Bloomberg, July 19, 2020
Cannabis farmers and cannabis businesses, we don’t have access to unemployment, small business loans. We don’t have access to any of the rescue money that came for other businesses that were struggling so there’s no safety net for our business. — Sara Rotman, Wellfounded Botanicals
Green Entrepreneur, July 7, 2020
We are very fortunate in Santa Barbara. When they first drafted the ordinance, they allowed us to consider ourselves from an agricultural scale perspective. But even with that, we have a structure in our county where the appeal process is forgiving for any opponent and extremely arduous for someone to make it through. And it is possible for someone to bankrupt a small independent farmer in order to prevent them from coming online in a fully compliant way.
Santa Barbara Independent, July 2, 2020
When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, Santa Barbara County’s agro women forged ahead, adjusting their approaches to reflect a fast-changing crisis much like their predecessors had done almost four decades earlier. Farmers with wildly diverse productions described similar challenges or sources of inspiration: agricultural teachings to help fuel the industry for generations to come.
Wine Industry Network, July 1, 2020
Dr. George Sellu, Ph.D. Scientifically Assesses the Danger of Grape Taint from Hemp
[Dr.] Sellu suspects that some may not understand the plant terpenes responsible for aromas and flavors. Two examples, linalool in lavender and pinene in raspberries, carrots and pine trees, are both in hemp and grapes. “If you find pinene in wine grapes,” he says, “you wouldn’t blame someone growing carrots nearby.”
View Dr. Sellou’s Presentation here.
Marijuana Business Daily, June 26, 2020
Under the proposed California regulations, growers can’t deem their cannabis as explicitly organic but can apply the OCal seal if they adhere to the rules, including proper use of approved pesticides and fertilizers.
California would join Washington state as two of the state-legal cannabis markets to consider an organic certification for marijuana products.
Forbes, May 27, 2020
If you don’t know Sara Rotman yet, you will soon. She is an outspoken advocate for the legal cannabis industry and is launching a new brand, Wellfounded Botanicals, in California this summer. Together with her husband, Rotman owns an outdoor cannabis organic farm that has been described as the gold standard by state compliance officers, community leaders and fellow farmers alike. In addition to day-to-day farming, Rotman has become a local and statewide advocate for the cannabis industry.
Santa Barbara Independent May 19, 2020
With the COVID crisis hammering county coffers — an estimated $50 million for additional costs and lost revenues combined — cannabis sales remain about the only revenue source where the numbers are going up.
Santa Barbara Independent March 19, 2020
Yes, the county Board of Supervisors said this week, voting 4-0 to uphold a land-use permit for Busy Bee Organics, allowing cannabis cultivation on 22 acres along Highway 246, west of Buellton. The scenic highway is the gateway to the Santa Rita Hills and Santa Ynez Valley wine country.
Voice Magazine March 13, 2020
Together they’re the husband and wife duo behind Busy Bee’s Organics, one of the largest, most successful commercial cannabis farms in America. They agreed to talk with VOICE about their latest side-project, developing agritoursim offerings built around the combination of fine cannabis, fine wines, and great food, all in a beautiful location.
Santa Barbara Independent, March 8, 2020
Hoping to combat that noise and increase education around cannabis farming, Rotman co-founded an organization called Good Farmers, Great Neighbors. “It’s about advocacy and education,” she says. “With regulations being a moving target, cannabis remains the focus, but the organization is all inclusive.”
Keep cannabis farming accessible to farmers. Write to your supervisor and planning commission and join us at meetings to stop attempts to make cannabis production cost restrictive.
