The Emerald Cup’s Harvest Ball is a yearly beacon for the cannabis community. It’s an event where all can gather and passionately celebrate the work of their fellow farmer. This year, the Emerald Cup Harvest Ball has partnered once again with California craft farms to give them an opportunity to participate as vendors in their world famous marketplace and consumption lounges. The Small Farms Initiative program provides craft farms the chance to be seen and celebrated by the diehard seasoned attendees and newly cannacurious crowds looking for the latest farm fresh flower, genetics, or wellness products.

At the 2022 Harvest Ball, ten licensed mixed light and outdoor farms with a canopy of 10,000 sq. ft. or less, were chosen from a lottery from the counties of Humboldt, Mendocino, Trinity, Nevada, Sonoma, Lake, Calaveras, and Santa Cruz.

The ten farms selected were given the option to invite one additional farm to share their booth, which resulted in twenty farms receiving a complimentary vending space. The program went even further to ensure that all farmers are able to participate; organizers gave an additional eight farms the opportunity for a steep booth discount, and awarded ten free competition entries to the upcoming 2023 Emerald Cup Awards competition to applicants who were not selected for a booth space in 2022.

Nothing “Small” about the Small Farms Initiative

What’s all the buzz about the Small Farms Initiative? Well, there is nothing “small” about the aforementioned farms. The Small Farms Initiative was formed in response to the crisis that the California cannabis industry has found itself in by a special group of cannabis leaders and stewards, many of whom are part of multi-generational family farms. This special group includes the Cup’s founder Tim Blake, Michael Katz of the Mendocino Cannabis Alliance, Genine Coleman of Origins Council, Chris Anderson of Redwood Roots Distribution, Nicholas Smilgys of Mendocino Cannabis Distribution, Traci Pellar of the Mendocino Producers Guild, and Brandy Moulton of Sovereign 707. These farmers represent the tradition and heritage we are trying to save from extinction.
To put this all in context, California has long been one of the most renowned regions on the planet for cannabis culture and cultivation. The families that made cannabis farming their way of life since the late sixties risked serious consequences and persevered through sweaty guerilla grow tactics as they grinded season after season. These same folks figured out how to run cultivation operations despite endless obstacles – from raids and overhead helicopters, to oasis gardens tucked deep into the misty forest ridges of the Triangle. These pioneers are truly the bedrock that built the industry. Without the back-to-the-landers and outlaw renegades, the heritage genetics that built West Coast chronic and the OG cultural mecca of Cali weed might have never existed.

Farmageddon is real!
To better understand why small farmers are at risk of extinction, we need to familiarize with California’s regulatory history. In 1996, California ushered in the voter passed medical programs of Prop 215, and it was the same lifelong activists and cultivators that led the charge of cannabis buyers clubs and compassion programs that made this program a reality. During this time, farmers were tasked with how to adapt and survive in a new era of oncoming cannabis retail, as well as the latest iteration of the War on Drugs. It was also when we entered the shades of the ‘Grey Zone’. This period saw new brands and strains popping up seemingly overnight, and many farmers and business owners navigated with feet in both markets to survive.
By 2016, the locomotive of speculation drove the regulated marketplace and bore the billionaire endorsed Proposition 64. This was the beginning of the most significant extinction event for small farms. For many it was writing on the wall they needed to see, as many lifelong farmers exited the legal space and went back to the traditional way of doing things, or shut down operations altogether.

Ironically, this period was also a renaissance of sorts. Some brands and home growers could now legally grow their own six plants, but that wasn’t enough to help farmers afford the massive cost of entering and surviving regulation. Many farms were able to obtain a license, but as the price per pound plummeted, overtaxation and licensing greed ramped up. For many of these farms, it was like they had stepped into an open bear trap, and it was only a matter of time before it snapped. Many farms took their last breath and their businesses collapsed. Not only have small farms suffered in this crisis, but the entire supply chain, from growers to retail dispensaries, have been negatively affected by the legislation of Prop 64.

What promised to be equitable for small craft ”legacy” farmers, who grew Cannabis illegally and were treated like murderers by law enforcement and the government during Cannabis prohibition, turned out to be the exact opposite. It created a rat race to the bottom and invited the worst parts of greed and undeserving opportunism.” - Ganja D from Rebel Grown

Today, the brands and farms who managed to stay alive are some of the most tenacious people out there. They continue to push onward, create value, build community, and keep their heads high for the future. As the California market and other states go through the tumultuous throes of this new industry, one thing is clear – craft cannabis is essential.

Support the cannabis community by shopping small farms
In the industry, all flower is welcome to the table, but without argument, small batch, artisanal grown cannabis sets itself apart as some of the best weed on the planet. It’s the benchmark of quality in this commodified world, and a crucial gatepost to secure the future of small farms and heirloom genetics. It’s clear the message is being heard with this year's announcement that Stateside Holdings, one of the largest vertically integrated companies in California, and parent of Harborside, Urbn Leaf, and Loudpack, would partner with the Emerald Cup’s Small Farms Initiative. By creating a program that allows buyers and budtenders to tour farms and learn about the benefits of sungrown cannabis, the program is intentionally fostering direct sales and shelf space for small farmers.
As conscious consumers, purchasing craft grown flower is an easy win-win. By shopping with intention, you’re not only supporting small farmers and their communities, but you will be awarded with the highest quality product, brimming with vibrance and terps!
Next time you’re shopping, support the amazing farms who participated in this year's Small Farm Initiative!
Booney Acres
Burr’s Place Organics
Down OM Farms
Foxworthy Farms
Gold Ridge Cannabis
Greenshock Farms
Humboldt 36 Farms
Hungry Hollow Farm
NATYRE
Noble Gardens
Northfork Garden Society
One Straw Farm
Perrin Family Farm
Shepherd’s Meadow Farm
Sol Spirit Farm
Sunrise Mountain Farms
Tall Tree Society
Tilth Farms
WAMM Phytotherapies
Whitethorn Valley Farm

The Emerald Cup ‘Small Farms Initiative…’

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