest. The garden store that serves both cannabis and traditional farmers from the industrial to the backyard enthusiast featured flowers and plants from the area and the word, “Grow”–which was seen by some to represent not only a hope for the future but a significant underlining of the traditional word used to describe marijuana gardens.
As Gellman said, “Wow! Times sure have changed.”
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🕯Really good read and link,thank you Kym.
Sounds like a terrific event, and it sounds like we are transitioning nicely in our community, with these and other success stories, I like the thread running through the generations, reminding all of us that we have always been a community of independent folks, no matter what we do for a living.
Next to none are actually transitioning to the legal market. All that I know want to go legal but they never went mega in the black market, so they aren’t millionaires and thus cant afford to go legal.
If we want transition we need to;
– simply the language used in the permitting process so that lawyers or consultants are not required.
– bring the cost of permits down, to be similar to other agriculture.
– lower the taxes to bring them inline with other agricultural products.
Most importantly, cap the farm size!
We don’t have to do this. Humboldt can continue the current transition, to a tiny ghost county with a handful of retirees and park staff. The process will destroy families and cast away the opportunity that prop 64 should have offered us.
I agree with you except for maybe farm size. I know that this is a hot button topic but it seems like the exact opposite of capitalism. It’s unfortunate that some smaller farms might be squeezed out but it also seems unfair to regulate one person so that another gets a hand up. It’s a bit like affirmative action…another hotly debated government regulation.
I actually agree with both of you, and using the comparison of affirmative action is a good one. Having entered the workforce early in the affirmative action years I came to believe it worked (somewhat). Back to today’s problem, the small farmers simply can not afford the fees and permits required by regulations. When I say small farmer, I think 99 plants or less. That size garden can still produce hundreds of pounds, depending on the grower, but we have to start somewhere. Perhaps new regulations allowing 99 plants or less could be enacted where the grower would be exempted from the “square footage” requirements that have destroyed so many small growers. Using as a defined canopy area the entire area plants are grown is not fair to small growers.
When a so called micro garden is several times larger than the actual square footage of a “mom and pop” garden something should change. A garden containing 99 plants might only produce 85 pounds or less, if grown by people who are more interested in genetics, quality, variety, and so forth. The actual canopy might only be 1300-1400 square feet, assuming a one ounce per square foot of canopy (yes I know; some of you out there grow more). Point is, many people would be happy making a few extra bucks, enough to pay taxes, land payments, and placing some jingle in their pockets. They could do this, as they have for twenty years, with no detrimental effects to the environment, or their neighbours land, or the little creatures that scurry around their land at night. They would still be required to use legal water rights, but not be at the mercy of state agencies using jack booted threats to force them in to so called compliance. Fish and Game have become the enemy, and not your friend. The medicine would be tested by those selling it, and they could grow by their time tested organic methods. Having grown organically small scale for years without registering as organic, and having passed stringent testing, I know it can be done.
This industry, by going legal, has only switched the greed factor to more new greedy people, and left the people who pioneered it in the dust. Unfortunately it demonstrates crime does pay; the large criminal green rushers have transitioned to large legal grows, that are still selling illegally on the black market. It may also lead more people to grow on public land, because its easy to grow a guerrilla grow and average a half pound per plant. And as a good friend of mine once told me; as long as you can get $800 from a little plant, people will continue to do it.
We used to talk of decriminalising cannabis. Now it is legalising cannabis. Legalising really means commercialising. Commercialising means regulating. Regulating means taxing. Taxing means mom and pops don’t have a seat at the table anymore. Kind of sad.
That’s a really great idea- which is why it will never happen; the politics/industry are just too corrupt. The boys from the city with all their shekels are here now, son. Glad I’m retired. Very sad. I’m deeply concerned about what will happen to our community.
John- Thank you! What you propose is a form of “legalization” that even I would have a hard time opposing. Unfortunately it won’t happen…but we can still say it out loud so people can hear that there are other versions than this corrupt one to which we are submitting. It’s very sad. And the lack of opposition to the destruction of our small family scenes is very, very sad. The lack of support for people to even grow their 6 legal plants is even worse. We had a proud community of people resistant to heavy-handed government intrusion but…it is now somehow nowhere to be found. But this “legalization” form that was passed by the voters was never intended to help anybody but the millionaires. It’s a shame nd an embarassment that we passed it. I can find no celebration in the awards and events of this article. It is only a passing moment of hollow congratulations. The writing is already on the wall for SoHum, NoHum, Mendo and Trinity mom n pops. They are to be killed off and assimilated. First by their bigger neighbors and then to the corporate state. And so it goes…
Small farmers not being able to afford fee and taxes maybe the least concerning aspect. How about environmental damage and economy of scale.
But I agree that cannabis should not be taxed anymore than other produce.
Yeah, just what this society needs–more unadulterated capitalism! It’s working out so well! Cast the losers on the trash heap!
I agree, Buster. It’s the difference between Free Market Capitalism and Socialist Market CRAPitalism. Stossel does an aok job of laying it out. https://www.capitalismmagazine.com/2014/07/crony-capitalism-socialism/
~thanks, shak.
If the truth doesn’t soon matter to the majority, we’re done.
I actually think there needs to be a size cap.. or actually what I think would be even better is taxing larger farms at a higher rate, because, it’s not a hard “you can’t do this” But more like a you can.. but you have to pay upwards tax on it. For now though the acre cap should have been kept, because California is a limited market, and I beilive that would have went a long way to helping it establish. An acre ofCannabis is still a lot. When Cannabis is Federally legal, then remove the caps..possibly..
Personally I would also like to see caps in the hills as well. Seriously, I think anything over 10,000 square ft is a burden on the roads, on the water supplies, on the traffic implement, I actually think it should be less, and 10,000 is pretty big.. but I understand the need to remain competitive.. So Hum does have Environmentally limiting factors that do need to be taken in account fo certain.
It really can’t be the sky is the limit cut ‘er all down and grow as big as you want…that just not healthy… Or realistic.
However, I actually think Humboldt can be an excellent place to have cannabis because actually it turns out, many counties in California are not actually open or welcoming to cannabis, many people don’t want big huge cannabis farms in thier neighborhoods. Keeping it in Humboldt keeps it out of site and out of mind, and discrete.
And as much as I despise the water board, I do beilive water storage is in order. I really do not see how “registering” your water and “paying” them a fee will actually protected resources.. But water storage should be encouraged.
Having all your water from “April” on is a bit over kill … I think the forbearance period should start in July… till Nov… or after a few good rains..
I would like to see an easier permit process for smaller farms, but the 99 seems reasonable, but actually square ft I think is more realistic, because in order for small farms to make it, they’re going to have to do deps. 2500 to 5000 should be a small farm…IMO..
Yeah all regulation is opposite of capitalism and it is extremely necessary. Its not equivalent to affirmative action. No one is kept from farming in favor of another. Failing to cap farm size is like affirmative action in favor of the rich.
Kym where can I purchase his farms winning strain ? I bet that’s some digity dank .
Ridgeline is with Flowkana. Here’s where strains can be found but the nearest option is Santa Rosa according to Leafly. https://www.leafly.com/news/strains-products/flow-kana-limited-edition-green-lantern-orange-creamsicle-tasting
Thanks Kym ,Santa Rosa is a bit far ! I think internet sales in California should be lobbied for ..like the Canadians 🇨🇦 !
https://weedsmart.ca
The county ought to be hiring the small time elders to teach and to do inspections. Having people come to inspect who dont even understand a water system from tanks to garden is beyond frustrating and really leaves you wondering about the abilities of that person which makes the process even worse than it was!!!!
Great event and sooo very glad to see folks holding the community together. I wish we could just secede from the feds&state, sigh.
Well spoken and well thought-out.
Not happy. Internal award. Marijuana, meth, heroine.
lololol, like its even in the same class! lol
Laughing at all those who think they can legitimately compete against billion dollar budget companies building structures in the cheap to buy and cheap to staff Central valley.
Have things changed? Tall white guy with power, and privilege wins award . Seems fair.
And I have to agree with hmmmm, one guy with the saavy , connections ,and bank to navigate a single season in the fledgling, corrupted legal market, does not constitute a Polly Anna round of applause for how nicely we are “transitioning as a community.”
No. By my observation in the trenches, “success” stories like this are the exception. It’s more like it’s time to cue the funeral dirge. Let’s hold our transitioning applause for say, 5 years . Then we can see better how deftly these front runners held their own against the sea of front runners in the state/county permit paper chase.
You are trying to make racist remarks. The reason a white guy won is because of his business not his race!
Lets not forget the majority of Humboldt is white. An even large majority of southern Humboldt is white males. This is our culture and our community. White men are already marginalized and beaten down and made out the be the bad guys. We cant help it is we are strong, smart and successful. Maybe you should be learning to be more like us and stop hating on those who succeed.
You do realize you proved his point right? Humboldt does have a higher than average number of white males because it’s a sexist industry in an area with high cost of living so it normally takes a fair amount of financial comfort to move here without connections. This leaves out a large amount of POC who don’t look white. Then once here more job advances are given to white males over all POC and white women. Most higher paying jobs are given to white males who then can invest that income in their own property and grows while the women and POC who are kept at trim level can’t afford property unless are lucky enough to find trust worthy partners(fat chance) or marry someone with land. If you look around in a prosperous industry and see mostly white males that should be your first clue its an unjust industry.
Yeah, but some girls really like me !
it is not a crime to be white nor male, get off your racist high horse
Yeah, that’s not why you weren’t hired.
J. Please. Any dirtbag with no goals in life other than weed can come here and grow, just like the other dirtbags that already have. Save your equality of outcome BS.
It isn’t a sexist industry. Its is manual labor. Fewer females are attracted to manual labor, and they are less capable of it (other than small hobby farms). I’ve seen many female trimmers try to switch to being laborers when the pay for trimmers fell, less than 1/100 can stick with it and maybe 1/1000 can do the job as well as males. The labor is where you learn how to grow. Thus opening up opportunities for advancement.
You are “kept” at trim level by your biology. not by discrimination. If you have a decent frame, consider getting fanatical about lifting weights, then you should do fine. I personally know many males who due to being significantly smaller than average or having bad backs cant do the labor and trim instead.
“If you look around in a prosperous industry and see mostly white males that should be your first clue its an unjust industry.
This should be you first clue that you are sexist. Our area is mostly white people, so of course most farmers will be white men.
If a group of women decided to hire only other women, they wouldst have to worry about getting the labor done as quickly as men can. With more time and intelligence they could def get the job done.
He seems to have a problem with the guy being tall, too.
You gotta be kidding, A.A?
you got that right…
The only power or “privilege” he has is capital, and that’s the only form that really matters.
Congratulations to Ridgeline Farms and Gyppo Mill Ale, keep producing world class products!
That beer and food is not world class sorry. How much of their seafood is evem from the cove?
Did he get his start (and bankroll his business) as a black marketeer?
And is this not a wildly unfair advantage?
Just asking.
Why censor anti marijuana comments that don’t appear to violate commenting rules?
Your earlier comment wasn’t deleted. Comments made with a new name get held for moderation to cut down on spam. I just hadn’t moderated yet.
There are plenty of anti marijuana comments on the site.
Times are certainly A-Changin!
Bob said it best..
Come gather ’round people
Wherever you roam
And admit that the waters
Around you have grown
And accept it that soon
You’ll be drenched to the bone.
If your time to you
Is worth savin’
Then you better start swimmin’
Or you’ll sink like a stone
For the times they are a-changin’.
Good to see Humboldt winning awards!
It’s good Humboldts repatutation can be restored for clean quality sun raised cannabis, Tastie microbrews and not massive manufactured crap.
Can’t help but admire your accomplishments Jason Gellman. Sweeet !
On the other hand, when the King of the Hill casts a nervous eye to the surrounding peasants, what does he envision for his own future? Nobody reaches the pinnacle without pushing down others. Hopefully your “legal” status can shelter you from the paybacks that are coming.
The good thing is now we can learn to recognize what the “legal” elite do and look like. Poster-Boy for the Newsom transition.
I’m guessing a lot of those smiles will fade come the free for all in 2020
Big time congrats Ridgeline, from all of us here at Full Moon Farms. Well deserved and way to rep what Humboldt Cannabis is all about.
“. . . way to rep what Humboldt Cannabis is all about.”
~NOT.
LEGAL “the undoing of God’s Law.” 1893 Dictionary of Arts and Sciences, Encyclopedia Britannica; a dictionary of arts, sciences and general literature. The R. S. Peale 9th 1893. God’s Law is also known as “Natural Law,” wherein, “the Truth bounds all contracts.”
Sadly, awards don’t pay bills 🙁
Jason…. good to see you’re giving it a real shot. Best of luck going forward.
Congratulations Jason, & Ridgeline Farms , pay no attention to the doom ‘n gloomers happy haters club. Unfortunately for them , they choose to still live in the past, while hatin on everybody else like you.
your vision and hard work has paid off and led to last nights awesome recognition. No one, esp the happy haters, can ever diminish your incredible accomplishments.Savor it, relish it. And thank you for leading our community forward.
We are worried about the future, not living in the past. Our community is 99% black market.
Leading our community? Him n josh sweet? I just threw up in my mouth a little. Thanks.
Times sure have changed. Go back in your own timeline 10 years. You will notice the attitude you wrote with.
Now thats gone and your trying to get it back but truth is you helped create the new taddle on your unpermitted neighbor society. Hope your proud of yourself. I know what you did many do.
We are keeping score.
Sad to say but like another commenter said, I’m afraid we will all be running for cover in 2020 or by the following year or two. My advice; make a plan b and don’t throw your money at the government bureaucracies trying to get a worthless permit. You are only supporting CDFW and the other faux- enforcement authorities. Let them starve and save your money…. it’s going federally legal in a few years and we will be left in the dustbin of history as far as legal weed goes.
Why censor comments that don’t violate commenting rules?
Congrats! I think you guys are awesome are are doing things right.
Amazing the amount of haters in here and out there! They don’t like the industry when it’s legal. They don’t like when it is illegal. No pleasing most of those types.
Misery loves company, so the complainers and haters are just trying to bring everyone down to their level. Fortunately most of us are above that.
Keep doing what you’re doing!
Wow a lot of haters! I feel bad for you all sometimes you have to find happiness in others success. Local people coming out ahead should be inspiring.
“The evils of tyranny are rarely seen but by him who resists it.” John Hay
But this is a story of less than 1% of local people coming out ahead at the cost of the majority. And why are they coming out ahead? Where did the money come from to go legal? You’re hating on 99% of the community.
Last week the Board of Supervisors revisited and took comments on the square footage tax and how it is effecting our community. Where was the community? The chambers should have been standing room only. There were less than 10 people there. If Humboldters do not make our voices heard and participate politically most people are going to fail. Our supervisors who had the county teetering on the verge of bankruptcy 2 years ago, have already earmarked all the money to agencies and projects that are not sustainable. They originally projected they would make $7 million off of the sq./ft. Tax. They made $17 million, more than two times what they projected and they have already earmarked all of it. None of it was set aside for a rainy day. They did not budget to see how the Humboldt economy shakes out. They just spent $17 million expecting to collect another $17 million or more this year. They should have been considering lowering or suspending the tax until people can get on their feet, business 101. Do not tax a new industry until it is established ( the regulated cannabis market with all its regulations is a new industry). Wake up Humboldt and vote the current fiscally inept supervisors out of office. They are short sighted and not for the common people. Wake up and participate politically or don’t complain about the Humboldt economy going to crap. It is your fault for not getting involved. This square footage tax is damaging the Humboldt economy and all businesses’ bottom lines. Imagine if any other small business in Humboldt had to pay $1-$3 a sq./ft. to operate. Wake up and call your supervisor and tell them to lower or suspend the sq./ft tax until the cannabis industry is established. Get involved in what is going on with our local officials. You cannot afford to not get involved. Your community and lively hood is at stake.
For sure. Show up be heard!! Honestly though, I think a lot of people do not feel like they are heard, and a real strong line has been drawn in the sand. Either your Black or your White. So, I think a lot of people are going to do what they are going to do because they feel like there is no voice for them, and no hope they will be heard.
I mean the last Meeting at the Mateel, it really felt like the stupervisors were not listening at all. And no good change has come from trying to talk to them. They really have thier heads up thier bums and are really not listening to anyone…
People don’t participate because they feel disenfranchised, or are far too busy working to keep their heads above water. We all know that its money interest who are heard anyway. And now black market growers are back to being afraid to speak in public. You’re right though.
All white market weed is being sold on the black market. Congrats.
The upper middle class are hit the hardest. Don’t be surprised if you see them join the timber rush to pay for their life style. Those of us that grew during CAMP know what it is like to fight for our crops and those that were born in to it don’t know anything different and together we will survive because that is what we know to do. At this point it is embarrassing how much farmers are complaining. It is not to say that our struggle is not real and many will not want to fight for it. The last ten to 15 years were too easy. Selling to the black market is not the advantage some think it is as it delays business development.
Sound reasoning Sunshine (I love your handle) except…
“the black market … delays business development.” True. Shall we count the numerous ways the Honesty of the original market prevails over the new and disappointing “legal” market ?
The term black market is a racial slur. Please stop distracting away from the debate. My cannabis is green. I hope yours is too.
To fight against the formation of unnecessary government intervention is the easily understood line in the sand. We voted and then were crushed by the powerful bait & switch. That’s the crime here. I suppose that’s strictly business and normal to some who look down their noses at us, Honest cultivators.
Business built upon this shakey dillusional foundation of a fraudulent election can’t succeed. Don’t blame the original market.
repeal #64 burn down the BCC
But growers wont be able to go back to the camp days. They now have the eye n the sky and they can search your land, with no warrant, far more effectively than they could with aircraft. Prices are abysmal and they will fall to next to nothing once the giant farms get rolling. The wealthy were able to capture regulation before the law even went into effect.
I fear this time growers may actually have to fight back, not just hide. Some growers will have to kill and some will have to die.
“To fight against the formation of unnecessary government intervention is the easily understood line in the sand.” Exactly.
Looks like the parrot’s word of the willingly uninformed is “haters”. If you don’t bow down and kiss your imaginary master’s hand – ba- ba-bing – You must be a “hater”. If you are self-governing, ba-ba-bing – You must be a “hater”. If you know the difference between the Supreme Law of the Land, and the fraudulent commercial Law of the Sea Merchant, and choose the Constitutions w/the Bill of Rights, You must be a “hater”.
Private Enterprise. Cultivating the soil, manufacturing articles for sale, dealing in merchandise, and the pursuit of numerous and various activities, which enlist individual energy. Dodge v Mission Tp. (CA8 Kan) 107 F 827. In the language of the ultraconservative, something undefiled by governmental regulation or participation. As used in a provision of a State Constitution FORBIDDING the STATE to be interested in any “private corporate enterprise.” The term has been held not merely to forbid the state to become interested in private enterprise carried on by individuals and corporations but also to Prohibit the State from itself Engaging in Private Enterprises ordinarily undertaken by private promoters.
State ex fel. Wilkinson v Murphy, 237 Ala 332, 186 So 487, 121 ALR 383.
I find myself wondering how legalization is going to go down on the Federal level. IRS is going to come in looking for years of back taxes on these land purchases, homes, etc. This stuff in the county/state level in only the beginning.
RIGHT TO ASSERT STANDING
Hale v. Henkel, 201 U.S. 43, 74, 26 S.Ct. 370, 50 L.Ed. 652 (1906) The individual may stand upon his constitutional rights as a citizen. He is entitled to carry on his own business in his own way. His power to contract is unlimited. He owes no duty to the state or to his neighbors to divulge his business, or to open his doors to an investigation, so far as it may tend to incriminate him. He owes no such duty to the state, since he receives nothing therefrom, beyond the protection of his life and property. His rights are such as existed by the law of the land long antecedent to the organization of the state, and can only be taken from him by due process of law, and in accordance with the Constitution. Among his rights are a refusal to incriminate himself, and the immunity of himself and his property from arrest or seizure except under a warrant of law. He owes nothing to the public so long as he does not trespass upon their rights. On the other hand, the corporation is a creature of the state. It is presumed to be incorporated for the benefit of the public. It receives certain special privileges and franchises, and holds them subject to the laws of the state and the limitations of its charter. Its powers are limited by law. It can make no contract not authorized by its charter. Its rights to act as a corporation are only preserved to it so long as it obeys the laws of its creation. There is a reserved right in the legislature to investigate its contracts and find out whether it has exceeded its power. aff’d. Wilson v. United States, 221 U.S. 361, 31 S.Ct. 538, 55 L.Ed. 771 (1911).
~do you see the word LEGAL or LEGALIZATION in the above court citation?
The most accurate thing we can say here, is that Marijuana will save SoHum, until it doesn’t.
It’s like buying a million dollar CAT Scanner for your hospital. That thing might eventually make a buck or two, but the cost of owning it could well put you out of business…
Smoke up, SoHum! Smells like burning tires, but nobody does it better, for whatever that is worth.
I predict that we will be up to our necks in unsold flower and oil, and very soon!
Wow! Seems like the Chambers Business Of the Year award should represent a bit more than just having some judges like some smoke you delivered. Think the Chamber fell short here of any due diligence that should go into these awards.
Agree.
~best to be planting, planting, planting and saving seeds to eat. Messing with a food supply is an International no, no.
Plant Hemp for Victory
The Sun is Going to Sleep
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7whL9jvdL5s 6 mins.
you go JAY JAY……..PROUD OF U….. PAINT IT BABY JUST PAINT IT.