County, Opinion

Guest Editorial: Paonia could become marijuana capital

RBC I In the garden of my cousin, Sepp, in Germany’s Black Forest, there is a big tree that produces lots of yellow plums every year.

Sepp, a retired forest worker, keeps the grass cut very short around his Mirabellenbaum, so he doesn’t miss a single fallen fruit.
Every evening in the fall, he gathers the plums and throws them into a big barrel to ferment. When winter comes, Sepp brings the barrel to a local distiller, who will return him some 10 bottles of Mirabellengeist, clear plum spirits. It is a unique and wonderful drink.
I thought about Sepp and his plums during a recent visit to the small town of Paonia, population 1,600, in western Colorado, where I met a handful of local marijuana growers during a reporting trip for a Swiss newspaper.
Their pride as cultivators, their fierce dedication to quality, reminded me strongly of the farmers and vintners I have met in the Black Forest. But unlike traditional growers such as Sepp, the cannabis cultivators in Delta County acquired much of their expertise working alone, learning their trade over decades of trial and error.
“We learned to grow world-famous pot from nothing,” one of them told me at the town’s microbrewery, Revolution Brewing.
To this German reporter, they seemed like good examples of American self-determination. And while the “guerilla growers” I met disliked the idea of “working for the tax man,” they said that the legalization of marijuana has now brought them, their state and the country to a historic juncture: Colorado’s rigid regulation of cannabis legalization smartly squeezes them into either giving up or going legitimate.
The growers I talked to all expressed a desire to take this opportunity and go legal. All of a sudden, I had a vision of this place’s future.
Given the ideal microclimate around Paonia, many small fruit farmers struggling to maintain their operations could start growing cannabis, maintaining their families’ and the region’s way of life that way. As their production expands, new jobs and opportunities would be created.
Legalization of recreational marijuana has already created a new reality in Colorado. From my interviews with elected officials, growers and investors in Denver and Boulder, I came away with the impression that there is a massive “green gold rush” under way in the state.
Growing cannabis in Colorado has begun to attract capital from all over the country, and the state is becoming a laboratory for the rest of the United States and perhaps for other parts of the world as well.
Investors and politicians expect national legalization to become a reality in the next 10-15 years. As state Rep. Jonathan Singer, D-Longmont, told me, growing cannabis could quickly turn into an industrialized, nationwide endeavor controlled by big corporations.
While this train gets under steam, though, a window is opening for the town of Paonia and Delta County, one of the poorest counties in the state.
Growers can’t compete in an industrialized market that handles cannabis as just another agricultural commodity, but they could build on the global renown of locally grown marijuana, and follow the example set by the wine and liquor industries.
Think Oregon pinot noirs, French champagne, single malt scotch or small batch bourbon.
Paonia cannabis could have that same cachet and pedigree, as an artisanal, “premium” agricultural product grown by local farmers in a sustainable fashion.
One way to achieve that and preserve the North Fork Valley’s unique characteristics would be to found a cultivators’ cooperative, create and protect a brand such as “Paonia Grown” (along the lines of the Italian Denominazione di origine controllata — DOC — for wines such as chianti) and then establish their own labels, just like a Glenfiddich scotch, a Knob Creek bourbon or a Taittinger champagne.
This would put Paonia on the map globally for generations to come, much the way the monk Dom Pérignon did in the 1600s for champagne and the Champagne region of France.
I was told that there is an intense debate under way in Delta County over cannabis cultivation, and a referendum on how marijuana will be handled will be held in November. Marijuana comes loaded with symbolism, be it as the “evil weed” or a “food of the gods.”
As a reporter, I was captivated by the tensions over the issue, which seems to have grown out of deeply ingrained — and antagonistic — cultural and political convictions.
For my part, I look forward to a place called Paonia and the North Fork Valley becoming the Champagne region of cannabis. This would benefit all of the region’s inhabitants.

Andreas Mink is a contributor to Writers on the Range, a syndicated opinion column service of High Country News (hcn.org).Born in Germany and married to an American, Andreas Mink has worked in the United States as a journalist since 1996. He is the U.S. correspondent for the “JM Jüdische Medien AG” and a reporter for the Sunday edition of Neue Zürcher Zeitung, Switzerland’s leading paper. Mink lives in Connecticut.

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  • It’s getting late, do you know where your kids are? Read all the Rio Happenings for this week in print or online at ht1885.com.
  • Mormon crickets have hatched near Rangely. They were all sighted on BLM land north of Hwy. 64 near the junction of CR 96 and CR 1, down a dirt road near the Moffat County line.  The picture shown was taken yesterday by Mary Meinen from Rangely. She says the crickets are about the size of a ladybug (less than 1/2”). Some of them are actually yellow in color but most of them are darker. They are milling around and getting ready to start moving soon. Note: Photo is not to scale.
Rio Blanco County and the White River and Douglas Creek Conservation Districts are still asking for your help to identify additional hatch-outs of crickets so that control efforts can be put in place. The success of the program will highly depend upon local landowners and the public helping to locate crickets as soon as they hatch.  See last week’s paper for a list of ways to help or contact the County Weed & Pest District at 970-878-9670 or the Conservation District office at 970-878-9838 with any questions. Website: www.WhiteRiverCD.com
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It's that time again! Another edition of great local news stories is 
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We appreciate all your continued support!
It's that time again! Another edition of great local news stories is 🐰 Hopping 🐰 your way this morning! Catch up on everything thats 🐣 hatching 🐣 in Rio Blanco County this week. Need a copy? Signing up is fast and easy! Visit our website at ht1885.com/subscribe to get a copy sent to your door every week! We appreciate all your continued support!
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Rio Blanco County and the White River and Douglas Creek Conservation Districts are still asking for your help to identify additional hatch-outs of crickets so that control efforts can be put in place. The success of the program will highly depend upon local landowners and the public helping to locate crickets as soon as they hatch.  See last week’s paper for a list of ways to help or contact the County Weed & Pest District at 970-878-9670 or the Conservation District office at 970-878-9838 with any questions. Website: www.WhiteRiverCD.com
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A crew from the Flat Tops Chapter of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation joined forces last summer to remove obsolete fences to improve habitat for wildlife. Read the full story and the foundation’s update from their 30th Anniversary meeting in this week’s edition and online at ht1885.com.
A crew from the Flat Tops Chapter of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation joined forces last summer to remove obsolete fences to improve habitat for wildlife. Read the full story and the foundation’s update from their 30th Anniversary meeting in this week’s edition and online at ht1885.com.
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