Cannabis Farms of the Hudson Valley

When New York legalized adult-use cannabis, the first conditional cultivator licenses went overwhelmingly to people already farming — hemp growers and multi-generation vegetable farms adding a new crop to fields they'd worked for years. Eleven licensed cultivators are in the Almanac's directory across nine counties, almost all small-batch, sun-grown, and run by people who talk about soil health before they talk about strain names.

The original farm families

Hepworth Farms in Milton has farmed the same Rondout Valley soil since 1818 and was among the first licensed cultivators in the state, holding cultivation, extraction, and distribution licenses as a true seed-to-sale operation. Back Home Farm & Cannabis in High Falls grows cannabis the same way it grows its other 140 crops, and was one of the first suppliers to New York's first recreational dispensary.

Columbia County's creek-side plots

Claverack Creek Farm outside Hudson was one of the original 52 hemp farms approved for adult-use cultivation in 2022, growing sun-grown flower prized for taste. Hudson Cannabis grows close to 2,000 plants nearby and once shipped CBD downriver on the sail-powered schooner Apollonia — its hash ranks as the top-selling SKU in the state.

Small-batch & regenerative operations

• Alchemy Pure — Millerton, Dutchess County. Organic cultivation from farmers with 25-plus years of sustainable ag experience, grown in living soil.
• Ravens View Genetics — Delhi, Delaware County. One of the state's most respected small operations, focused on genetics and flavor.
• Sunwalker Farms — Orange County. Founded by a Marine veteran, mission-driven toward veteran support and horticulture therapy.
• Blackbird Gardens and Cornucopia Growers — Schoharie County. Both small, family-run regenerative operations growing in living soil in the Catskill hills; Cornucopia is women- and minority-owned.
• Sticky's Weed Farm — Essex, Champlain Valley. A decade-plus of sungrown, living-soil cultivation at the edge of the Eastern Adirondacks.

Advocacy

NY Small Farma in Albany is a statewide advocacy organization championing on-farm sales, craft co-ops, and regenerative practices — and opposing the large-warehouse model — on behalf of small cannabis farmers across the state.

A few practical notes

These are licensed cultivators, not dispensaries — most sell through distributors and licensed retail rather than direct farm-gate sales, so check each farm's listing for how their products actually reach the public before planning a visit. New York's cannabis market is still young and licensing rules continue to evolve.

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The same farm families, one more crop in the ground.