Post-pandemic at Shady Frase Farm
The pandemic hurt our momentum , and I lost track of Brandi and Dane until March 2022 . I was with the Canna Convict Project at the first post-pandemic free vendor event held at Shady Frase Farm by Jeff Frase and Ricky Starling when a handsome young man came under our tent holding a little mesh bag full of pills . “ My mom got me off all these pills with cannabis ,” he told us .
Dane , today at age 15 , is off harsh pharmaceuticals .
License to Grow
“ Who is your mom ?” I asked . “ Her name is Brandi , and she has her booth set up around the corner ,” he answered . “ Show me !” I insisted .
Dane had turned from a little kid into a very handsome teenage boy , but I recognized his mom immediately . Brandi ’ s booth , Marry Pottins Supply , was stocked full of CBD and CBG sugars , infused salsa and chips , pre-rolls , and freeze-dried infused fruit , just to mention a few of her amazing products . She had been busy !
Brandi is one of the first women in Missouri to get her license to grow CBD . She rented the auto-body shop building in Archie , MO , and turned it into a greenhouse . Then she rented the building next door that started as the first gas station in Archie when old 71 Highway ran through the town , was converted to an insurance office , and is now the first Marry Pottins retail shop . But Brandi didn ’ t stop there . She ’ s turning the insurance building that houses her retail into an infused Cafe and Coffee Shop . She rattled off the permits she has applied for , paid for , and received , but I don ’ t get that much space . As I said , unstoppable .
NWIAA
I have wanted to write about Marry Pottins for a while , so when Brandi invited me on a ride-along to Oklahoma City for a women ’ s agricultural conference , I thought it would be a nice long road trip to interview her for an article . Little did I know , she was about to break yet another green ceiling , having been invited to speak at the National Women in Agriculture Association ( NWIAA ) as the only speaker to attend representing hemp as an agricultural crop .
“ When I got my son off of all of the drugs he was on , he had a hard time with the physical side effects of withdrawals ,” she told the international crowd , boldly standing in front of the microphone in her signature red polka dot dress . “ The CBD was helping . But he was a kid , and he hated the taste . Then one night Mary Poppins came on , and that ’ s when it occurred to me — ‘ Just a spoon full of sugar helps the medicine go down .’ I started making infused sugars for my son , and it worked . It made the medicine go down . That ’ s where I came up with the name Marry Pottins instead of Mary Poppins .”
The NWIAA is a minority-founded NFP grassroots organization to address the sad state of food in the world today , and the proliferation of food deserts experienced by so many families in the inner city . And they aren ’ t just women . Emmanuel Opdie is a young man who traveled
from Nigeria , where he started an NWIAA chapter in his village . He stood up , introduced himself , and explained he had come here today , from Nigeria to Oklahoma City , “ to ask for help for our community gardens .” That is all he said . No doubt that was enough , and help will be forthcoming .
State after state , chapter leaders checked in with stories of turning downtown spaces into community gardens , starting new chapters , and teaching kids to garden . There were athletes , physicians , Dr . Nola of NSA Foreign Affairs , and one voice in the wilderness for the cannabis plant , Brandi Ortega . It was a thrilling experience . So often , the things we find out we didn ’ t know about are bad news . It was lovely to find people doing amazing things that I didn ’ t know existed .
Cinco De Mayo
Brandi made an impression , so much so that the organization ’ s founder , Dr . Tammy Gray-Steele , is coming for Marry Pottins ’ Cinco De Mayo celebration on May 6 . As the newly appointed Chapter leader of the first NW Missouri Chapter of NWIAA , Brandi has already gone through the Archie City Council to start a community garden for kids onsite with her greenhouse , retail shop , and cafe .
All the products in Marry Pottins Supply are local — jewelry made by kids , soap made by her mom , and an amazing array of skin care products , edibles , sugars , and pre-rolls from the CBD and CBG she grows . While in Oklahoma City , Brandi also made friends with Steve Hardy of Tower Gardens and has the first Tower Garden I ’ ve ever seen up and running in her shop , already growing strawberries ! She is now the local sales rep for Tower Gardens .
If you want to stop by Marry Pottins Supply , Saturday ,
Brandi with her Tower Garden .
May 6 , take 49 South of KC to exit 147 , 103 NW Outer Rd , Archie , MO 64725 . Save the date and join them for a day of food , gardening , and speakers , including Purple Heart Veteran Chris Wolfenberger and NWIAA founder Dr . Tammy Steele . It will be a Cinco de Mayo celebration like no other ! I hope to see you all there .
Dolores Montgomery Halbin , RN , BSN , and Ordained Nurse Minister , resides in SW Missouri . After her husband passed in 2015 , she retired from nursing . She worked with the 2014-2018 Missouri campaigns for legalized medical marijuana . She continues as a cannabis reform activist volunteering with Canna Convict Project and working toward Federal decriminalization through educational speaking and freelance journalism . Dolores Halbin , doloreshalbin @ gmail . com .
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