Progress Report: 7.30.2021

Grasshopper Family,

I had an amazing conversation with someone yesterday. He was thrilled with our progress but asked a really important question I've grown accustomed to...

"Is it all good news?"

I've chosen an optimistic, solution oriented, positive path in my life. It's always been my belief that I was taught this by my mom. Inherited, even.

People ask me if I am always in a good mood.

My answer is simple. Of course not!

I have bad days. I experience challenges. I get frustrated.

The difference is that I choose not to live there. I fall back to congruence, resilience, and a confidence in knowing that I will figure it out. I choose to focus on the solutions instead of the problems.

You might be asking yourself what this has to do with Grasshopper Farms.

Everything.

Here is an example. We just had some incredible winds at the farm yesterday. It looked pretty bad at first glance. The team rallied. The team assessed. Then, the team started working the solution...not the problem. This might seem like semantics. I can promise you it is not. What we quickly learned was the number of impacted plants was, fortunately, low. There was still a ton of work, but we organized ourselves and got it done. We didn't live in the challenge - we tackled it and addressed it.

We also confirmed that our t-post and trellis netting was 100% effective against the high winds. That was great because we had another 1,000 t-posts arrive and we will have the remaining delivered at the end of next week or the beginning of the following week.

This is the mantra that will take us to success.

I've shared this before. We have the people. We have the plan. And we have the fortitude to to carry on through the normal operations and challenges one would (and should) expect from farming.

There have been and will be plenty of these examples. And this team will continue to overcome!

Let's take a look at the photos this week.

The pump house got wrapped in shade screening and evolved a bit more with valves, controls, pumps, and filters.

Take a look at the plants that were knocked off center for a moment before being righted and repaired. Tape not only fixes broken branches...it makes them even stronger when they heal!

We have several post drivers to push 2-2.5 feet of the 10 foot posts into the ground. We then attach wire and several layers of trellis netting. You'll notice one of our team members working to groom one of the plants under the trellis netting. This row was not impacted by the high winds. Success!

Let's then move to a series of shots of our plants and the farm. Incredible. The plants are so much bigger in just a week! And they will continue to experience explosive growth...just like the Michigan cannabis market. :)

We had yet another visitor...a turtle! I mean, we might have to start some sort of wildlife tour pretty soon. Open to the public, of course.

The last shots are the sunrises and sunsets that I keep thinking might change, but they don't.

The team at Grasshopper Farms is experiencing a wave of amazing energy.

I would like to thank each of you for your support and positive vibes. I am so gracious for this circle we call... Grasshopper Farms.

Onward!