For those working in Utah’s budding cannabis industry, walking into the job can still feel like a surreal experience. This is true for Britney Hunter, Cultivation Manager at Harvest of Utah, and one of the first people to legally grow the medical version of the plant for our medical cannabis program.
Who knew working at a plant nursery growing up in Salt Lake City would lead to cannabis cultivation? Becoming the Green Scene’s first woman cultivator was simply icing on her Ice cream Cake—a favorite strain she grows at her Ogden facility.
“I definitely feel like a trailblazer. Woman growers are less common in the agriculture industry in general. I had a career as a grower in mind when I moved to Logan to pursue a degree in Horticulture from Utah State University, but not in cannabis.”
Britney Hunger, Cultivation Manager at Harvest of Utah
There is an “old-fashioned” family structure of the wife in the kitchen and man out working, she explained, that’s still a prevailing tradition in many of today’s rural, agricultural communities.
“There is a culture of ‘good-old-boys’ that prefer to do things the same as when they grew up, but women growers are becoming more common as folks realize we are not intimidated to pick up a sprayer or run a tractor,” Hunter said. “Women are equally good at organizing grow schedules, doing fertilizer calculations, and managing crops.”
Hunter, who also ended up with a master’s [degree] in Plant Science, believes the cannabis industry has created a gateway for women to step up as lead growers because the community is more progressive than other areas of agriculture.
Related Article: How to Become a Medical Cannabis Pharmacy Agent in Utah
Hunter unknowingly took her first steps into the cannabis industry in 2010 during a California trip to visit friends where she saw cannabis up close for the very first time. Yet, as an Aggie with close family ties, it didn’t occur to the young horticulturist that a cannabis career was just ahead.
“My knowledge of advanced plant physiology helps me interpret changes I see in the plant so I can improve growing conditions,” said Hunter. “Not all growers have a master’s degree, and I’m happy to say I use my education every day.”
Harvest of Utah is a sister company of the larger corporation, Harvest Health and Recreation, which is based in Tempe, Arizona. This multi-state cannabis operator has created more than 210 facilities, of which approximately 135 are retail locations, with more than 1,695 employees across 18 states.
During our dreary winter months Hunter and her team of seven full-time growers have been busy. We’ve seen the arrival of Jack Herer and Green Wildfire this December, and the elusive, but delicious, White 99 with potent Cinderella 99 genetics.
Between its current temporary Phase 1 operation and construction of another one set for completion by 2022, Harvest expects to increase its biomass production by 162 percent.
“I love when people visit for the first time and get a whiff of the pungent flowers,” Hunter said. “We get a lot of ‘wow, it smells good in here’ and those moments make me happy.”
Published in Salt Baked City Print Magazine – Spring 2021
