Eagle Trees Cannabis Farm prides themselves on growing cannabis free of pesticides, fungicides and chemical fertilizers. They believe in a way of farming that’s beneficial for both the earth and the consumer.
Brother and sister team, Kenny Ingebrigtson and Jesse Straight, operate the 25-acre farm on the North Fork of the Nooksack River. With picturesque views of Mount Baker and its surrounding foothills, Eagle Trees is situated in one of Whatcom County’s most beautiful areas. On any given day, you can find tall evergreen trees littered around the property teeming with eagles; hence the name.
We spoke with Jesse to figure out just why they grow pesticide-free cannabis, what her favorite strain is and what supplies she’d take with her on a deserted island.
WhatcomTalk: How long have you been working with Satori and why do you enjoy working with them?
Jesse Straight: We’ve been working with Satori Bellingham for about a year and a half. And we’ve been at Satori Fremont for a few months. The people are what makes Satori special. They understand what Eagle Trees is all about and communicate that to their customers. We really appreciate it.
WhatcomTalk: Why is growing organically and pesticide-free important to you?
Jesse Straight: We want our customers to smoke the best products possible and for us, that means pure cannabis without chemicals.
Our intuition tells us that smoking the remnants of pesticides, fungicides and even salt-based chemical fertilizer can’t be good for you. I don’t want to eat food that’s grown that way, why would I want my medicine to contain that?
Our farm borders wilderness area containing lots of fish and animals that rely on clean air, water and soil. We wouldn’t want to add anything to the environment that could be potentially harmful to our wild neighbors.
We at Eagle Trees know high-quality cannabis should be grown without chemicals. Kenny, our co-owner and head farmer, is extremely talented and dedicated to this type of farming. It’s not easy, but we believe it’s worth it.
WhatcomTalk: What’s your favorite strain?
Jesse Straight: That’s a tough one! It’s like asking which of my children I love the most. It really depends on the situation.
We all love the Royal Kush 7. Kenny has grown it for 10 years, and for good reason. The quality of the genetics shine through and the high is very relaxing, creative and satisfying.
But, the ACDC strain won the Washington Sungrowers Industry Association’s SunCup 2018 for high-CBD flower. And, it’s not only high in CBD, but tasty.
Of our newer strains, the Cinex Kush is probably my favorite. I can feel the relaxed high, but can still get a lot done. It’s also great for athletics and my go-to pre-hike and snowboard strain.
The Dutch is what I want to smoke when it’s sunny and warm outside to get that euphoric sense of wonder, and the Chunk Norris is my go-to for a cozy night in.
We currently have 12 strains in the ground. Lots of fun strains crossed with our tried-and-true genetics. I can’t wait to try them.
WhatcomTalk: I see you sell joints, body balm and rosin. What’s the process like getting those items prepared for distribution? How big of a team do you have working on preparing and packaging?
Jesse Straight: Our team consists of Kenny, Alex and David on the farm side, and myself, Morgan and David (plus some part-timers) on the packaging, sales and delivering side. We adore our employees and couldn’t do it without their passion and energy.
Fun Fact: I think people are generally pretty surprised when they find out just how intensive the process is. The plants are touched a lot: we water, feed and prune them frequently. When harvest time comes around, we small-batch harvest, usually no more than 10 branches per bin (so we don’t squish the flowers). They are hung carefully in the drying room for about two weeks. After, we bin them so they’re ready for trimming. After the product is hand-trimmed and tested, they’re ready to be packaged.
My mom makes the body balm out of coconut oil, shea butter, beeswax, essential oils and cannabinoids from both the Royal Kush and ACDC strains.
Our joints are carefully made by grinding only the flowers, and we make 100 at a time in a knock box. Each of our joints is twisted by hand and made in a way to ensure it burns well.
Kenny makes our rosin using only heat and pressure.
WhatcomTalk: Your farm is beautiful, and what a great location. How’d you go about finding the space and how many acres do you farm?
Jesse Straight: When we went looking for a farm, we searched around Whatcom County for about six months. We found some good places, but knew they weren’t the right spot. Kenny texted me late one night to tell me he had finally found the spot.
The location had just come onto the market. We looked at it the next day and decided it was the one. No questions. We love this area and Kenny loves to be close to Mount Baker.
WhatcomTalk: Imagine you’re on a deserted island; you get one of your strains, one CD and one food item.
Jesse Straight: Hmm … for today, here’s my answer: the Royal Kush, a protein-rich salad and Aretha Franklin’s rare and unreleased recordings from the Golden Reign. I love that album.
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