Grower Stories #80: Michael Emers

Basking in the Midnight Sun: An Interview With Michael Emers of Rosie Creek Farm

Life in Alaska can be tough. Between the brutal temperatures, hours of continuous darkness or light, and remote nature, it’s not exactly the first place you think of when it comes to naturally-grown, organic cannabis. Rosie Creek Farm, on the other hand, is here to change that perception. That’s why AskGrowers sat down with Mike Emers to ask about their growing methods, challenges as an Alaskan brand, and what’s next for them. #growerstories

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I’ve been farming for over 25 years, about twenty before we could legally grow here in Alaska. We have an organic farm growing cannabis and vegetables for a long time, and I was just getting too old to be carrying around potatoes. So we looked for ways to make more money from the growing space we had. Once cannabis became legal, it was just a natural transition for us.

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Tia (AskGrowers) : Tell the story of your creation. Tell us your origin story!

Mike Emers : I didn’t start out as a cannabis grower. I just started out as a farmer. I really didn’t know what I was doing and it took years for us to be profitable. This plant is easy to grow, but it’s really difficult to grow well. We’re one of the very few outdoor growers up here who uses the real, actual soil.

The issue was that people value cannabis more than they value food sometimes. So we decided to make the shift.

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Tia : What is it like to be a cannabis brand in Alaska?

Mike : You’re competing against a lot of people in a small space, population-wise. Our biggest challenge has been maintaining our organic processes with cannabis. I never wanted to grow cannabis indoors or manipulate light. Neither one of those options appeal to me. I wanted to go with something I knew how to do, which was farming outside.

So getting the right genetics in plants that work with our conditions has been our biggest hurdle.

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Tia : Why do you think your brand is better than others, both in your state particularly and in the U.S. in general?

Mike : I wouldn’t say better. Anyone who puts their heart and soul into growing something feels like they’re doing the best they can, right? What sets us apart is that we’re one of the few Alaskan cannabis brands that grow their product outside. I think that’s our story. We’re a family-run organic farm with a unique story.

On top of that, we have a very small carbon footprint. As an organic farmer, it’s important to me to be sustainable in an industry that often isn’t.

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Tia : Tell us what sustainable methods do you use in your work?

Mike : Before I was doing this, I would often give talks and lectures about sustainable agricultural practices. To be truly sustainable and carbon-neutral is incredibly hard to do. It’s like the holy grail of farming. You need to source locally as much as you can and really commit to reducing your footprint and we do that here.

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Tia : Name five cannabis brands that you respect.

Mike : Frankly, I don’t have too much time to follow other grow operations outside of my own backyard. I’m often so busy trying to figure things out here between the brutally cold winters, short seasons, and such. I’m not a real student of the industry as a whole.

As far as Alaska goes, I know a lot of great colleagues. But few of them do what we do aside from Greatland Ganja. I really respect what they do, and they deal with a much different climate than us.

We also have a great relationship with retail stores like Nature’s Relief and Raspberry Roots.

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Tia : Do you personally use cannabis? Do you have any product and brand preferences?

Mike : From a personal perspective, I don’t use it too much. I have teenagers, so I tend to stick with edibles and gummies.

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Tia : What values ​​does your company adhere to?

Mike : We’re really committed to organic farming for all of our cannabis. We grow our unique plants in the natural soil, with natural midnight sun-produced light, and maintain a low carbon footprint in the process.

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Tia : Do you have delivery?

Mike : Yes, we have a company that we hire to drop off products.

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Tia : Please share your wildest predictions for the Alaska cannabis industry for the next five years.

Mike : I think it’s going to be really tough up here when things go legal nationwide. Alaskan businesses will have a hard time keeping up with the massive corporate grows around the country. That’s why Alaskan brands need to make a name for themselves, build their brand, and share their stories to stay afloat. Brands will have to work hard to carve out their little niche in the global market to survive.

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Tia : Your top strains to smoke? Why?

Mike : We’ve had to develop our own genetics and do our own breeding up here! I actually love using our own trademarked strains like Cabin Fever CBD. For an old guy like me, it’s great!

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Tia : If you could have a chance to smoke with anyone in this world, dead or alive, who would that be and why? :)

Mike : There was this poet in the 70s [tooltip title="Gary Sherman Snyder" Rogan" content="American poet, essayist, lecturer, and environmental activist."]Gary Snyder[/tooltip]. I would have loved to have spent some time with him. I used to read a lot of poetry, so I’d have to go with him!

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Thank you so much, Rosie Creek Farm team, for taking the time to do the interview. To learn more about them, head on over to their website.