Calaveras County Has Screwed Over Every Legal Grower

[JVonChron]

while it is good news that they sent it back to planning for regulations, your statement that they voted "3-2 to regulate cannabis farming" is incorrect/misleading. one of them made a motion that was seconded to send it back to planning. the BOS hasn't "voted" on anything. the vote was supposed to be between a "ban" and "regulation" well these idiots didn't have the "regulation" side drawn up at all. The BOS can still vote to ban once they see on paper the alternative... which is these "regulations". also these regulations have a hard cap of 50 farms/ the regulations put in place make it so 50 farms will get the go ahead.all the pro cannabis people are so stoked on the "regulation" they must not have read them, 500ft setbacks pretty well eliminate the majority of gardens +the zoning changes eliminate the rest..The BOS seem to be trying to play coy....present the most democratic process they can present, with full intention to shit all over it with a ban vote.if you really think about, these regulations are lawsuits waiting to happen because there is no fair way to issue 50 permits. there are still hundreds of farms that paid 5000 in 2016 and still havent been inspected yet...the BOS want the easy way out and anything other than a ban wont be easy(just my ,02) not doggin' on you calaveras I very much appreciate and read your updates and they are primarily spot on. but everyone please read the article and correct me if im wrong...

http://www.calaverasenterprise.com/news/article_40016f64-b92a-11e7-aea0-e7f9e3c3fa45.html

 

[MountZionCollec]

I don't think they will able to have a hard cap of 50. What will likely happen is they will allow everyone who has been approved or is pending and can be approved or didn't break the rules the ability to make the move.

Only a small percentage will be able to make the move.

They need 150 farmers at 22,000 square feet just to cover there yearly 5.5 million structural deficit.

People will only be able to make the move if they allow everyone to increase up to 22k'. The move is going to cost between $500k-1 million to do. I am joining up with a good friend who is mid level manager in the healthcare industry and his wife is a mid level manager in marketing and advertising mostly in social media.

We will then need to get a $500-750 thousand loan from investors to make the move to a proper location.

There is going to be lawsuits, not sure how those will go. There will be changed when board of supes change over next 2 years so no idea how that could change things.

 

[calaveras]

No problem correcting discrepancies in my post JV. or Zion. I guess it isn't over yet. I thought they worked things out but........... Good luck with the fight. I think Cali is going corporate in the long run. They take the fun out of farming. Nevada is looking better all the time, and it is still within a days drive of the ocean

 

[JVonChron]

mt.zion, if you dont mind my asking, do you think profit margin/prices will hold steady enough to warrant an investment of such magnitude? I will be rowing the same boat if they decide to let people move locations, but the cost in doing so in combination with shitty prices to the farmer make it seem like an impossibility. that kind of investment is obviously long term, but the idea of making back 750k investment with this saturated market seems horrifying. (9 years ago you coulda made that 750 back in a couple decent seasons.) if farming were a guarantee then ya, but nothin but death in this life is a guarantee. mites and mothernature are ruthless.

 

[MountZionCollec]

mt.zion, if you dont mind my asking, do you think profit margin/prices will hold steady enough to warrant an investment of such magnitude? I will be rowing the same boat if they decide to let people move locations, but the cost in doing so in combination with shitty prices to the farmer make it seem like an impossibility. that kind of investment is obviously long term, but the idea of making back 750k investment with this saturated market seems horrifying. (9 years ago you coulda made that 750 back in a couple decent seasons.) if farming were a guarantee then ya, but nothin but death in this life is a guarantee. mites and mothernature are ruthless.

It all depends on how things play out. The planning commission is the one tasked to really iron out the details of this and its unclear what they will do. they are more intelligent then the board of supervisors, they live more in reality and they better understand legal liability and normal business practicies and how counties should conduct themselves with rulemaking for businesses where people are investing hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars to comply with there rules, they understand this carries liability so I think they will play nice.

I am equally fine growing 12 plants and just getting by for the next 3 years until board of supes change or a initiative can pass on the ballot that is more reasonable...............OR I am just as equally cool purchasing a $500k property and making the move.

The only way I am going to join up is if they arrange the program in such a way that at least 100 farmers will be partcipating. If they have 50 or less farmers the program will collapse and that would be too risky for me to arrange that type of investment.

also they will need to alllow me to expand to 22k feet up from 9k because I cannot make that move for only a 9k square foot operation.

THey will also need to make the licenses resellable. THe planning commission said they wanted this when they talked last month so hopefully they say the same thing again. THe licenses themselves on a legal parcel would be worth twice the price of the move potentially, at minimum could recoup the investment.

I am going to be most likely offering a percentage ownership of the soon to be created company to investors and I will retain majority ownership. This way I wont be required to pay back 750K within a specific time period. I would have a business and investors would have there percentage ownership and they would get that percentage of the profit. Some of the money for the move, the mortgage for the new property spefically, will likely get a 9% cannabis interest loan and get the rest from investors.

 

[calaveras]

Just one more rant from the (green) gold country . Looks like I was premature thinking that the vote to allow regulated pot farms ended the controversy. The vote did nothing but turn decisions over to the planning commission for actual rules. Under consideration is allowing indoor farms only in industrial areas which only 3 current grows qualify for. A 500 ft. setback from property lines would shut down all the grows on parcels smaller than about 40 acres which would eliminate a couple hundred farms.One proposal I like is to limit one grow per site. They talk about allowing registered farmers to move their operation to a qualifying site within 2 years. Farmers like Mt.Zion who have planted fruit trees and other things that take a few years to produce their first crop would be forced to start from scratch after investing a lot of time and money in the county.
40 acres sells for 300-500,000 dollars up here for bare land. 5 acres around 150K. Most of the grows are on 20 acres or less. Corporate weed and legislation continues to shut down smaller operations and forcing farmers to go big or go home . I see these shows on TV about getting in on the marijuana boom and I see huge pristine warehouses packed with hundreds of lights consuming zillions of watts of electricity which comes from renewable, hydro, natural gas, COAL, and NUKE plants. They carefully meter chemical nutrients through
medium and could not be any further from a green industry.
The TV shows highlight upscale cocktail parties of industry movers and shakers networking before they get in their renewable, hydro,natural gas, COAL, NUKE powered Tesla and drive home to their downtown Denver penthouse.
Here in Calaveras county Carhart , Toyota tacomas and beer are the lifestyle of farmers.
I, admittedly ,was not happy with the big influx of new farmers last year but the kinks are slowly getting worked out , more farmers are getting accepted into the community. There will always be slobs but we can shame them.
One small change in lifestyle is I cannot go to the small local grocery store mid-day and get a sandwich without standing in line for 20 minutes and stand in a checkout line. They have 7 people making sandwiches as fast as they can. Harvest time is all about keeping trimmers happy and well fed so the scissors keep flying and twisters twisting.
P.S. Corporate weed is driving farmers underground

 

[JVonChron]

corporate and weed just dont seem to jive to me(not the first to say that haha). would almost trade in for the perpetual fear of being raided then be talking investors and loans and interest rates. in my mind those things apply to any industry but in most ventures of such magnitude there is a relative guarantee on the other side(were making widgets or electronics etc..) would those arrangements have plant loss/fire damage/rain damage caveats built in? if a fire rolls thru or it pissed rain from oct 1st onward your crop is fubared. and that really isn't anyones "fault" but Investors are investors and they want return on their investment. cant write that shit off like big business does.

 

[calaveras]

Calaveras chronicles #35= I was driving into town this morning and am still struck by the large number of plants still standing. Except for a couple of hit and miss thunderstorms harvest time weather was outstanding this year. Smoke from the big wildfires was not too heavy. We are getting our first real rainstorm starting today so big buds are extra vulnerable to mold. I wonder if they have a lot of Haze in the genetics. That is nice if you can pull it off but I gave up on any strain that does not finish by Halloween and preferably a couple weeks earlier.
The sheriff keeps busting unregistered grows. Sizes run 100 to 1000+ plants. They have been snagging processed bud at these sites up to 1200 pounds at one. Big hits at the end of the season, I guess some growers will not be back next year.
The big gap exists between the farm and the products final destination. Registered growers can do their thing here legally for now and dispensaries are legal. Moving product from the farm to the dispensary seems to be illegal. Kind of like the scene in Holland. People
are advised when driving through the towns of Angels Camp and Jamestown to have current tags and all lights working, especially when trying to be sneaky at 1:00 in the morning with a few hundred pounds of extra smelly. One poor S.O.B. got pulled over for a vehicle problem, cops smelled weed, they found 150 pounds which he said was his cut for working on a farm. I don't think he will be going to Hawaii this winter.
P.S. Invest in turkey bags before hitting the road

 

[JVonChron]

we just got the last of ours down, last year it was pissin rain oct. 12 onward. more of a man power issue than anything else

 

[calaveras]

Calaveras chronicles #36= Things are definitely winding down after a good year for farmers in Calaveras county. Quality should be excellent for" Calaveras grown" I can get a sandwich at the grocery store without waiting in a big line now. Many of the trimmigrants have left the area headed for Costa Rica or Hawaii for winter, a little cash in their pockets.
Some guys that ripped off a registered grow got busted[nice] by sheriffs.
Things are still up in the air as to the future of regulated growing while county supervisors and planning commission work things out.
Last weekend the local bar "The Blunder Inn " had a harvest party. The Blunder inn is a dirty grimy little dive/biker/ farmer/working man's bar. The first time I went to the Blunder was many years ago and it had two beers on tap, Budweiser and Budweiser. Things have improved since. They even got rid of their blue tarp roof this year. It is the kind of place that you can walk in after a 3 year absence and be greeted like Norm from cheers. The bar and parking lot were absolutely packed with farmers celebrating a plentiful harvest for most. Smoking almost anything is tolerated.
Calaveras county has been mainly a one season big outdoor crop area for pot farmers. The new trend seems to be year round greenhouses and 4+ crops per year.I have seen a few greenhouse covers coming up in october. This is where I think pot production in the central valley will dominate. It is a lot easier to keep a greenhouse warm in the valley vs. the mountains and if the lights are off some heat will be needed to keep plants thriving in winter. With the high costs of energy and low price of weed farmers need to keep their pencils sharp .

 

[MountZionCollec]

Planning commision meeting is set for NOvember 29th, with the board of supervisors planned to vote on a final initiative in Mid December before the End of the Year, or at the latest at the beginning of the year. They discussed this at a recent BOS meeting where mills attempted to push to get the new regulation bill back before the board, skipping over the planning commision within a week of his request even though it was already to late to add new items to that weeks agenda....The 3 who voted for the new regulation bill shot his request down and voted to give the legal council and the planning department head Peter as much time as they need to craft the proper bill.

THe planning director mentioned they were having trouble coming up with a legal way to institute a Cap on the number of grows that would be allowed from the current application list. They legally will need to give everyone who is in good standing an opportunity to grow or theyll lose a lawsuit for sure.

Many at this point would like to Sue the county to allow those in good compliance to grow one more year at there current location before being forced to move. A judge might agree with this position since so many hundreds of thousands have been invested.

THere is a initiative being put up by Bob bowerman with the local norml. It is not being supported by the CCA leadership att his time as they dont trust Bob and dont think he can successfully run a campaign that will cost hundreds of thousands. Some in cca want to support it some dont, not clear whats happening at yet. Seems the leadership feels like waiting and seeing what the board does, then potentially hit them with lawsuits if not done properly.

 

[calaveras]

Calaveras chronicles #37= It is amazing how quickly things have gotten back to the previous "normal" since the end of harvest. I can now get a parking space at the local grocery/hardware store. That business has probably benefitted financially more than others up here. It is funny that the owner says he would probably have to close the doors if it was not for the big weed influx ( invasion). At the same time his wife now drives 20 miles to grocery shop although they own the store half a mile away. This is only because of the "new people" she doesn't want to expose kids or herself to. I am not sure how the business survived for decades before big weed.
A few busts are still happening but they have shifted to indoor illegal operations, mostly Asians.
Things are still up in the air as to the future of registered grows. The latest stats. are as follows: 740 farmers applied for permits in 2016. 5000 to 20,000 square feet.
181 applied for personal grows-200 sq.ft.
November 20, 2017, the county has issued 191 permits,310 were still pending,54 withdrawals and 183 denials. Fees and taxes generated 7 million in revenue. The emergency ordinance passed in 2016 was meant as a temporary regulation while things got sorted out. Growers seem to think these rules were carved in stone but this was not so.
The local newspaper did report 14 raids on illegal farms which is a surprisingly low number giver all the press coverage. 213 growers shut down voluntarily after problems getting a permit.Sheriff ripped out 21,000 plants from illegal grows and denied farmers yanked about the same amount on their own as to avoid the wrath of government.
New rules proposed would eliminate 90% of farms . The fight from both sides goes on. Big weed is ready to bury the county with lawsuits if regulations enacted are not in their favor. I imagine this influences neighboring counties to the north and south who are seeing the Calaveras experiment unfold and see the problems brought forth and have to ask themselves " Is it really worth the money " So far neighboring counties are leaning towards banning. Those counties have a larger tax base than Calaveras county and are not quite as desperate for money.
Google earth finally updated images this year and it is always surprising to see how many of your "straight" neighbors are farmers, and how many ignore the 22,000 sq.ft. limit on farm size( it is quite obscene)
Wholesale prices continue to plummet for farmers while big taxes are looming on the horizon as recreational comes in and politicians see $ signs. Everything is gearing up for corporate weed and the little guys will get squeezed out the way .

 

[DuskrayTroubador]

Californians ruin everything.

I can't wait for San Andreas to go so the experiment can start over in Nevada Beach.

 

[MountZionCollec]

Planning commission did very good they made all the changes I needed them to make to make it profitable to move.

Whether Tofanelli can except them going against most of his demands we will see. They said clearly that trying to put a cap would result in lawsuits that they could lose. They have already permitted many of us, they will need to give everyone the ability to move or they'll be sued. Lawsuits are planned regardless for many farmers, going to be a wild 2018

https://www.calaverasenterprise.com/news/article_c044ccb0-d582-11e7-a2bc-031f10901947.html

https://m.youtube.com/watch?t=11103s&v=EiMnMvGpBos

There are 3 parts on YouTube of the meeting.

 

[calaveras]

Calaveras chronicles #38= Merry christmas and a green new year to all. Calaveras supervisors are getting close to a vote to decide the fate of commercial marijuana. It looks like increased setbacks from property lines and some other things but still allowing a limited number of registered farms, probably in the range of 200-400 grows.
Some busts are still happening, indoor grow houses are the target nowadays.
Neighboring Tuolumne county is leaning towards banning almost everything. They could make a few million dollars allowing registered grows but it seems the price is potentially higher than anticipated revenues. If you open the door to big weed and take their money then you are also subject to the threat of lawsuits when growers don't get their way when rules get modified . Calaveras took the $ and now deep-pocket farmers are threatening big lawsuits while problems are getting worked out.
Selling product is a ever increasing problem with production being at record levels. One neighbor solved the problem with his own delivery operation in the bay area eliminating middlemen and undercutting prices of outlets such as Harborside with lots of overhead costs. I like the idea of farm to consumer, like the farm to fork movement of restaurants. The upcoming state rules have lots of opportunities for middlemen to add to the cost of smoke as things gear up with regulations favorable to corporate weed.
One note to the CCA, Calaveras cannabis alliance, the local growers group. You folks are trying to project a good image , donating to charities and other good deeds. The image of high visibility farms that look like homeless camps and abandoned grow sites litter an already damaged landscape. Perhaps some of you could get together and rehabilitate a few abandoned sites which are a eyesore to farmers and non- farmers alike. If you want to fit in with "the locals " this would be a big help. Police yourselves. Shame the slobs.

 

[JVonChron]

cant seem to find any news on the meeting that was supposed to take place today. Anybody attend or have any news??

 

[calaveras]

The final decision on the future of Calaveras grown is scheduled be thursday Dec. 21 at a special supervisors meeting. ...... but with these bunch of guys who knows

 

[MountZionCollec]

Not finalized until Thursday but I'd recommend u watch the last hour of the BOS meeting it shows the meat of the day. Looking like 50 parcels on 50 acres or more with a max canopy of 22,000 square feet per parcel that can be divided up amongst smaller square foot grows to equal a total of 22k and no more and they would all need to be located in the same area not in different locations of the property.

500' setbacks from residential lands. 500' setbacks from all neighboring structures, and 200' setback if neighboring a forest or Ag lands.

 

[calaveras]

Calaveras chronicles #39= After days and years of deliberation our absolutely worthless, feeble minded, greedy, self-serving,pitiful group of county supervisors have decided absolutely nothing to finalize rules for commercial farmers. Lots of new proposals like 50 or 100 acre minimum grow sites , one acre grows and multiple grows per site. They say the matter will be settled in January. I'm sure we can believe them .........
In the mean time some grower hired a absolutely worthless , feeble minded, greedy, self-serving, pitiful Bay Area lawyer to sue the county over measure C tax money which imposed a $2.00 square foot fee on farmers which is the counties main source of cannabis income along with registration fees. The only reason commercial cultivation was ever considered here is the anticipated revenue for a financially struggling county. Farmers main argument for registered growing is more money for law enforcement . The ONLY reason farmers were permitted is money, not their bubbly personality or hygiene. You farmers need to shut down these lawyers with frivolous lawsuits
or your reputations will suffer also. Go ahead and sue the county if they try to shut you down after issuing permits last year but shutting down tax money that was voted on by the majority of voters will negate the main argument of tax money for the county and law enforcement. Commercial growers I talk to all voted for the measure C tax. It is just the price of doing business and keeping cops on your side.

 

[calaveras]

Calaveras chronicles #40= So after many months of delays the county supervisors have reached a deadline and may actually make a decision as to the fate of registered farmers. It is leaning towards regulation will eliminate smaller farms and only allow the big players with $500,000 to one million $ to invest. It seems to be the rule that every state that legalizes marijuana will shut down the mom and pop growers while encouraging corporate weed. The guys with 5 -20 acres could be all eliminated with 500 foot setback from property lines. This was the majority of parcels sold that got burnt out during the 2015 fire and started the grow rush of 2016. The large 40-160 acre pricey parcels have previously been hard to sell but with new anticipated regulations these large parcels will be like buying a gold mine. Most of the big farms will require multiple investors because of the cost and I have never heard of a marijuana farm where one person did not rip off another.
2018 Predictions:
1) Calaveras supervisors will vote to allow only a few LARGE farms to operate
2) Growers will slam Calaveras county with multiple lawsuits because of changes to TEMPORARY regulations
3)Dispensary price for good quality flowers bottoms out at $400.00 per pound. Dispensary prices to consumer hit record high with all the new taxes
4) Large parcel land prices hit record high
5) Lots of 5-20 acre land parcels on the market , abandoned grow site included
6) Remaining growers still can't take a shower before coming to town
7) ......................B.S.
Happy new year to all, peace and love