Throughout 2013 and
2014, EGA continued to
advocate for Farmers. In
spring 2014 the board was
joined by Hezekiah Allen,
and that summer Casey
O'Neill and Leo Stone
joined the board. Near the
end of 2014, Rick
Pfrommer came onboard.
We entered a new world
of open policy discussion
about cannabis that was
occurring at an
unprecedented rate. The
last year has been a
whirlwind and from my
perspective, it has been
essential to have the leadership
from Hezekiah in Sacramento as
we have worked to organize and
coordinate our communities.
Organizing farmers is like herding
cats because each person is king
or queen of their own fiefdom, on
which they call the shots at all
times. Getting people in a room to
agree on diverse and difficult
issues when they are used to
Diversified crop portfolios are important for small farmers.
being the ultimate arbiter of their
reality can be either one of the
more powerful experiences of a
lifetime or a disillusioning scene
that leaves you feeling empty.
We seek to hold discussions in an
open and genial fashion so that
we leave feeling empowered and
ready to continue working
towards a
sustainable
cannabis future for
all of us. Today,
cannabis is a means
to a healthy
economy, happy
community and
thriving
environment IF it is
regulated in a way
th at supports the
history and ethos of
love that have
always been Craft
Cannabis.
2015 has been
momentous for us.
Early this spring we
were joined on the
Board by Sequoyah
Hudson and Steve
Geider, both
representatives from Humboldt.
Ele Elston and Taylor Blake come
to us from Mendocino and we
have also been joined by new
board members from other parts
of the state; Jared Micheli from
Sutter County, Jonathon Collier
and Basil McMahon join us as
alternates from Nevada County
and Tim Murphy joins as an
alternate for Board Member
Damien Wayne.
All board positions are Acting until
full elections are held for Board in
November and for Board Officers
in January.
We're in the process of making a
transition as the Founders step
down to focus on their many
other life paths. It is exciting to be
part of a handing off of the torch
as we look to the future. We
appreciate the contributions of the
Founding Members of EGA
because they had the courage to
stand up during a much different
political climate. They built the
foundation that we now stand
upon to advocate for farmers in a
triple bottom line manner that
honors community, ecology and
economy on equal footings.
Salad mixes and greens go
very well with Cannabis.
10
As Acting Chair of
the Emerald Growers
Association, it gives
me great pleasure to