Promoting Fair Regulations
As Good Farmers and Great Neighbors, we believe it’s important to advocate for robust and fair regulations to protect the health of our community and environment, while enabling our homegrown industry to thrive for our local economy and residents. In both State and County-level initiatives and hearings we are making our voice heard to make to ensure the adoption of best practices in our county and beyond.
County Initiatives and Actions
County Planning Commission Meeting – Permit Hearing for Central Coast Agriculture
John De Friel, CEO of Central Coast Agriculture and Raw Garden, will meet with the County Planning Commission on October 28th at a permit hearing.
John comes from a multi-generational farming background. Following his degree, his decided to use his knowledge of genetics and biology to create high-quality cannabis keeping agricultural jobs in North County and contributing to our local economy.
Watch and Share: Learn more about John, and the work that he and fellow North County cannabis farmers have done to revitalize and improve agricultural lands while pioneering new tourism plans to highlight all of North County’s crops – cannabis, wine, and organic produce.
Sign on to our petition to encourage and promote agricultural best practices that are beneficial to the environment.
Subscribe to our email list to stay up to date on this issue.
State policy initiatives
In September 2019, Governor Newsom signed two Senate bills – SB 527 and SB 657 – which should benefit California’s cannabis growers in the long run, freeing up additional farmland for cannabis cultivation and enabling the state to compile annual reports on the California cannabis crop.
California Cannabis farmers, especially many of us who have transitioned from traditional crop farming and are moving toward a more diverse cultivation model that is more sustainable are very pleased and applaud the Governor for signing SB 657 and SB 527. Taken together will these new state laws will allow cannabis and hemp farming to be more aligned with the recently passed Federal Farm Act of 2018 and other local and state measures that help provide economic stability in cannabis cultivation.
John De Friel, CEO of Central Coast Agriculture
Currently AB-228, co-authored by State Assembly Member Aguiar-Curry and Senator Wilk, is in the State Senate after passing the Assembly.
We believe this legislation is a vital precursor to a vibrant hemp cultivation and processing market for interstate commerce. Part of this vital precursor is giving California licensed operators the ability to:
- Use dual purpose existing infrastructure from cultivation to processing, and
- Utilize independent research and testing labs just as traditional farmers and processors have done for years under the California Sherman Act and CDFA rules and guidelines.
