Progress Report: 5.10.24
Grasshopper Family,
Tornado alert!
Tornadoes ripped through our area in Michigan. They did not visit the farm! Thank you to all of you who reached out and asked if everyone was ok. That was very considerate of you! Everyone is awesome and the farm is great.
Bret took some epic pictures from around the area where many were not allowed to return home. What Bret also did was rally with some friends and venture out into the community to help people avoid broken gas lines, downed trees, and live power lines on the road.
The Michigan team made some incredible progress with the plants, prep, and regulatory relations! Adam, Aaron, Caroline, and Brad headed to a Cannabis Regulatory Agency luncheon with the CRA administration and other Michigan cannabis operators. Per the team, it was an incredible opportunity. Director Hanna was clear that his administration is working hard to develop a business conducive framework that makes sense. He even addressed the alarming number of operators with past due bills - to each other. Great!
Getting involved with developing regulations at the state and local levels is VERY important. Patience too!
I had the honor of visiting the Colorado farm this week with Arun, Madison, and Cole. They are doing an INCREDIBLE job! They have transformed the farm into the next phase of the potential it holds. A new fence is being installed around the entire property, which will allow us to expand from ~2,400 plants to ~6,000 plants. And, they are currently getting the fabric pots ready for the season this year.
We also had Danny Bader conduct a half day session with the team, helping them to explore personal growth, development, and productivity. The team walked away excited to explore their new tools and put them to work! This is part of investing in our team, something we are very committed to.
DEA scheduling. I have been getting a lot of questions on the DEA announcement on their intent to reschedule cannabis (THC greater than .03%) from Schedule 1 to (possibly) Schedule 3. There are a lot of articles out there. I enjoyed this one. At the end of the day, we have to remember that this does not "federally legalize" this product or change any of the rules in how it is produced and sold in the United States...yet. This is a step that contributes to that change. The top two impacts I see is taxation of cannabis operators changing and possibly opening new distribution options, with the potential for pharmacies to participate. That last one is a very remote possibility and is a thought that comes from contemplating the other Schedule 3 products that are stocked and distributed by pharmacies.
Either way, there is still a lot of work to be done at the federal level and this year might be a tough time to do it, with the elections coming.
Justin Middlebrooks has joined the list of folks we have sponsored. He races motocross! He just shared a picture of his bike with Grasshopper Farms on it.
Another Lucky Yates update...the poster and bags are just about ready to go! YOU are all getting a behind the scenes peek at these items before they are even finalized. We are VERY excited to have Lucky on board and part of this promotional opportunity!
Today I shared a message that really needs you to check the link. It is the SWEETEST post...
The wisdom of youth.
I love this post.
It inspired me to seek the perspective and curiosity of our youth.
I usually write more.
In this case, I hope you are able to open the link and read the post.
It’s absolutely beautiful.
https://www.facebook.com/share/85vMedz2GuCstzCX/?mibextid=WaXdOe
For me, this was such a wonderful reminder of two things. One, the magic of a young mind and perspective are something we should appreciate and practice. Two, love and appreciation are not complicated. Feel and share both. Period. Leave the hate and vitriol behind. It isn't serving you or anyone else anyway.
I truly hope this Friday wraps up nicely and launches you into a wonderful weekend.
