EPISODE IV: A GREEN EVOLUTION
“It’s a big gamble, farming, but it’s gotten less so with the changing climate. It’s definitely a boon to agriculture up here. ”
EPISODE NOTES
I’m driving down a bumpy dirt road without a sure sign that I’m headed in the right direction. When I turned off the main road, there was no street name and no GPS directions. And now, I’m a little lost and running late.
The road narrows as I head deeper into a spruce forest. Finally, I reach its end and pull into a narrow parking spot. A small sign for Rosie Creek Farm assures me I am in the right place. It’s decorated with friendly lettering, a dragonfly and sunflowers. It feels pretty welcoming, except there’s also a tall metal fence, a security camera and a posted warning in red lettering: “Restricted Access Area. All visitors must be accompanied by authorized personnel.”
The entrance to Rosie Creek Farm. The security camera and gate are just two of the investments Mike Emers had to make when he switched from vegetables to pot. (Erin McKinstry / July 2019)
Then, a tiny Australian Shepherd bounds toward the fence accompanied by his owner, Mike Emers. Mike is the authorized personnel I need to enter this highly-secured space.
He opens the gate and gestures me inside a small building. I sign a guest book and put on a visitor’s pass. It feels a little more like visiting a prison than a farm. But that’s because Mike’s not growing food.
He’s growing marijuana.
All of the weed at Rosie Creek Farm is grown outdoors. Mike Emers grows everything from seed and is developing strains specifically suited for his climate. (Erin McKinstry / July 2019)
“You can see all the cameras around here, that’s just a little piece of the puzzle. Every single plant has a tag on it with a barcode,” Mike says. “Every single gram of plant material has to be accounted for.”
On episode four, A Green Evolution, we’re heading in a different direction toward one of Alaska’s niche markets. We’ll look inside a commercial outdoor marijuana operation.
“I tell people if people valued food as much as they value this crop, we’d still be growing food,” Mike said.
We’ll hear about Mike’s evolution from ecologist to vegetable farmer to pot grower. Then, we’ll talk about how he’s seen Alaska’s agricultural scene evolve in the 22-ish years since he started farming. And, of course, we’ll hear his thoughts on how climate change is influencing his work.
“It’s a big gamble, farming, but it’s gotten less so with a changing climate,” Mike said. “It’s definitely a boon to agriculture up here.”
Mike Emers stands in a field of marijuana at his farm outside Fairbanks, Alaska. He transitioned from growing vegetables to pot following legalization in the state. (Erin McKinstry / July 2019)
Listen to the episode to hear more and check out this bonus post about Pete & Lynn Mayo of Spinach Creek Farm. They helped inspire Mike to make the jump to farming full-time back in 1997.
Music from Sam McKinstry: All the World is All of Us / Music from Blue Dot Sessions: Convoy Lines, Gondola Blue, Basecamp, Rapids, Kirkus Interlude / Artwork from Ian Gyori / Funding from a Rasmuson Foundation Individual Artist Grant / Featured in this episode: Mike Emers of Rosie Creek Farm