I did read his post and it’s interesting but then he ends with “I hope your grapes don’t smell like cannabis.” I understand he’s joking but the innuendo is that there’s a real concern (still unproven) and perhaps foolishness on those not as concerned as others, an I’m calling that out. The people with concerns need to show proof there’s an issue, and an issue beyond other myriad issues of neighboring farms. There are so many aromas and funky stuff in our agricultural areas, but cannabis should be banned? It reeks of NIMBY. Tasting room traffic put off because of cannabis nearby? I think you’ll more likely see customers taking pictures of themselves in front of the plants, tbh.
I’m more put off by the tourists who don’t know how to handle themselves in wine country than the cannabis.
I truly don’t think anyone is looking for a ban - I know what Stephen posted above but that’s not realistic and not the direction that’s going to take place. There has to be cooperation between the two industries and the locals - and that’s not happening right now. As far as ‘proof’ goes, there really has not been any research into this that anyone can point to - so that’s where it has to begin. ‘Show me the proof’ should not imply that there isn’t a problem, and it should not imply that there is - we don’t know at this point.
This goes well beyond NIMBY’s my friend - hopefully Tyler will pipe in more how this may and has truly affected certain businesses thus far.
Cheers.
Vincent, I think I do have strong evidence the terpene drift adheres to grapes, that the terpene in question is of a questionable aroma for wine quality, is not sourced from grapes naturally, and is at a level that should cause me concern that it could impact our ability to control the desirable aromas of the wine. Furthermore this came from a source that is significantly smaller than what is proposed near our site. If you are willing to tolerate a dairy farm near you vineyard, that’s one thing and not my concern. We’re not talking about dairy farms. (I for one, used to source Syrah near a dairy farm and stopped after two vintages because the wine always smelled like manure…and no, it wasn’t Brett). While I understand the NIMBY implication, its a mischaracterization of the efforts I’ve employed to educate myself, reach out to neighbors, and find a solution. We are not asking for a ban. We are willing to tolerate large grows, sizes that would be unprecedented in the world. What we want are reasonable set backs and reasonable acreage farmed per lot size acreage that respect our right to have some degree of control over the primary measurable that determine whether we’ve had a successful outcome in our product: its organleptic qualities.
To toss out NIMBY is to imply a motive I tried to address earlier. If the evidence did not provide some reason for concern, I would not be asking for anything just for the sake of limiting other people in our back yard. I welcome the extra revenue Cannabis could bring, but not at all cost. Since these grows are unprecedented, I’d prefer not to be the test case. If we are the experiment, and it turns out it has a large impact, then we are out of business. I’d prefer to develop a reasonable model ahead of time that can incrementally introduce the new crop. Besides, the acreage SBC currently has in queue is more than enough estimated supply for the entire state of CA.
Tyler
Can we get a Coturri or Mike Benziger to chime in here?
If they or any other winemaker - including Corey Beck, the keynote speaker at last week’s Wine and Weed Symposium - had some real research to share, we would all love it.
Tyler is doing just that . . .
Cheers.
All respect, I’ve been thinking about this all day and if you have concerns, follow up on them. I’m just not persuaded (yet) and I think people in general tend to overreact to new things, that they later end up living side by side with and things are ok. I think that’s generally the situation with cannabis, I’ve seen uproar here and it’s subsided (I believe). You have John Cabot reporting ten years of growing side by side. I never knew that, have tried many of his wines, never noticed anything. That’s all anecdote, again I respect your concerns and would rephrase what I said above. The question for me remains, is this really an issue?
Tyler. The Vintners CEO stated at the meeting I attended at Melville on Friday the 9th it was the: “position of the Vintners to ban cannabis in all AVAs in the county.” The word “possibility” was never used. She previously stated that hoop houses should be banned within one mile of Santa Rosa and Hwys 246 & 154. That would have put berry, tomato and other non-cannabis farmers out of business.
Hi Vincent, thanks for reply. I think we’re on the same page and I hope you are right. As I said, we’re just concerned about being the test case. Note, every other county in the state either banned growing, or limited outdoor grows to 1 acre MAX (SLO county allowed up to 2 in certain situations). So, anecdotal info from other places, even long time growing areas like Mendocino and Humboldt, while relevant can still be viewed with skepticism in SBC because of these unprecedented grows. We’re hoping to amass some info over then ext 12 months to allay, or support fears.
Tyler
A couple of related points: What about (now annual) California brush fires? What happens when pot fields burn…not only to adjacent crops but adjacent winemakers, vineyard laborers, and firefighters?
Also vineyards require significant fungicide spray programs to control powdery mildew and other diseases, and many still use Roundup for weed abatement. What will lawyers for well-funded pot farms do when product tests positive for pesticide due to drift during spraying?
Thank you so much for posting. Do you know how the concentration for consumer rejection that you cite was measured?
I checked with my friends in Oregon. They told me there have been some disputes between neighbors growing cannabis and vineyards but nothing like what is happening in Santa Barbara County. Also the Wine Association and vineyard owners are neither proposing to ban cannabis growing structures which are used by other non-cannabis farmers nor are they proposing to ban cannabis in all Oregon AVAs.
Any contrary comments or reactions from the Oregon folks?
Stephen,
You’re aware of the current lawsuit of Maysara Vyd up in OR against a cannabis grower next door, right? Here is a link:
Also, can anyone let me know if OR has the same strict stipulations that there can be no trace of pesticides or fungicides on cannabis? I know that’s become a huge issue here with all crops grown in the vicinity of cannabis - not just wine.
Also, what are the size limit stipulations of grows in OR or CO or other states? Is it possible to have a 100 acre legal grow?
As far as the ban concept is considered, this was stated by the Exec Director of the Vintner’s Association, not by the Board or any of its members. I believe that the hope of the majority of us in this county is to work cooperatively and co-exist. This will require some changes at the Board of Supervisors level to the policies that are already on the books - as well as looking at further research similar to what Tyler has pointed to above.
Curious as to what you would suggest doing about the issue at this time? Or are you okay with the way the policies have been written?
Cheers.
Why is it necessary to plant weed in wine country? Can’t that crap grow anywhere?
“And this is not only affecting vineyards - I understand that the avocado harvest in parts of Carpinteria will be way down because growers there have had to find alternative sprays to use and they have not been as effective.”
The avocado growers were here long before the cannabis was planted, and now they are having to alter their business.
It Depends on how you look at it. I eat organics as much as possible. Anything that gets folks to stop spraying industrial products on my food is fantastic in my book and better for the earth. Sounds like an unintended bonus from my standpoint.
Sean
Alas, a “First World” sentiment. Certainly members on this board have no problem paying the extra $$$ that organic foods cost, but the vast majority of Americans might be willing to tolerate safe levels of necessary chemicals in order to enjoy innumerable agricultural products at affordable prices.
my neighbors look at it from the perspective of living in a mobile home while trying to make a living off the land (as their father did before them), and while still reeling from the fires and subsequent floods and mudslides that devastated their crops and decimated their cash flow
For those who like NW IPA’s, “dank” is a positive attribute. I wonder if dank might someday be the new “forest floor” in American wine? Match that terroir, France!
Interesting thread, thank you all for the good faith discussion.
Hi Larry. I only know what I hear. The Ex. Dir. of the Vintners’ Asso. speaking as the Ex. Dir. of the Vintners says:“it is the position of the Vintners that cannabis should be banned in all SB County AVAs.” Your response is the ban was not said by the Vintners’ Board or any of its members. Neither the Vintners’ Board nor any of its members have repudiated the Vintners’ Ex. Dir. ban statement including the several who were at the meeting where the ban was stated as the Vintners’ Asso. position. In this situation, silence is acquiescence and an admission.