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Small hemp farmer urges transparency as county considers cannabis zoning changes
Summary
A Freeborn County hemp farmer told commissioners that a local cannabis committee produced late recommendations and asked that the committee be subject to open‑meeting rules and public records so small growers can anticipate zoning changes; no immediate policy change was made.
Jeff Frankman, who said his family operates an eight‑acre certified organic hemp farm under Superior Cannabis Company, told the board that state changes and county zoning deliberations have constrained small farmers and that the county’s cannabis committee produced recommendations without timely notice to affected landowners.
Frankman described a long engagement with the zoning commission and a later cannabis committee whose recommendations he said introduced new constraints and caused costly delays. He said he filed a Freedom of Information Act request to obtain communications with the cannabis committee and requested that the committee be treated as a public body subject to open‑meeting laws and public records: "My request really is to ask that the cannabis committee...should constitute a group that is subject to the public meeting laws and proper notice and then also public matter of public record so that we can anticipate what changes the county might be doing," he said.
County staff acknowledged the FOIA request; no board motion was made at the meeting to change the committee’s status. Frankman said he supports an approach that preserves a pathway for small farmers to convert to licensed cannabis production without being pushed out by larger operators.
Why it matters: Changes to zoning and setbacks in agricultural districts can materially affect small farms seeking to grow hemp or cannabis; transparency in advisory committees affects stakeholders’ ability to respond during rulemaking.
Next steps: No immediate board action was recorded; Frankman’s FOIA and the committee recommendations could prompt staff follow-up or future agenda items if commissioners request further review.
