Hemp was certainly on the minds of Siskiyou County Board of Supervisors last week when they met for a public hearing on a draft proposal to open the county to hemp cultivation.

In the 1777 publication entitled Observations on the Raising and Dressing of Hemp, author Edward Antill states: “Hemp is one of the most profitable productions the earth furnishes in northern climates ... It becomes worthy of the serious attention of the different legislatures of the northern colonies, of every trading man, and of every man, who truly loves his country.”

Hemp was certainly on the minds of Siskiyou County Board of Supervisors last week when they met for a public hearing on a draft proposal to open the county to hemp cultivation. Up for discussion was an ordinance adding Chapter 16 to Title 10 of the Siskiyou County Code for Industrial Hemp Cultivation. The hours-long hearing ended with the proposal being sent back to the Planning Department for revisions.

The cultivation of hemp in America is as old as the country itself and was a major cash crop for farmers until it was banned in 1937 with the passing of the Marihuana Tax Act. It was not until the 2018 U.S. Farm Bill that decades of prohibition were lifted, paving the way for the re-introduction of the crop to U.S. farmers. As the State of California finalizes state rules on hemp cultivation, the county is drafting its own rules in hopes of allowing farmers who meet the criteria to try their hand at growing the plant this year.

The public reading allowed for public input and discussion about the different aspects of the proposal. The draft proposal, created by the Siskiyou Planning Department at the request of the Board of Supervisors, outlines a number of rules including: a 40-acre minimum lot size for cultivation, AG-1 or AG-2 zoning, 1,000-foot setbacks from residential zones and other gathering places such as churches and daycares, spot testing of fields, abatement measures for non-compliance, and compliance with county and state ordinances involving riparian setbacks. A ban on indoor cultivation, except for clones and seedlings, and random inspections by the County Agriculture Commissioner are also included in the draft. Furthermore, the county will collect an application fee of at least $900, plus additional fees to be set by the state, to fund the administration of the program.

The Board of Supervisors, the Planning Department, and members of the public voiced various concerns about the proposal, mostly pertaining to parcel size, odor control, zoning issues and signage.

Speaking in favor of hemp farming, Siskiyou County land owner and Oregon hemp farmer Brandon Forsell was one of a number of farmers who objected to the 40-acre parcel minimum.

“It is detrimental to our small farmers and, like always, provides an unfair monopoly to the wealthy, a status quo that severely needs to be broken in this state,” said Forsell. “This is an agricultural crop like corn, like soybeans, like tomatoes; and it is time we started acting like it and treat it like such…We are missing out on huge job opportunities for our residents. This is creating so many jobs just north of us, and I believe we can do it.”

While Forsell referenced Jackson County, Oregon as an example to be followed, other area residents pointed to it as a cautionary tale.

“I am concerned about the smell,” said area businessman and property owner Darrel Collins. “I once took a ride in Humboldt County and was within a mile of a grow, and I didn’t want to be on my bike. I made a decision that day that there were a few things that I would never have a house or business by, a pig farm, a sewer plant, or a pot farm. That smell travels a long way.”

Humboldt County, like Jackson County, suffers from temperature inversion, where air is trapped close to the surface and does not dissipate.

Siskiyou County Agriculture Commissioner Jim Smith took the comments in stride, reiterating his position on the draft proposal’s intent.

“Jackson County is inherently in an inverted area. That valley tends to trap air,” Smith said. “Thousands of acres (of hemp and cannabis) had a massive impact on that area, mostly because the valley trapped all the air down in the residential areas. Siskiyou County has areas that will have afternoon winds that will disperse those odors on a regular basis.”

One area of concern in Siskiyou County could be the Scott Valley, Smith noted. But, he said, as the valley’s available farmland is already largely under cultivation, the potential for problematic odors will be minimal. Smith went on to explain that with the 40-acre minimum on plot size, the proposed ordinance hoped to further limit any offensive odors while at the same time discouraging hemp from being used as a cover for illegal activities.

“Land use requirements allow us to deal with cannabis growers that might be tempted to use hemp for a cover (for cannabis).” Smith said. “Forty-acre parcels will discourage that. We can depend on this (ordinance) as a good guideline going forward.”

Smith pointed out that the board can come back and make changes for next season if issues such as smell or lot size become an issue. “The intent of all of this is to promote a successful hemp production plan that limits the adverse effects of odor, that limits the attractiveness of cannabis growers to use hemp as a cover,” he said.

After hearing from the public, county supervisors decided to keep the planning department’s recommendation on the 40-acre minimum parcel size and the 1,000-foot set back from residential areas. However, the board requested that the ordinance mandate uniform, county-approved signage for cultivation plots. The board also requested that language be changed to allow landowners with plots that have multiple zonings to be exempt with regards to residential setbacks on their own land.

The next reading of the draft proposal will take place on April 7 with a second reading of the updated proposal planned for April 21. To view the proposed ordinance, visit www.co.siskiyou.ca.us. If it passes the second reading, the ordinance will go into effect on May 21, 2020. After that, success depends on the farmers willing to risk the weather and the market.

In 2016, the retail market for hemp products was estimated at $688 million, which included foods, textiles, supplements, industrial applications, personal care products, as well as CBD oils. Despite the lofty numbers and heady growth of the industry, the reality of farming hemp is dealing with cycles of boom and bust. Wholesale prices for hemp and derived products have dropped by 50% or more over the past six months, and local Oregon hemp farmers see no end as to how far the bottom of the market might go.

“I saw growers doing really well with 10 acres,” said one Oregon grower who attended the public hearing. “They could make a decent income, and now they are taking anything just to get out of the business.”

The nascent hemp industry also struggles with finding capitol for investment and connecting buyers with producers. The price swings and lack of institutional backing have not deterred Oregon farmers from plowing ahead. Between 2015 and 2018, the number of hemp growers and handlers increased from 13 to almost 2,000.

“The economics of hemp at the moment is pretty dismal,” Smith said. “However, even at $40 a pound there is a substantial number of dollars in a field of hemp. A farmer that has a market can make a pretty good return on his investment.”