Breadcrumb
Regenerative Cannabis Management Project
This project will characterize cannabis production systems across six Northern California Counties (Humboldt, Trinity, Mendocino, Sonoma, Nevada, and Santa Cruz) with an emphasis on soil and plant health, and the application of regenerative management practices to support farm viability, product quality/safety, and environmental resilience.
Why It Matters:
With legalization, cannabis production moved further away from in-ground, full-sun ‘back-to- the-land’ management to imported soils, fertilizers and automated greenhouses driven by market pressures of supply and demand. Across this timeline a small minority of cannabis production retained a focus on cultivation intended to reduce impacts to ecosystem services and restore sensitive habitats - regenerative agriculture! However, since the boom of 2016, a drastic decline in farm numbers is underway as the price per unit (pound) has plummeted. Without a shift in the paradigm, this could be the final chapter in California cannabis’ storied legacy.
We are guided by four objectives to structure our action plan, analysis, and project outcomes:
- Establish farm network and assessment protocols.
- Conduct farm system assessment - data collection, observations, and farmer engagement.
- Facilitate farmer collaboration and networking - support knowledge transfer, practice guidelines, and implementation.
- Synthesize, report, and disseminate.
Dan Mar
Research Associate and Lecturer at California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt,
Cannabis Studies, Dept. of Sociology - Daniel.Mar@humboldt.edu
Dan Mar is a seasoned watershed and regenerative agriculture consultant having assessed more than 400 cannabis farms. He is a lecturer in the Cannabis Studies program at Cal Poly Humboldt, the Environmental Stewardship lead for the program and the faculty advisor for the Cannabis Studies Lab. He is the PI for the annual Cannabis and Environmental Stewardship Symposium hosted by Cal Poly Humboldt. He has collaborated on two state funded projects with the Cannabis Restoration Grant Program as an environmental capacity building researcher and educator. He has over a decade of experience in restoration and agricultural project management including the development and oversight of state and federal permits. He is a certified Permaculture designer and a Regenerative Agriculture Technical Assistance Provider.
Garrett Liles
Associate Professor in Soil Science
College of Agriculture California State University, Chico, Center for Regenerative Agriculture and Resilient Systems - gcliles@csuchico.edu
A Chico native, Dr. Garrett Liles earned his bachelor’s degree at Chico State with an interdisciplinary special major in soil ecology. Experiences at Chico State and in summer seasonal jobs were the springboard for a master’s in soil and watershed sciences from University of Washington, Seattle studying headwater streams and the effects of forest management on stream and soil properties, and a PhD from UC Davis studying soil organic matter and the effects of disturbance and management on the terrestrial Carbon Cycle. Liles has a diverse professional work history including mapping the soils of Lassen Park for NRCS, analysis and planning of regional biomass to energy projects, and quantifying the effects of riparian restoration at the Cosumnes River Preserve, along with years of running chainsaws, building trails, and managing natural resources. Liles joined the faculty of the CSU Chico College of Agriculture in 2015 as an assistant professor of soil and plant science where he teaches across the spectrum of soil and ecosystem science while mentoring students to be critical thinkers and educated citizens.
William Nitzky
Associate Professor, College of Anthropology, California State University Chico
Director, Valene L. Smith Museum of Anthropology -wnitzky@csuchico.edu
William (Will) Nitzky is an anthropologist and museum professional specializing in ethnographic fieldwork, qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis, documentary filmmaking, and community collaboration and engagement. For over two decades, he has conducted research in East and Southeast Asia and Northern California with and among rural communities with a focus on internal and external pressure on human livelihoods, community participation, and grounded theory. He has collaborated as Co-PI on two funded projects by ARI and USDA as a project lead in regenerative agriculture farmer engagement and soil sample digitization as well as student employee training. Throughout his fieldwork and as an educator of college undergraduate and graduate students, he has developed and conducted countless interviews, focus groups, and surveys for data collection and analysis and student training.
Jake Brimlow
Professor in Agriculture Business, College of Agriculture,
California State University, Chico - jbrimlow@csuchico.edu
Dr. Brimlow is a professor of Agricultural Business in the College of Agriculture at California State University, Chico. He earned his PhD at North Carolina State University where he studied Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics. Dr. Brimlow’s primary research focus is the economics of local/regional food systems, including how local markets are formed or limited, and the economic impacts of changes in local market activities. Dr. Brimlow has been active as PI/co-PI in major grants totaling over $10m and has published and presented research describing barriers to sales in local food markets and the effects of food hubs on local food markets. Dr. Brimlow and his colleagues launched the North Valley Food Hub, a grant-funded project created to increase local food sales in the CSU, Chico service region, as well as to provide education and outreach opportunities for students and community members. Dr. Brimlow is also involved in ongoing research projects investigating/describing the economics of regenerative agricultural systems in various cropping systems.
Austin Rhodes
All Soils Accounts Manager
General Manager Oroville and Chico Garden Centers
Austin Rhodes graduated with a BS in Crop Science and Agriculture from CSU Chico with a focus on integrated pest management applications for specialty crops. Since 2007, he has been actively involved in the cannabis industry, contributing through both advocacy and professional work. His passion for the plant has allowed him to help push for demarginalization of Prop 215 patients and their medicine. In addition to managing Oroville and Chico Garden Centers, he has been actively involved in numerous cannabis cooperatives, advocacy organizations, and charitable initiatives. He helped establish support programs for cannabis farmers affected by forest fires and has worked with CANORML, ASA, and ICFA to advance cannabis education and advocacy. Today, his primary passion is breeding and cultivating sungrown cannabis for hash production.
Sara Janay Carmody
Project Manager, Graduate Candidate in Anthropology (Museum Studies), Department of Anthropology
California State University, Chico - scarmody3@csuchico.edu
Sara Janay Carmody has a B.A in Anthropology and is currently completing an M.A in Anthropology at CSU, Chico. In her undergraduate studies she has conducted ethnographic research with Indigenous Honey Hunters in Siem Reap, Cambodia and beekeepers in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Her research has focused on the relationship of honey hunters with the giant honeybee, Apis dorsata, and the intersection of honey harvest, environmental impact and the socioeconomic relationships of humans and honeybees. Sara Janay is also working on interdisciplinary research projects with the Valene L. Smith Museum of Anthropology, the Child Development and Anthropology Departments at CSU, Chico exploring the relationship between museum professionals and school teachers in rural Northern California. Prior to her academic career, Sara Janay worked in Sacramento, CA as a Patient Service Clerk and Budtender from 2011-2014. She has extensive experience with medicinal cannabis patients and growers, having witnessed first hand the ongoing changes. Sara Janay has personal ties to medical cannabis and served as a caregiver for her mother recovering from spinal fusion surgeries. This formative experience has sparked a lifetime passion for medicinal cannabis applications and care. Her academic endeavors in Anthropology has given her the skills to further develop ethnographic data collection and research experiences. Her interdisciplinary work has led to multiple research projects that include economic, educational and museum based work. In her spare time, Sara Janay enjoys playing disc golf, hiking and exploring new museums.
Ya Reinier
Project Manager, Graduate Student - M.A. Public Sociology
California State University, Humboldt - Ya.Reinier@humboldt.edu
Ya was raised by back to the land hippies in Sonoma County and spent 15 years as a cultivator of full term outdoor regeneratively grown cannabis in the mountains surrounding Round Valley in Mendocino County. Organizing and participating in cannabis cooperatives and advocacy groups, she brings the lived experience and values of working towards environmental and social justice in cannabis cultivation. With a B.A. in Anthropology, the Public Sociology Master’s Program at California State Polytechnic, Humboldt provided an opportunity to work with Dr. Dominic Corva on the Legacy Cannabis Genetics Project, doing ethnographic research bringing the stories and experiences of legacy cannabis breeders, cultivators, and activists into the light after many years of prohibition. Her master’s thesis is based on interviews focused on the experiences of outdoor cannabis farmers from the Round Valley area as they navigate the changes and challenges of regulation and work towards survival strategies. This project brings together Ya’s experiences and passion for uplifting the practices of regenerative cannabis farming and supporting the farmers that have continued this legacy and carry it forward.
Christine Carter
Research Assistant; California State University, Chico
Christine Carter is an undergrad at California State University, Chico dual majoring in Anthropology and Studio Art. Originally from Minnesota she travelled around the country learning different methods of sustainable agricultural practices. Christine moved to Chico to work on an organic farm in Chico, and fell in love with farming. During her undergraduate studies, she has been the recipient of the BSS Future Scholars Award, and the McNair Scholarship. Christine has had extensive experience working on a burnscape soil analysis project that used flotation soil analysis as a method of reviewing charcoal and vegetation samples. This work has been presented as a poster at the Society of California Archaeology. Her inquisitive nature has taught her a love of research and she is excited to combine her love of farming with her passion for learning.
Marc Bautista
Research Assistant; California State University, Chico
Marc I. Bautista is a student at California State University, Chico majoring in Plant and Soil Science. Originally from North Hollywood, California, Marc came to Chico in 2023 after having been inspired to pursue agriculture by his high school's FFA Chapter Team. Today Marc works in the Organic Vegetable Unit at the Chico State University Farm, working with an amazing team of students to provide fresh, organic and regeneratively grown produce to the local community. Marc advocates for medical and industrial cannabis by creating informative presentations of Hemp & Marijuana to students and the community, as well as growing local seeds to provide to his friends and family.
Jada Morrison
Research Assistant and Media Relations, Cannabis Studies Lab;
California State University, Humboldt
Jada is an undergraduate Cannabis Studies Major with a concentration in Environmental Stewardship and a Minor in Business Administration. She is originally from San Jose California, and chose Humboldt specifically for the Cannabis Studies Program. Her first two years she completed work study with Dr. Dominic Corva, engaging in podcasts, event coordination and Dr. Corva’s ongoing Legacy Genetics research. As the primary social media coordinator for the Cannabis Studies Lab, and previously the Cannabis Culture Club, she found a passion for graphic design and community-event building. She helped put on the Annual Cannabis and Environmental Stewardship Symposium, which she emceed this year. Learning from Professor Dan Mar in classes such as Cannabis Regulatory and Environmental Requirements, she fell in love with fieldwork and completing on-the-ground observational research. Indeed, she is looking forward to the massive learning opportunities this project will provide her. In her free time Jada enjoys snowboarding, practicing bass guitar, roller skating, volleyball, spending time with friends and family, and making new connections.