Year 1 was a year of progress. A group of responsible cannabis farmers founded a nonprofit in the Spring of 2018, CARP Growers. The nonprofit mission was simple: demonstrate best-practices out of respect for all of our neighbors and to the community we share.

In short, what that meant was cannabis farmers had something to prove. We wished to earn a spot in a community, and to do it through transparency, environmental stewardship and community giving. The founding mission remains the core principle driving the association every day.

What does CARP Growers do?

It’s a nonprofit formed by cannabis farmers who value a place. To that end, farmers gather ideas and combine resources to demonstrate how responsible farmers can be responsive and positive players in a community and stewards of the environment we share.

All member farms must have odor control to neutralize cannabis scents and blackout curtains to capture fugitive light. Member farms understand this is a new industry that is under a microscope. Putting our best foot forward at local events like California Avocado Festival and answering the call to join local causes is essential.

We realize that in addition to participating in a healthy ag economy, businesses must buy in to their communities. We do that by identifying ways to continue to support initiatives and nonprofits that Carpinterians care about. CARP Growers efforts are a continuation of the important role that greenhouse farming has occupied in Carpinteria Valley for generations.