California's Humboldt County is known for its towering redwoods. But this region about 200 miles north of San Francisco has another claim to fame. Humboldt is to weed what Napa is to fine wine – it's the heart of marijuana production in the U.S.
Every fall, young people, mostly in their 20s, come from all over the world to work the marijuana harvest. They come seeking jobs as "trimmers" – workers who manicure the buds to get them ready for market. The locals have a name for these young migrant workers: "trimmigrants."
There are more than 100,000 marijuana plants growing in the hills around Humboldt, the county sheriff's office estimates. They all need to be harvested around the same time and processed quickly to avoid mold and other problems. So from September through November, it's all hands on deck. That's where trimmigrants, also called scissor drifters, come in.
To understand this story, you need to know what trimming is. Marijuana grows like a huge bush, and the flower it produces is the marijuana bud. Trimmers manicure the buds, snipping off the leaves and stems and then shaping them with their scissors.
The idea is to make the weed stand out, so it sells well at medical marijuana dispensaries and on the street.
Garberville, a tiny town of about 900 residents in Humboldt, swarms with trimmigrants during the season – girls and guys with big, bulky backpacks and pit bulls. Many of them look like modern-day hobos.
I meet Fermin, a 24-year-old artist from Tennessee, at the far end of town. Like all the trimmers I spoke with, Fermin would use only his first name. Trimming for an illegal operation could make him an accessory to a drug crime.
"I heard you could get work pretty easy," Fermin says. "The reality is it's taking a little bit longer than I expected."
News Moderator: Shandar @ 420 MAGAZINE ®
Source: NPR : National Public Radio : News & Analysis, World, US, Music & Arts : NPR
Author: Olivia Cuevo
Contact: Help Center
Website: With Harvest Season, 'Trimmigrants' Flock To California's Pot Capital : NPR
Every fall, young people, mostly in their 20s, come from all over the world to work the marijuana harvest. They come seeking jobs as "trimmers" – workers who manicure the buds to get them ready for market. The locals have a name for these young migrant workers: "trimmigrants."
There are more than 100,000 marijuana plants growing in the hills around Humboldt, the county sheriff's office estimates. They all need to be harvested around the same time and processed quickly to avoid mold and other problems. So from September through November, it's all hands on deck. That's where trimmigrants, also called scissor drifters, come in.
To understand this story, you need to know what trimming is. Marijuana grows like a huge bush, and the flower it produces is the marijuana bud. Trimmers manicure the buds, snipping off the leaves and stems and then shaping them with their scissors.
The idea is to make the weed stand out, so it sells well at medical marijuana dispensaries and on the street.
Garberville, a tiny town of about 900 residents in Humboldt, swarms with trimmigrants during the season – girls and guys with big, bulky backpacks and pit bulls. Many of them look like modern-day hobos.
I meet Fermin, a 24-year-old artist from Tennessee, at the far end of town. Like all the trimmers I spoke with, Fermin would use only his first name. Trimming for an illegal operation could make him an accessory to a drug crime.
"I heard you could get work pretty easy," Fermin says. "The reality is it's taking a little bit longer than I expected."
News Moderator: Shandar @ 420 MAGAZINE ®
Source: NPR : National Public Radio : News & Analysis, World, US, Music & Arts : NPR
Author: Olivia Cuevo
Contact: Help Center
Website: With Harvest Season, 'Trimmigrants' Flock To California's Pot Capital : NPR
