Emily Wayne
28
Cultivator and co-founder
Mt. Gay Farms
While pursuing a master’s degree in food and agriculture law and policy, Emily Wayne co-founded Mt. Gay Farms, a cannabis production company in Vermont.
“This past fall, getting through a semester of school while being a full-time cannabis farmer and business manager felt like achieving what had seemed to be an impossible task,” she says.
In 1946, Wayne’s great-grandparents purchased the Vermont farmlands that would later become home to Mt. Gay Farms. They bought the property “to ensure that there would always be a place the family could live and farm in an increasingly unpredictable world,” Wayne says. As the global coronavirus pandemic continued to play havoc on the world, maintaining the traditional farm became increasingly difficult and expensive, so Wayne and her father decided to take the property in a new direction.
“My dad and I came up with the idea of applying for a cannabis cultivation license after the announcement that Vermont licenses were going to be distributed in 2022,” Wayne says. “A few months later, we finally had it — our license to legally grow and sell cannabis.”
Wayne is on track to complete her graduate degree in the spring of 2025, and at that point she plans to contribute to improving sustainability and social equity in the global food system.
“I feel that without changes in policy, as well as addressing the corporate capture of administrative agencies which regulate our food system, systemic change is going to be very difficult to achieve,” Wayne says.
Q&A
You are currently working full-time as the farm’s master grower while also pursuing your law graduate degree – what are your plans after you graduate?
I have been pursuing a master’s degree in food and agriculture law and policy, which I will be finishing by next spring at the latest if all continues to go smoothly. Over the past few years, I’ve become dismayed at the corporate consolidation in our food and agricultural system, which I believe to be one of the root causes of the devastating environmental and health effects occurring not just in the United States, but around the world.
I feel that without changes in policy as well as addressing the corporate capture of administrative agencies which regulate our food system, systemic change is going to be very difficult to achieve. So… it’s hard to say right now what my exact plans are after I graduate, but I know I would like to help push for improved policies that address sustainability and social equity in the global food system.
As for the farm and growing, we are looking at options to diversify our farm in other aspects of the cannabis industry so that I can afford to take a minor step back from growing when needed.
Could you tell me a little bit about the genesis of the company? Was the whole family on board from the beginning?
This farm has been in our family since 1946, when my great grandparents purchased the land to ensure that there would always be a place the family could live and farm in an increasingly unpredictable world (which seemed very appropriate during COVID).
In the last few years, maintaining the farm has become more difficult and expensive, so my dad and I came up with the idea of applying for a cannabis cultivation license after the announcement that Vermont licenses were going to be distributed in 2022. With our combined experience in growing, as well as Vermont’s encouragement of small farmers and craft growers, we thought “ok, let’s try to do this”. I started dissecting the rules for cannabis cultivators and diving into the application headfirst. A few months later, we finally had it – our license to legally grow and sell cannabis.
While my mom was fine with the new business venture in concept, she wasn’t initially on board to be an active participant. However, she did what mom’s always do, which is come to the rescue when help is needed, which it very much was. She quickly became a vital member by taking charge of the accounting, website development, and help in the field when needed.
My dad’s 47 years of business experience has been extremely helpful when it comes to navigating all that is required in an industry that still has a lot of red tape around it. My role has been that of the grower and general farm manager, and I also take care of sales, marketing, and deliveries. Dylan (my brother) has done all of the security, helped set up the field, and been there when it’s all hands-on deck.
As for the name, we have some deep ties with the Caribbean where Mount Gay Rum is a known staple, and we are located on the top of a hill in Gaysville, VT. The farm was historically called Gay Farm by my great grandparents, so very naturally, we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to call our business Mt Gay Farms.
What would you say has been your biggest milestone thus far in the industry?
For the last 2 years, so many moments have felt like milestones. This past fall, getting through a semester of school while being a full-time cannabis farmer and business manager felt like achieving what had seemed to be an impossible task. Meeting and talking to people who say they’ve had our flower and loved it is also incredibly rewarding knowing all the effort, energy, love, and attention that went into the planning, growing, drying, and curing. Continuing to grow in a way that maintains reverence and respect for the plant while not simply treating it as a commodity is important to all of us, so I am proud that this aspect could be maintained while simultaneously going through the challenges of growing on a larger scale and running a business.