April 14, 2020 – Humboldt County Growers Alliance (HCGA) in partnership with HendRx Farm are hosting the first Humboldt-focused Cannabis Genetics & Bioethics Conference live online from April 20 to 24.
Natalynne DeLapp, Operations Director of HCGA expects up to 500 registrations for the 5-day conference which will be streamed via zoom. HendRx Farm, with support from CEO and co-founder Daniel Hendricks, co-produced the conference. “Preservation of pure heirloom cannabis genetics is key to maintaining healthy diversity for the future of the cannabis industry,” says Hendricks. “Humboldt County offers a wealth of genetic diversity, and the technology presented in this conference will undoubtedly impact the speed of cannabis evolution. It is up to the holders of these heirloom local landraces to decide what tools are appropriate for Humboldt farmers.”
DeLapp notes that participation is free and the content will be made available online.
Humboldt cannabis farmers are poised to offer solutions for diversifying mono-crops of cannabis to add local food production, a strength particularly relevant in light of the COVID-19 crisis. The Humboldt cannabis industry has gone from outlaws to being deemed an essential business today and it is taking notice of the responsibility: containment of the virus depends on best practices in the industry.
The conference kicks off on 4/20 with G Love (the front man for the band, G Love and Special Sauce) leading attendees in a song performance. Don Carlos is the keynote smoker: “Let’s do 4/20/20 in proper fashion!”
The conference invites attendees to hear online from influencers in the Humboldt cannabis breeders’ environment and debate the practices and applications available to cannabis breeders and farmers. Each presentation is designed with a moderator connected to Humboldt County and an expert from out of the area. The first topic is cannabis micro-farming presented by Chris Verni of Northwest Cultivation based in Connecticut who wrote a thesis on small farms, while moderator Daniel Stein of Briceland Forest Farms is a farmer actually living this in Humboldt.
Further topics explore plant pathology presented by Anna-Liisa Fabritius of AL&L Crop Solutions and moderated by Joanna Berg of Dirty Business Soil, tissue culture presented by Jeremy Warren of Dark Heart Industries and moderated by Daniel Hendricks of HendRx Farm, Genetic Editing for Yield and Stress Tolerance by Venki Pegadaraju of Agribody and moderated by Eleanor Kuntz of Leafworks, and IP protection presented by Dale Hunt of Planet Law, Breeder’s Best & the Ethical Data Alliance and moderated by Angela Bacca.
The headline event of the conference is the Cannabis Breeder’s Rights & Bioethics panel on Friday at 1pm which weaves a week of presentations into philosophical and ethical questions. Renowned breeder Nathaniel Pennington of Humboldt Seed Company is part of the panel, along with Jerry Whiting, LeBlanc CNE; Jesse Dodd, Biovortex; Sunshine Johnston, Sunboldt Grown; Eleanor Kuntz, Leafworks DNA. Moderated by Colleen Buyers, Breeder’s Best. “Humboldt brought a ton to the table over decades in terms of collective intellectual property,” says Pennington. “Our friends’ parents and their parents’ parents traveled the world to bring back cannabis seeds. We’re in a good position to make sure that in today’s profit-driven world, we’re not prevented from utilizing what we developed and that the hard work of previous generations continues to benefit our community.”
About the Humboldt County Growers Alliance
Humboldt County Growers Alliance (HCGA) is the trade association advancing the interests of cannabis businesses in Humboldt County. HCGA’s mission is to preserve, protect and enhance Humboldt County’s world-renowned cannabis industry. Visit hcga.co.
About HendRx Farm
HendRx Farm creates the Humboldt culture they are surrounded by. Founded on the principle of “the right to farm,” HendRx Farm cultivates superior genetics, immaculate breeding techniques, and healthy cannabis seeds and clones.Visit hendrx.farm.
This event is sponsored in partnership with a grant from the Headwaters Foundation for Humboldt County Business Development Center’s Workforce Training Program, HendRx Farm, Rocky Mountain Cannabis Consultant, Tag Risk Insurance, and Vulx.
