The independent farming renaissance, like the early phases of most important social movements, is an awesomeness magnet. It is attracting some of the finest, cleverest, most dedicated folks I’ve ever met. And, of course, per the basic rules of physics, some doofuses. Just a few. As is my wont, I’ll focus on the positive. And of course we all learn from everyone who crosses our path.
I couldn’t plant, harvest, process, and market my own hemp, let alone write this book, without the following folks: Edgar Winters, Margaret Flewellen, and family in Oregon (including the genius Randy and next-generation superstars Chris, Celeste, and Dougie) are, as we’ve seen in these pages, true mentors and friends. Cary and Kristen Giguere, Colin and Erin Nohl, Fiona Giguere and Basil are all terrific colleagues and pards.
Since I’ve already been referring to them as kin, it won’t surprise anyone that the folks at the Fat Pig Society organic hemp cooperative in Colorado (Iginia Boccalandro, Bill Althouse, Gavin Lim, Yamie Lucero, and the late great John Long) are guiding lights for me. They set such a high bar as colleagues and as friends.
Roger Gussiaas has been an invaluable friend, colleague, advisor, and confidant. Vincent and Irene Mina and family demonstrated for me how an independent farming family can make a living in a very small space. Dexter Rice of Nature’s Love and Sub-Zero Extracts is one of the most generous folks I’ve met inside or outside of hemp. Andrew and Jacob Bish and the whole crew at Bish Enterprises are total Renaissance people and great friends. I’m grateful to Shane Davis of Boulder Hemp Farm and M222 Genetics for starting me thinking about Ogham culture and plants. Preston Whitfield and Louis Zerobnick are unwavering brothers.
Thanks to Morris Beegle, Lizzy Knight, and Lori Buderus at WAFBA, who have supported my work, especially live performance and tree-free printing, for six years. Shelly, Erin, and team at the superlative Montana State Hemp Festival have been dedicated to allowing me to spread the farmer-first gospel in the Rockies. Same with Nancy, Amber, the two Laurens (Stansbury and Berlekamp), and all the great folks who have been organizers at Hemp History Week.
Special thanks to Hana Gabrielova, Blake Miller, Nashville Rizzi, Ken Manfredi, Robin Alberti, John and Melissa Williamson, Gram and Larry. I’m grateful to Agua Das for the regional lime he provided for my early hempcrete experiments (and for Hemp I Scream).
Big appreciation to all the hemp and independent farming folks with whom I continue to cross paths—from Kentucky to Belgium, I gain knowledge from every one of you, about everything from tractor maintenance to the joys of beeswax-vented greenhousing. Some folks in that list of treasured humanoids: Margaret, Aaron, Fran, Joe, Trevor, Liz, and the (scary) cows at Salt Creek Hemp are my peeps. Immense thanks to Jackie Richter for her belief in me from the start. She has one of the toughest jobs in hemp, and I think she is going to succeed. Thank you to Melody Heidel and Qing Li for giving me the subtropical hemp bug. Good thing: Equatorial belt humanoids have endocannabinoid systems too. I’m grateful to Andrew Stoll, Dean Norton, Charlotte Rosendahl (that early MOU saved me much sleep), Pauli Rotterdam, Bobby Pahia, James and Janell Simpliciano, Tomas Balogh, Dan Townsend, Dani Fontaine, Wild Bill Billings, Derrick Bergman, Mich Degens, Evi Royackers, Mary Bailey, Joy and Don Nelson, Annie and Willie Nelson, Micah Nelson, John Roulac, David Bronner, Anthony Johnson, Sarah Duff, Darrell Koerner, Dale Sky Jones, Andrew DeAngelo, Steve DeAngelo, Barry Gordon, Jake Gordon, Adam Eidinger, Andrew Stone, Sean Marks, Marios Rush, Ryan Slabaugh, Sarah Levesque, Chad Kuskie, Ben Trollinger, and everyone at Acres USA, Ryan Loflin, Ed Lehrburger, Carl Lehrburger, Eric Carlson, Rachel Cole, Marc Grignon, Stephen Jackson, Duane Ludwig, E. R. Beach, Tara Grace, Nami, Lelle Vie, John Delgado, Gloria Castillo, Jerry Fuentes, Bill Gomez, Lew Seebinger, George Rixey, Richard Dash, Ron Alcalay, Jason Amatucci, Josh Hendrix (thanks for early introductions to the Kentucky hemp family), Ben Droz, Matt McClain, Annie Rouse, Arthur Rouse (thanks in particular for the Hale reference and for the green screen), Ellen Komp, Coral Reefer, Rick Trojan, Dale Gieringer, Michael LaBelle, Peter Nyari and the team at Hemptique (we use their hempen rope to corral goats and secure treehouses), Ewket Assefa, Melissa and Josh Rabe, Janel Ralph, David Newsom, Anson Tebbetts, Anthony Iarrapino, Victor Guadagno, KMO, Philip Ackerman, Caroline Kimball, Mike Gabbard, Tulsi Gabbard, Emily Emmons, Cynthia Thielen, Erica Campbell, Mark Frauenfelder, Dion Markgraaff, Chad Rosen (big thanks for letting our little craft pressing leap the queue on short notice), Shane Ball, Joe Hickey, Katie Moyer, Eric Steenstra, Colleen Keahey Lanier, Melissa Peterson, Marty Phipps, Mike Lewis, Shadi Ramey (who steered me to anthocyanins), Pamela Jennings Orth, Joy Beckerman, Bill Collins, Wendy Gibson, John Patterson, Kristen Kunau, Tommy Nahulu, Ben Wright (lovely design for the cover of the hemp-printed First Legal Harvest monograph), Liz Jackson, Kainoa Aluli, Lehia Apana, Brad Bayless, Rob Parsons, Chris Harris, and Kendal Clark. RIP Mark Linday, who was leading the hemp-plastic revolution and printed a lot of hemp goats for me.
Michael Metivier is a great editor, and it’s a pleasure to be working with Chelsea Green again. Thanks as always to Markus Hoffmann, my agent.
Special thanks to the engineers and designers who made the 2013 MacBook Pro goat proof. This one might sound cheesy, but it’s true: The cannabis/hemp plant’s intelligence has guided me and is worth thanking.
Most vitally, as usual, the unwavering love and support from my family here at home on the Funky Butte Ranch allow me to do what I do. You are all that matters. Everything else is gravy. And we’re finally growing hemp at home!
A few names have been changed in these pages to protect privacy.