North Bay cannabis businesses excited about 2024 harvest

With Glentucky Farms grower Mike Benziger calling it “a harvest for the ages,” North Bay cannabis industry stakeholders rejoiced over a hot summer and fall that spurred rapid plant growth this year.

“It was incredible. The bud development was like nothing I’ve ever seen before,” said the Glen Ellen farmer known for his blue ribbon La Bomba strain.

“It’s the best season I could have remembered, starting out good and getting better,” Benziger said of a season that typically ends in November.

June and July were considered good, and August was deemed “amazing.”

“For five to seven days, we had buds triple in size,” Benziger said, adding even October’s hot days required using a shade cloth. “It’s the first time I’ve ever covered my cannabis plants.”

Benziger discussed the bounty at a panel discussion hosted on Dec. 12 by Solful CEO Eli Melrod at his new retail outlet in Healdsburg. The discussion was also part of a podcast hosted by Seattle-based cannabis website Leafly’s Editor and Producer David Downs, who referred to the harvest time as the “peak of perfection.”

The panel chatted about the robust growing season, supply-and-demand, pricing, local government and the growers’ favorite strains. A strain is a variation of cannabis that differs in appearance, aroma and effect.

Alpenglow Farms owners Craig and Melanie Johnson touted Blue Dream as part of the culture in southern Humboldt County, situated in the heart of the Emerald Triangle.

Mendocino County’s Mark Greenshock of Green Shock Farms and Sandra Khandhanian, who owns Moon Gazer Farms, also weighed in.

When asked how growers and retailers balance planting the old favorites versus something new, most agreed the farmers will often work off a base that’s succeeded in the past.

“There are a lot of wizards out there. You just got to adapt. You do something you love, but you also want to try something new. I say: ‘Do a row,’” Khandhanian said.

All agreed the season provided strains of exceptional quality. Growers are like chemists. They learn how to produce excellence as they go.

To ensure that at a retail level, Melrod referred to the process as “curating” the inventory.

He was a little less enthusiastic about the government’s take.

“Taxes are still really high,” he said, adding an average of 30% on a purchase imposed by local and state government. That part of the conversation morphed into “What can local government do?”

From grower to retailer, the pressures have mounted in the last four years among legal cannabis providers through the supply chain as they compete with an illicit market that undercuts their prices and pays no taxes.

Benziger calling the challenges “a roll of the dice, ” affecting whether businesses will return each year.

The celebration of this year’s growing season has a downside since it results in a supply glut. When this happens, wholesale prices drops

For a California industry measuring $5.1 billion in sales last year, the wholesale price per pound for indoor, premium, large-bud grows year over year has dropped by over 23% to $942, according to the Cannabis Business Times. But for outdoor, it has increased in the last year by over 50%, climbing to $462 per pound.

The volume and value of cannabis grown is listed in county crops reports. For Sonoma County, outdoor grows amounting to 5,583 pounds accounted for $15.3 million over 12 acres harvested. Indoor cultivation sites bringing in 15,899 pounds represented almost $10 million.

From Garberville to Healdsburg to Sonoma Valley to the Petaluma Gap, growers and other enthusiasts remain optimistic.

Joyce Cenalli, of Sonoma Hills Farms outside Petaluma, said the volume of cured flower has grown by 12% this year (although she declined to provide exact numbers).

The flower “tested well” and the team on the farm processed 28 different genetics, with the famed Cherry Cheesecake strain.

“We’re super happy,” she said.

Erich Pearson, who runs SPARC dispensary in Sonoma and cultivates cannabis, provided a similar reaction as a nod to the Northern California climate.

“The key is cannabis outdoor,” he said. Pearson has brought back a new twist to the customer favorite Glitter Bomb.

“It’s got good nose appeal,” he said.

Pearson just wrapped up harvesting his two acres.

“It’s been a great season. The weather has held up well,” he said.