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Cannabis Industry Gains a Foothold in Parched Cuyama Valley
Hundreds of acres of cannabis cultivation are proposed for the community, which has a critically over-drafted groundwater basin
More than 740 acres of outdoor cannabis cultivation is proposed for the Cuyama Valley; Essa and Jawad have submitted applications for 133 acres at three locations, including this property at 2225 Foothill Road. The growers say cannabis will use half the water needed for alfalfa and carrots, the crops that have mined the groundwater basin to historical lows. (Courtesy photo) By Melinda Burns
| 12:48 p.m.
The county’s most depleted water basin, the Cuyama Valley, is fast becoming the latest battleground in the fight over how – and whether – to address the negative impacts of the cannabis industry on farming and residential communities.
CALEB WISEBLOOD
The tried-and-true and still apropos idiom “the bee’s knees” is a bit of an understatement when describing the husband-and-wife duo behind Cuyama Homegrown.
DYNAMIC DUO
Husband and wife Jean Gaillard (right) and Meg Brown (left), owners of Cuyama Homegrown, purchased their ranch in New Cuyama in 2001, where they grow fresh fruits and vegetables throughout each season of the year.
PHOTO COURTESY OF CUYAMA HOMEGROWN
“It’s the most pure honey you could ever dream about,” said Jean Gaillard, co-owner of the farm with his wife, Meg Brown, while discussing the two bee hives on their property.
One of the secrets to maintaining this so-called purity within the hives’ product is a lack of human interference, Gaillard explained.