October 15, 2021
Cannabis Control Board Chair Tremaine Wright and Board Member Jen Metzger today toured two Hudson Valley hemp farms that use organic, regenerative practices.
“The new cannabis industry will provide a wide-range of opportunity in New York State and we must ensure that as cannabis farming expands, it does so in a way that’s sustainable, minimizing impact on our environment and our climate,” Chair Wright said. “Visiting these farms today showed us that our farmers are already leading the way on sustainability and we look forward to continuing to work with the agricultural community to understand how we can build a successful cannabis industry that supports those who are struggling, enhances the environment, and delivers economic and social justice.”
“Cannabis cultivation provides new opportunities for our farmers across New York State, and I look forward to continuing to partner with the farming community as we develop New York’s cannabis programs,” said Board Member Metzger, who chaired the Agriculture Committee when she served in the State Senate. “The farms we visited today provide exemplary models of sustainable and regenerative farming practices at different scales of cannabis cultivation, and I appreciated the opportunity to learn from them.”
The Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act (MRTA) has some of the strongest environmental protections in the nation and the Cannabis Control Board will be developing regulations to support and implement those protections. License applicants will have to show sustainability in their operations as well.
The tour follows the first meeting of the Cannabis Control Board, which was held Oct. 5, less than two weeks after the Board was fully constituted on Sept. 22.
Board Chair Wright and Board Member Metzger visited the following locations:
Hepworth Farms: Located in Milton, New York, Hepworth Farms is a seventh-generation family-owned, organic farm that, in addition to hemp, grows 400 varieties of vegetables. Amy and Gail Hepworth founded Hempire State Growers, a cooperative of 12 Hudson Valley farms that cultivates 200 acres of hemp and seeks to foster economic development and agricultural sustainability in the Hudson Valley.
Earthborn Garden: Located in Hillsdale, New York, Earthborn Garden is a small farm that deploys practices informed in part by Oregon Tilth to use micro-ecosystems to promote sustainable agricultural growing. The farm grows hemp as well as vegetables.