Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/928625
The Fmil Lec o CUT CREEK Many things separate Cut Creek from other cannabis flower brands, but the most striking of those attributes might be its continuation of family legacy: Founders Robb and Nicole McCauley are second-generation cannabis farmers. "My mom and dad built the house on our property in the early 1980s," said Nicole. "I was raised through the whole Reagan-era eradication of marijuana, so being a can- nabis farmer meant only survival and family. Back then we had raids that felt like Vietnam, with guys in helicopters hanging out with machine guns. They'd sweep down the mountain side, eradicating any water lines and killing all the plants." Thankfully, the failed "Just Say No" drug program of the Reagan years is his- tory, and farm life for the McCauleys is much less burdensome as a result; the strong sense of family, though, still remains. "We pride ourselves in maintaining a good deal of our crop with the food we eat—that's number one," Robb said. "We like to show we're putting in our mouth what we're smoking; my wife is a cancer survivor so all that is very important to us. We're making sure there's absolutely no poison, no pesticides. That's something we can always guarantee." Cut Creek consists of two noncontiguous 40-acre parcels, both of which harbor their own sustainable water system from ponds. "We're right on the Emerald Triangle and are one of the original homesteads out on the south-facing, steep mountain valley ridge line in our own microclimate. We get interior heat but mountain-cool nights, which slow the maturation process and help prevent blow- outs," Robb said. "That coastal air pushes through, too, so strains like Afghan or Paki tend to nug up really nice. The south-facing rugged mountain soil with cool nights can produce some beautiful flowers, but you have to know which strains will work." It seems the McCauleys have figured that out, too. Cut Creek's first foray into a competition placed in the top ten of 1,200 entries at the Emerald Cup, and three of its flowers tested in the top 60. Eric Lujan, Founder of CRAFT 1861, amidst cannabis plants. PHOTO COURTESY OF CRAFT 1861 Robb McCauley speaks with an attendee at the Emerald Exchange. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE EMERALD EXCHANGE w i n t e r 2 0 1 8 | 8 1 ■cr