What's happening with herb growers in the United States? Are you seeing the number of dropouts that we are in British Columbia?
What are all the former Trout Lake growers doing?
Yes, I have personal friends who have farmed for more than 15 years now losing their farms to foreclosure. They did nothing wrong and are considered the best growers in the country.
I think there may be more going out of the business than are now entering it (3 to 1), and it may get worse before it gets better. But the serious problem now is that we are going to loose our quality from experienced growers. Credibility and delivery of quality will become the next major headache....
Like a flood, which "cleans" all the plastic which has accumulated on the river banks. It all winds up at the beaches every 50 years (or so).
Lon Johnson [former owner of Trout Lake Farms in Washington] is now in Minnesota, brokering to his contacts in Europe (which his contract allows).
This is about lifestyles, by the way. "Them and us." A true North American tragedy.