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Council grants temporary conditional cultivation license to High Stryker Farm pending odor-mitigation implementation
Summary
South Berwick granted High Stryker Farm a conditional temporary medical cultivation license through Sept. 9, 2025, contingent on the farm implementing a new odor-mitigation plan; the farm said it expects to order equipment and complete much of the work within 60–90 days.
The South Berwick Town Council on May 21 granted a conditional, temporary medical cultivation license to High Stryker Farm at 104 Pond Road, with an expiration of Sept. 9, 2025, while the farm implements an odor‑mitigation plan agreed with town staff.
Applicant Ryan Reed described outreach to consultants and a consultant’s on-site review that identified areas where the farm could better “button up” the facility to reduce off-site odor. Reed said he invited a consultant who helped Scarborough resolve similar complaints to inspect the property and co-author a mitigation plan. Town staff praised the written mitigation plan but asked that Reed provide an implementation schedule so the town can monitor progress while the equipment is procured and installed.
Town staff recommended the council grant a temporary, conditional license to allow the farm time to implement the plan; council members asked for a near-term timeline and suggested periodic check-ins. Reed said supply-chain constraints could make immediate full implementation difficult and recommended a realistic window for equipment acquisition; he told council that “60 to 90 days might, give me a little more freedom to acquire all the elements.”
Councilors and staff noted that the farm had not had recent odor complaints in the prior months and that progress reports and outreach to an identified nearby abutter were appropriate follow-ups. The council voted 4-0 in favor of a motion to issue the temporary conditional license expiring Sept. 9, 2025, and asked staff to share the mitigation plan with an abutter who had raised concerns and to schedule a follow-up inspection after implementation steps were underway.
The temporary authorization allows the farm to continue medical cultivation pending completion of mitigation measures and further monitoring by code enforcement and town staff.
