Today on Northern Voices (made possible by the MN Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund), Leah Lemm talks with the folks at Rippled Leaf Farms.
Rippled Leaf Farms is hemp farm near Hibbing, founded by four young adults: Josie Johnson, Justin Johnson, Ryne Ryshavy, and Harry Penner. Overall, the crew at Rippled Leaf Farms is excited about hemp and its far-reaching sustainability. From their website:
Rippled Leaf Farms is a family dedicated to transparent, sustainable farming. Together we produce small batch high quality CBG hemp products. We all share the aspiration of growing the perfect flowers, but how we came to this joint goal and view the opportunity varies greatly depending on who you ask.
If you ask Josie, one of our founders and head of graphic design, Rippled Leaf Farms is a testament to the romance of life and nature. Josie has been watching this beautiful relationship for years, as a climber, hiker, yogi, and passionate artist. Josie sees this opportunity as a way to share her vision of life with others by acting as a guide in learning the ways of holistic living and sustainable farming. Although that is a beautiful vision it changes a bit if you were to ask Harry. Harry, another founder and head of soil and pest control, sees the farm as a ticket to freedom. Already free from a “normal” mindset, Harry enjoys tending to his 8 reptiles that occupy the basement, or working on the beautiful yard ordiment, his 1985 Ford Bronco, that I hear “someday” will be repainted and looking like a fine machine. Harry, also being a self-proclaimed cannabis connoisseur, is especially looking forward to giving our bud the “perfect cure”.
To our third founder and head of plant relations, Ryne, this farm is a perfect ladder into a quiet life. Having a brilliant mind and near photographic memory, Ryne will baffle you with facts on local ecology. When not looking through the fields for nutrient deficiencies or male plants, Ryne will most likely be down in the basement with Harry tending to his 30 reptiles or one of his seven fish tanks! The fourth founder and your brave, charismatic blog author is me, Justin. On the farm day to day I am really good at taking orders and working hard. Not having the background in horticulture, environmental science, or biology, like the other three partners, I have learned to respect what I don’t know, but as a passionate entrepreneur I love to learn! My main role is guiding and organizing the growth and goals for the farm. Before the farm came to be, I was vexed by the ideas of economic philosophy and wanted to create a business that worked for the planet and the people without a nasty externality waiting in the shadows. When I’m not nursing the plants or planning future farm endeavors, you can find me climbing with Josie or skiing anything steeper than 20 degrees. Together Rippled Leaf Farms celebrates the opportunities that responsible business and sustainable farming can bring to our customers, our environment and ourselves. With our distinct talents and a shared goal, we make an unstoppable team excited to help a diverse array of customers. In a world where every action has an impact, what we embrace the most is our ripple.
