What is your name, and what is your nontraditional career?
My name is Dakota Brown, and I am a Cultivation Associate. My department focuses on cultivation and harvest, and I work on the harvest side of that.
Let’s start at the beginning of your career journey. What were you doing before you worked in medical marijuana?
I grew up helping my dad on his deer farm, so in a way, that was my first agricultural career.
My first “real” job was at McDonald’s—like everyone else. Once I was 16, I started working in a wood shop with my mom, where I did staining. That’s how I discovered I enjoy hands-on work. My mom runs a cabinet shop and has always been very nontraditional in that aspect, and I’ve followed suit. I worked with her for probably two years. I stuck with sanding and basic woodworking as I was limited on what tools I could use since I was only 16. After that, I bounced around trying to find better-paying jobs.
Eventually, I went to cosmetology school. I did well since it was hands-on, and I enjoyed the attention to detail. However, I experienced a setback when I found out I have two extra ribs on my C7 vertebrae. That was a big wrench in my plans because it prevented me from performing certain types of work with my hands. I lost the strength in my shoulders and couldn’t even hold a hair dryer for long periods of time. I needed surgery to address it. All my plans were thrown up in the air.
I needed a new plan, so I went back to school to study psychology. Unfortunately, the surgery cost much more than I had expected, and I had to put school on pause. Then, student loans kicked in, and I couldn’t go back to school until things were paid off. That’s what’s led me to the medical marijuana industry.
How did you get your job in the field of medical marijuana?
I’d been trying to get into the industry, but no one had ever gotten back to me. My employer had a job fair, and they absolutely loved me. It helped that I grew up on a deer farm and already had a lot of experience with agriculture.
How would you describe your average workday?
We start our day with stretches. We take pride in making sure everybody is healthy and that we’re not hurting ourselves. It also helps with stress and allows you to relax. It’s especially helpful on Monday mornings when no one is in the best mood, and it turns things around so the team can start the day on a positive note.
Then, we’ll go to different stations. My team works on harvesting, so this is when we cut down the plants and eventually dry and cure them before processing.
You mentioned you worked on a deer farm when you were growing up. Can you tell me what that was like?
As early as I can remember, I was helping with things like bottle feeding fawns. They start out feeding every 2-4 hours, so you spend a lot of time with them. Eventually, they consume more milk per feeding as they get older which decreases how often they need to be fed. Every day, my siblings and I fed the fawns when we came home from school to relieve my dad who would do it during the day. A few hours later, Dad would get the “midnight shift” as we called it, and us kids would wake up at 2 am in the morning to help before school.
When I was 9 years old, I trained a deer to come to her name, and she would give you kiss. She would boop your nose and kiss it on command. I’ve trained a lot of animals, including a service dog. I think animals have a massive impact on people’s well-being, especially people who are on the spectrum. Animals can understand us in a way that people don’t
What advice do you have for other women who want to pursue a career in agriculture?
You should just jump into it.
Do you want to work with animals? Then research the type of animal that interests you. Learn everything you can and go for it.
Even with planting or any type of gardening, try talking to someone doing it locally. Your elders have so much knowledge to share.
Always push yourself and don’t play it safe. Don’t tell yourself, “I’ll do it whenever I have more money or whenever I’m in a better situation.” If you truly want to do it, then start working toward it. Figure it out along the way.
Is there anything about your field that would surprise people?
Everybody expects harvesting medical marijuana to be some big extravagant thing, but at the end of the day, it’s no different than when you garden at home. It’s just like taking care of your own plants. If you enjoy gardening, then you would love this industry.
It’s much more inviting to new people than anybody expects. Some of the older country folk working in this field may come off as intimidating, but they’re more than happy to share their knowledge and experience if you show an interest.
Would you like to talk about your workplace experiences as a woman with autism? Do you have any advice for others who are neurodiverse?
It’s important to advocate for yourself and figure out what you need to succeed. For example, some people need detailed instructions and benefit from having a list of tasks. My advice for that person would be to talk to your supervisor to develop a list together or just make one yourself. Find ways to adapt to make things as easy as possible for yourself because the world’s definitely not set up for people with autism, and the best thing you can do is to help yourself. If you’re struggling or need more support, then ask for it or find peers who will support you.
My fellow employees have been understanding about my diagnosis. The marijuana industry actually has a thriving neurodivergent workforce. There are about 18 people in my department, and I estimate that as many as 15 out of those 18 are either ADHD or on the spectrum. We all have our own way of showing it. Whenever it comes to having issues at work, we all understand. Maybe the music’s too loud and overstimulating? Okay, we’ll turn it down. However, we never work completely without music because nobody can focus without it!
The variety of work is another reason my job is great for neurodivergent employees. Let’s say you’re tired of sitting. You can switch to one of the many other tasks that need to be done. Maybe there is a barrel that needs to be taken out, or you can weigh the sticks. There’s always something you can do for a mental break when you need it. Flexibility helps you do your job and be productive, but it can be hard to find that flexibility in other jobs.
I figured out I’m autistic after I started working in medical marijuana. I had an ADHD diagnosis as a kid, and it was always an “unspecified type” of ADHD or whatever they called it at that time. I had my quirks and little things I did that were different. Eventually, I noticed there are a lot of other people that do these things too. Those people were often autistic, so I thought maybe I could be autistic too. I used to feel self-conscious about my quirks but stopped caring once I got my diagnosis. I talked to some of my doctors, and they said they already knew I was autistic but were waiting for me to ask.
Interview conducted, transcribed, and written by Marlynda Arnett, Program Innovation Leader for West Virginia Women Work.
