Kaylie has served on the board for Humboldt County Growers Alliance since 2019. Her beliefs in strong communication, creativity, and community unification have not gone unnoticed, and in February 2021, Kaylie’s fellow board members elected her to serve as Chairwoman of the Board. Her inspiration stems from her commitment to family, especially her fierce and tireless kiddo, Scout. These principles are the driving force pushing her to see Humboldt’s local cannabis industry succeed. What else drives Kaylie? HCGA sat down with her last week to get the dirt on how it felt to be California’s first licensed farm, her farm’s signature cultivars, how she deals with circling sharks, and more.
HCGA: What are you most looking forward to in the coming years for Humboldt’s cannabis industry?
K.S.: “Locally, I am excited to help bring a community-based plan for a cohesive “world-facing” Humboldt cannabis brand to fruition. Globally, I am optimistic that we’re going to see interstate commerce coming along faster than I think we thought it would.”
HCGA: Tell us a little about your farm.
K.S.: “My husband Dylan and I own and operate Forbidden Fruit Farm, a multigenerational family farm in the Harris area of southern Humboldt. It was the first cannabis farm in California to receive an annual cultivation license through CDFA and is a 10,000 ft2 outdoor, sun-grown farm with both dep and full-term plants. Our signature cultivars are our caramel apple gelato and a legacy O.G. strain that Dylan’s mom preserved.”
HCGA: What was it like being the first in the state?
K.S.: “It was exciting and scary both personally and professionally. There were a lot of unknowns at the time. We didn’t know how this whole system would work, and there we were, out on the line for all to see.”
HCGA: Do you have any regrets?
K.S.: “Not one. In our house, when faced with adversity, we always say, “It will work out; it always does, just maybe not the way you envision it. The choice we have made to pursue legalization has not been easy, but it is a choice we are proud to have made.”
HCGA: Anything else?
K.S.: “I am humbled to be in this position. I am looking forward to the power of Humboldt county’s small farm industry working together and moving forward together. Every year I think the sharks are circling, and every year, I see that we’re still standing. I believe that we can have the industry and community that we want, uniquely Humboldt.
Since 2016, Kaylie has worked tirelessly on cannabis compliance and policy through her position as Partner and General Manager of Green Road Consulting, Inc., a local civil engineering firm. In that time, she’s worked with hundreds of farmers throughout Humboldt County since licensing through Humboldt County Planning and Building, CDFA Cal-Cannabis, North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board, and State Water Resources Control Board. Kaylie graduated from Western Oregon University in 2010 with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology with an Emphasis in Legal Studies.
