Casey O’Neill is a farmer and owner of Happy Day Farms in Laytonville, Calif. The opinions expressed in this column do not necessarily reflect the views of The Mendocino Voice. If you’d like to write your own column for The Mendocino Voice, send your idea to info@mendovoice.com.
Brother Lito and I got back from our sales trip last night as dusk darkened towards night. I unloaded the van, reflecting on our travels and my sense of gratitude for the experiences we have. It feels good to get out in the world, to share our herb and the produce we grow with people who appreciate it. I think about how not too long ago I had calcified, drawing my world down to a very small space and not venturing out much. I’m surprised and pleased with myself for being able to broaden my horizons like this.
We’re on the road two to three times each month, always later in the week because we have our big harvests and farmers market in Laytonville on Tuesday. Being gone this much isn’t easy, but it’s a fun experience of getting to meet people and share the story of our farm with customers in dispensaries. We have our produce and herb on display along with Amber’s flowers and telling our story gives us a chance to connect on a deeper level than just a monetary interaction.
We’re a market farm through and through; we love the experience of chatting with customers, and we believe in our product so it’s easy to sell. The banter is a huge part of the experience, and we keep it light and fun and have a good time with it, and customers respond in a positive way. Above all, we’re learning to be consistent and to show up, because relationships take effort, and we want to be good partners to the shops who purchase our herb.
This week was momentous for us. We expanded our local Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program to the Bay Area, bringing coolers of crunchy spring vegetables and gorgeous bouquets of flowers with us on our travels. This is the 16th year we’ve been doing our CSA vegetable subscription service, and for about fifteen of those years we’ve been talking about what it would be like to have cannabis and CSA included together.
During the Prop 215 days, we used to have our produce and farm goods on the market table along with the big half-gallon mason jars of herb, deli-style where customers could assess and smell and sample the wares. It was a powerful experience of completeness for our farm that gave us the fortitude to go forward into regulation. But then the rules were written to not allow those interactions anymore, and we found ourselves cut adrift in a sea of wholesale production at scales that didn’t work for our farm.
Now, ten years later, we’re finding our footing with our HappyDay half-ounces and Farm Cut offerings, bringing the complete representation of our farm to shops along with our goods and big smiles. It feels right to share the totality of our efforts, to communicate the inseparable nature of good food and good herb. We believe in Hippocrates’ “Let thy food be thy medicine and thy medicine thy food,” and we’re excited to build deeper connections with the people who experience our herb so that the good energy we put into our efforts will better transmit to a good energetic experience for them.
Our farm production has increased over the years as we’ve gotten new tools, better methods and more consistent efforts. We work in community to produce high quality food and herb and are supported in mutual benefit by the friends and neighbors who work with us. It takes teamwork to make the dream work, and I’m deeply grateful for the ways our farm has grown and expanded to encompass new roles, more responsibilities and greater capacities from everyone involved that make it possible for Lito and me to make these sales trips and to have something to sell when we do.
Intention builds and compounds, and we’ve been putting these goals out into the universe for many years, slowly building our farm and learning how to work with each piece of the puzzle. Consistent, quality production is a baseline that builds into capable sales and representation. Partnerships and relationships are the glue that hold the system together, built on shared trust and consistency demonstrated by showing up. We love the work, but that doesn’t make it easy, so we remind ourselves of the dedication and shared effort each day and appreciate the results from the interactions we have with returning customers.
We believe in our work, in the magic of sun, soil, water and growth. We are honored to steward land and shepherd our crops to produce the finest offerings we can, and we’re delighted to share them and connect with the people who will take our goods into their bodies as nourishment and upliftment. This is a deep and powerful responsibility that drives and guides us in our work, a labor of love. As always, much love and great success to you on your journey!