72 Hours in Mendocino County: The Lunar Harvest

Written By: ZACH SELWYN Photography By: HAINES WILKERSON

Ian Powell is the beloved owner of Yokayo Ranch, one of Mendocino’s most unique and beautiful boutique retreat destinations. Out here in the Ukiah, California wilderness, guests can overlook rolling hills of green and indulge themselves in a breathtaking tableau of natural beauty as they gaze out at the tranquil splendor of the valley. Yokayo Ranch will make your dreams a reality.

Oh, they also cultivate thousands of pounds of green a year. 

And I think I’ve smoked at least half that amount in the time I’ve been here.

I arrived this morning. I rolled into Mendocino County chasing two separate assignments for Hiii Media. Firstly, I was informed that I would be going to an elevated farm in the Mendocino mountains where actor Woody Harrelson has a preferred strain—and watch a man sing to the plants to help them grow... or something. Then, I was being trusted to immerse myself with the folks who run Yokayo Ranch to find a story about how this “legacy plant” business has remained successful during today’s consistent challenges of market volatility. 

It will all culminate Saturday night at Yokayo Ranch’s fifth annual Harvest Celebration—an industry party that revels in the second harvest of the year for Mendocino Grasslands—a plant brand owned by Powell that prides itself on their all-natural, sun-grown products. Apparently, last year’s bash was so magnificent that it ended with one guest barbecuing grilled cheese sandwiches out of glazed donuts at 4:20 in the morning. 

The party is widely known to be the event of the late summer, with guests ranging from growers to buyers to packagers, distributors, designers, and breeders alike. There will be a bud bar, a couple of DJs, and a tattoo artist on-site. (I’m hoping they have a Phineas and Ferb option.) Every tent and room on the premises is at full capacity, and the evening promises to be biblical, so they’ve advised me to take it easy my first two nights on the ranch. With pounds of the green plant in plain sight everywhere I look, I know it won’t be easy.

Read the full story at www.hiiimag.com

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