420 Fortnightly by Redheaded Blackbelt, a column exploring the symbiosis, future uncertainty, and innovations of marijuana and the economy here in Humboldt County

Humboldt County has the “best overall group of growers in the nation,” maybe the world says Kevin Jodrey, the Cultivation Director of the Humboldt Patient Resource Center dispensary in Arcata and teacher of the 707 Cannabis College’s first class.  Entitled “Curing and Storage Workshop,” the information offered last Friday, as the new enterprise opened its doors, was designed for locals–offering more than just the basic facts on a variety of growing aspects though centering on how to harvest and stabilize marijuana. Over the last weekend, the brand new college for marijuana growers also offered a Foundation class for more inexperienced students, many from out of the area.

The goal of these workshops offered to locals is to hone already fine skills. “It’s not so easy to have a good product,” Jodrey says. He adds, that as a consultant dealing with marijuana problems, he sees people come from out of the area, people with master’s degrees in science, who think they are going to change the industry, but they discover that cannabis has its own quirks that differentiate it from other kinds of plants.

In Humboldt lives an entire community of farmers specializing in marijuana, and they have been working with the plant for over 40 years. They have knowledge that may not seem special to them but, in fact, they have information that other people need to learn before they can become proficient at growing.

Jodrey acknowledges that the secrecy surrounding pot has left holes in even very good growers’ education.  But he and the college’s board hope that increasing openness will help expand Humboldt’s pool of knowledge even further.  Jodrey explains, “If I can raise the awareness of how to be professional and how to have good results, then we all benefit.  We are really in the collective boat — you’re either grabbing an oar or drilling a hole.”  He wants to lift the level of expertise up in the entire county to equal the knowledge of the best growers “so that people say that everything com[ing] out of [Humboldt] with this brand and this stamp is definitely the right product.  It lets all of us have a viable future in this industry.”

Jodrey knows that this won’t be easy. “The only problem that occurs here in Humboldt is we’re all so independent…so independent that we’ve pretty much left the real world and created our own world….  We’re all… free thinkers…Holy shit, trying to get …people together on the same team is tough….”

However, Jodrey knows it is critical that Humboldt County continues to create buds that are of the finest quality. And to do that we have to find ways of working together—knowledgeable growers as well as those still understanding the finer points of marijuana cultivation.  He says, “Even if you don’t like me, it doesn’t matter. I’ll row next to you so we all survive. That is what is most important–that the community survives. For forty years, it s been viable, sustainable, functional, [and] actual.”  He wants to keep it that way and he believes that “We need to band together and differentiate ourselves from the masses. [Letting the consumers know] we are not shady, fly-by-night, shoddy craftsmen.”

Jodrey worries that urban and mountainous areas with short summer seasons that are unable to grow outdoors, such as Colorado, are trying to stamp our outdoor product as inferior.  He thinks we can overcome this unwarranted negative image.  Jodrey believes, “The numbers of cultivators in our region are fantastic. The level of professionalism and skill level is unparalleled. I know it because I get to talk to people who are at the top of the game in Europe….Does that mean I’m special?  No.  I think I’m just one of the regular people here… (maybe [with a] more diverse experience.)  Nevertheless, I’m with an entire group of people that are high level. All of us have the ability to move forward and create something that is sustainable [and] long term.”

Besides the fact that the area has birthed modern marijuana and contains an incredible skilled group of growers, Jodrey also believes that this area has other pluses.

“What makes Humboldt unique?” Jodrey asks. Then he answers his own question. “Because we have a terrain that creates little micro climates and pockets that allow you to have varietals that otherwise wouldn’t function.”  The Central Valley is one straight shot of similar climate areas and pathogens can spread easily.  However here, “this terrain creates all these nice little niches [which support a large number of different strains of cannabis]…”

And this extraordinary variety coming from a relatively small area is a blessing. “People like [having] choice,” Jodrey says. By working together, we can “provide the best choices of these varietals.”

The independence of Humboldt’s growers has created a community that cultivates and understands a multitude of strains and growing conditions.  Can those same independents learn to pool resources and work together? Without some level of cooperation, unscrupulous or uninformed growers from other areas will destroy our reputation and our livelihood.

For more on “Curing and Storing” click here.

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