Page 10 - Sonoma County Gazette November 2018

Could Your Cannabis be Cleaner Than Your Organic Produce?
By Nancy Birnbaum
Sonoma County Cannabis is being identified by
Fiddler’s Greens products are sun-grown using organic and biodynamic practices, with a focus on sustainability and protecting the environment. Their tinctures, pre-rolls and flower are solvent and pesticide-free and made from the whole plant.
these terms: Regenerative, BioDynamic, Organic, Sun-Grown, Light-Dep, and Sustainable Practices.
Sure, you know it’s better -
We know the value of choosing clean products: vegetables, meat, dairy, AND cannabis. We support small farmers and understand the connection between how something is grown or raised and the overall health of our bodies, and communities.
Starting July 1 of this year, distributors and
(legal) cultivators have to put their product through testing for heavy metals and bacteria like E. coli and chemicals like Acephate (a general use insecticide). That’s important for consumers but especially
of concern to medical marijuana patients with compromised health.
“The manner in which we farm is just more sustainable to our eco-system and the environment, says Cameron Hattan, Fiddler’s Greens Co-Founder. “We’re beyond organic, we practice what we preach: Regenerative farming, in-ground, fully sun-grown. As a result, you will get a broader spectrum of cannabinoids and terpenes. The plants can focus on growing and reproduction rather than fending off disease and insects.”
but do you know why it’s better?
New Regulations
To guarantee that whatever cannabis products you’re imbibing are pure and clean, it’s key that they’ve been officially tested and certified by one of the programs now available in the adult-use market.
Regenerative farming is inclusive of all natural farming practices, including biodynamics, Korean natural farming and permaculture, committed to building fertility in closed loop systems on the farm. Regenerative goes beyond “organic” or “sustainable” approaches, with the goal being to improve the environment through agriculture.
Growers irresponsibly use chemical fertilizers and pesticides — including Myclobutanil, a.k.a Eagle 20 pesticide, which becomes hydrogen cyanide when combusted in a smoking device of any kind. So it’s important to know where and how the cannabis you’re consuming is cultivated.
This system increases the soil’s ability to sequester carbon. It improves groundwater quality, which helps farms become more drought and flood resistant.
Cannabis labs test the final flower product after
harvest and processing, or before and after manufacturing for products like edibles or concentrates. This is the only kind of testing that the state requires; however, these companies don’t visit the farm or manufacturing site. They are testing for potency, pesticides, and pathogens, not for “organic” cultivation.
Seed2Soul is the cultivation, manufacturing, nursery and transportation company owned by Patrick King, the Soil King, in Cloverdale. Patrick has been committed to supplying his fellow cultivators with grow products that he can stand behind. “We support small businesses and carry Organic certified products,” says King. “Seed 2 Soul carries approved products that we’ve vetted - ensuring that these products, services and companies are aligned with our vision – ‘Health before Wealth.’”
“The USDA has a national regulatory program called the “National Organic Program” (NOP) that determines the standards for what can be considered “organic,” says Lauren Funaro, associate at Golden State Government Relations, (a Sonoma County-based consulting firm). “In 2000, the USDA defined the word “organic” for agriculture, including food and other products. Since cannabis is still a federally illegal crop, the USDA does not recognize it as a crop that can be certified as organically grown.”
Meet your Local Farmers
“Ideally, you want to have a relationship with the plant from the crack of the seed to the soul,” King explains. “It’s part of you, if you’re consuming it as medicine you want to depend on the quality of the plant.”
California is in the midst of finalizing its testing requirements. The State will inevitably mandate tests for pesticides, pathogens, microbes, and cannabinoid content. The State is also establishing precise regulations for the testing labs themselves, requiring, for instance, specific PhDs for the chief scientists.
Their flower will be available at Red Door Remedies in Cloverdale in December and across California. www.seed2soul.com
Spring Creek Farm (SCF) proudly uses a “no-till living soil system”, meaning they have reused the same soil continuously for 10 years. Spring Creek Farm’s goal is to grow the cleanest organic medical cannabis possible with the most biologically diverse inputs to create the “tastiest” medicine.
HerbaBuena was established in 2015, with the belief in things like full- spectrum, whole plant intelligence, regenerative farming, sun, seed and soil-grown plants, and responsible daily use of plant medicine. According to HerbaBuenas’ Vice President of Business Development, Michael Straus, “All of our pre-rolls are made from Demeter certified biodynamic cannabis, locally sourced in both Sonoma & Mendocino Counties.”
The Farm took 3rd place at the 2017 Emerald Cup for the light-dep category.
Biodynamics, is the oldest agricultural certification in the world, and is based on a philosophy developed in 1924 by Rudolf Steiner (also the founder of the Waldorf alternative educational system). Its fundamental principal is to create
a balanced ecosystem where plants, animals and soil are in a state of total harmony...to actually improve the health of the earth.
“We are in the process of becoming certified by DEMPure,” says Spring Creek’s farmer, Zelig Kronberg. “It’s becoming a woldwide movement.”
DEMPure is comprised of cannabis farmers who live sustainably and maintain regenerative practices. A DEMPure Certificate redefines what
the Cannabis industry sees as pure, clean medicine. Having a DEMPure certification recognizes that a farmer is utilizing solely regenerative and biologically intelligent practices. “We believe in maintaining these standards,” Kronberg stated. “Quality over quantity, community focus, not just the focus on profits. Spring Creek Farm is growing top-shelf, artisanal, craft cannabis.
“All of us want to know that the food we eat is produced with the highest standards possible,” Straus states. “We’ve seen how the sustainability movement has evolved from being a small niche to becoming mainstream in just a few short years. Now it needs to happen with cannabis.”
Ultimately it’s all about healing our bodies and minds, and making us stronger and more resilient. It’s about respect for the earth!”
HerbaBuena products are available in select cannabis dispensaries and delivery services throughout California including, here in the Bay Area, Sava, Nice Guys Delivery and Ona Life. www.HerbaBuena.com.
Spring Creek Farm flower can be found at Organicann in Santa Rosa and MendoCann, and soon in Oakland. spring-creek-farm.com
Author – Nancy Birnbaum is ED of Women’s Cannabis Business Development (womenscbd.org) and Publisher of Sensi Magazine launching soon in the North Bay.
Zelig Kronberg of Spring Creek Farm
Fiddler’s Greens flower and tinctures are in 60 dispensaries all over California (fiddlers-greens.com/ where-to-find-us).
“We want people to understand that this plant is a bioaccumuator,” Hattan says, “meaning it helps clean the soil. It benefits the environment just by growing. It’s not a smelly nuisance!”
“Here in California, we’re fortunate that the newly regulated market has such strict production and testing standards.”
10 - www.sonomacountygazette.com - 11/18