Who We Are
It all begins with an idea.
The Cannabis Farmer’s Alliance is dedicated to advocating for the rights and interests of cannabis farmers and small businesses. We strive to cultivate an environment that empowers growers, promoting sustainable farming practices, providing education, and advancing equitable policies. Our mission is to champion the economic stability, growth, and success of our members in the ever-evolving cannabis industry.
Our vision is of a thriving, inclusive, and sustainable cannabis industry where every farmer and stakeholder have the resources, knowledge, and opportunities they need to succeed. We see a future where the Cannabis Farmer’s Alliance stands as a trusted advocate and partner, fostering collaboration, advancing innovative cultivation methods, and ensuring equitable market access for all. Together, we are planting the seeds for a prosperous and resilient cannabis community.
Meet the Board
Joseph Calderone
CO-FOUNDER, PRESIDENT
Joseph Calderone has 10 years consulting experience in cultivation, processing and dispensary operations. His consultancy, TreeFrog, worked closely with Schwazze (former Medicine Man Technologies), a publicly traded operator in Colorado. In this capacity, he supported both medical and recreational applications in 11 states helping to build a database of actionable documents that address all areas of the Cannabis Industry value chain, including but not limited to Operating Plans, SOPs, Diversity & Inclusion Plans, Environmental Impact, Product Recall, Record Keeping and more. In the area of genetics, Joseph worked with Cornell University’s school of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS). His unique cultivar genetics helped establish the USDA National Hemp Germplasm Laboratory in Geneva, New York (in partnership with Cornell). He has also collaborated with brands in the areas of multi-cannabinoid product formulation. In New York, he helped secure a $10 million dollar conduit bond financing for hemp processing and extraction. More than anything Joseph is inspired by the ethnobotanical and ethical-botanical characteristics while also dedicating himself to the botanical and biochemical aspects of this incredible cannabis plant. His work with the Hourani, Sapara, Achuar, Shuar and Kichwa indigenous groups in the Amazon through participatory practices in sustainable development shaped his interest in joining this interesting yet exasperating industry. He is CEO/CCO of Grateful Valley Farms (AUCC #34), Co-Founder and Board Member of Cannabis Farmers Alliance (CFA), and a proud member of Farm Bureau. Prior to the Cannabis Industry, Joseph worked in the areas of Finance, Start-up, Web 2.0, Risk Management, IT, Data Science, Public Relations, Brand Marketing and Communications, and Copyrighting (to name a few). He holds an MBA from POLIMI Graduate School of Management (Milan, Italy), an MFA in Writing/Poetics from the Buddhist, Naropa University (Jack Kerouac Award Scholar) and a BA in History/Government from Georgetown University. In addition he holds a variety of Executive Education certifications from MIT in Data Science and Cybersecurity. He speaks Italian, Spanish and possesses knowledge of a variety of other languages. https://www.treefrogs.co/https://www.linkedin.com/in /josephecalderone/www.emplantx.com
Steve Halton
CO-FOUNDER, ADVISORY TO THE BOARD
Stephen Halton is the CEO and founder of Real Life Botanicals, a leading sun-grown cannabis cultivator in New York. Under his leadership, Real Life Botanicals has rapidly climbed the ranks in sales, solidifying its place among the top cannabis brands in the state. Known for its commitment to regenerative farming and all-natural products, the company has gained a strong reputation for quality and consistency, becoming a go-to choice for dispensaries and consumers alike.
Beyond cultivation, Stephen has played a key role in shaping the industry, working with the SUNY Cannabis Curriculum, serving on the Cornell Agricultural Advisory Committee, and being an active member of the Hemp Feed Coalition. His expertise spans both the cannabis and hemp industries, with a focus on sustainable innovations like bioplastics, biochar, and hemp graphene.
With deep roots in agriculture, Stephen’s passion for farming started in his youth, growing up around his family’s dairy farm in Cazenovia, NY. This early connection to the land fueled his drive to create a business that not only thrives in the cannabis market but also prioritizes environmental responsibility and the advancement of sustainable hemp-based solutions.
His vision for Real Life Botanicals extends beyond cultivation—he is committed to expanding product offerings, advocating for fair policies for small cannabis farmers, and continuing to push the boundaries of what’s possible in sustainable cannabis production.
Kate Miller
CO-FOUNDER, SECRETARY
Kate Miller has a MA in Sustainable Development with a concentration in Policy Analysis and Advocacy. For the last 15 years, she has been the owner and farmer at Weathertop Farm in Sharon Springs, where they specialize in certified organic herbs and berries. The herbs and fruit are used to make a line of organic drink mixers and teas under the Weathertop brand. Kate’s cannabis company is Peregrine Toke, which sells their small batch flower in locations around the capital district. Prior to farming, Kate’s background is quite varied, working for many years in human services as a Director of Residential Programs for children and adults in conjunction with the MD Department of Juvenile Justice and Developmental Disability Administration. She also has an AA in Professional Cooking and Baking and moved to Ireland to take a position with a hotel as a pastry chef. While there she was recruited by the HSE to run early intervention programs for at-risk teens for several years. While working on her MA thesis, Kate moved to New Delhi, India to work with renowned environmental activist Vandana Shiva, spending her time focusing mainly on anti GMO campaigns, teaching basic activism skills to teens, and small scale organic farming. After returning to the States and starting Weathertop Farm, Kate attended the Clinical Herbalist program at the North East School for Botanical Medicine, studying under 7Song. Kate is passionate about plant medicine, supporting local economies, and creating an equitable, fair and inclusive cannabis community where all growers can thrive and reach their full professional and economic potential.
Ruth (Charlesworth) Randall
CO-FOUNDER
Ruth Randall is the co-owner of Green Sugar Leaf Farms and the licensed New York State micro-business, Especially Green By GSLF. Green Sugar Leaf Farms specializes in producing herbal blends and collaborates with Mountain Rose Herbs to deliver a range of wellness products, including teas, tinctures, syrups, and balms. The business is proudly women-owned and operated, offering products through their website, wholesale channels, and their own retail storefront located in the Empire State Plaza, Albany, NY. With the addition of cannabis to their offerings, Green Sugar Leaf Farms can provide full spectrum wellness products to the legal recreational market.
Ruth is deeply committed to fostering community and promoting education centered around plant-based healing. She is actively involved in local workshops and educational initiatives, where she shares her expertise to empower others to pursue holistic wellness and sustainable cultivation practices.
As an herbalist, Ruth has cultivated a long-standing and passionate relationship with cannabis, recognizing its role as a sacred plant. She practices regenerative, sustainable, sun-grown, and moon-energized cultivation techniques, drawing upon traditions that have been developed and refined across cultures for millennia. Ruth credits her success to the guidance of exceptional mentors and a flexible business plan designed to adapt to changing circumstances.
Navigating New York State’s regulatory and legislative landscape has posed significant challenges especially for small cultivators and micro licensed businesses. Over the past three years, CFA has made notable contributions to current legislative cannabis policy, gaining recognition in the state budget and participating in meetings with the Office of Cannabis Management and the Governor’s Office. Advocating for unity among supply-side stakeholders in New York’s cannabis industry and urging other cannabis organizations to present a united front to legislators is a priority this upcoming legislative session.
Ruth’s passion for herbal and natural medicine began as a hobby and evolved into a cornerstone of her retirement plan, ultimately guiding her into the legal cannabis industry in New York. Her early professional experience includes work in creating NYS worksite day care centers for NYS employees, early childhood and non-profit administration as well as operating several small NY businesses. Ruth holds a Bachelor of Science in Education from the College of Saint Rose and a Master of Arts in English Literature from SUNY New Paltz, which included a final year abroad at Loughborough University in the United Kingdom.
Thomas (Tom) Szulist
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Thomas (Tom) Szulist is a farmer, entrepreneur, and founder of Singer Farm Naturals and Innocence Cannabis in
Appleton, Niagara County, New York.
Tom’s path to farming was not a traditional one. Trained as an industrial engineer, he spent 27 years in investment
banking and the micro-cap marketplace, working with entrepreneurs and helping small companies raise capital and
grow. But his interests increasingly drew him toward agriculture, natural products, and the connection between what
we grow and our health.
In 2010, Tom founded Singer Farm Naturals, building a farm-based business focused on natural foods and wellness.
Over the years, the operation has grown a wide variety of crops while becoming one of New York’s significant
distributors of tart cherry concentrate and other natural products.
Tom began growing hemp in 2019, which eventually led him into New York’s emerging adult-use cannabis industry.
He became a conditional cannabis cultivator in 2022 and spent the next several years learning firsthand both the
opportunities and the challenges facing New York cannabis farmers.
In 2025, Tom received a New York State cannabis microbusiness license for Innocence Cannabis. Today, he operates
a truly farm-to-consumer cannabis business – growing cannabis, processing and developing products, and selling
directly to customers through the dispensary located at Singer Farm Naturals.
For Tom, cannabis is first and foremost an agricultural crop, and he believes farmers need a strong voice as New
York’s cannabis industry continues to develop. He knows from experience that producing a great crop is only part of
the challenge. Farmers also have to navigate regulation, processing, distribution, marketing, access to capital, and an
increasingly competitive marketplace.
As a member of the Board of Directors of the Cannabis Farmers Alliance, Tom is committed to helping create an
industry where independent farmers and small, locally owned cannabis businesses have a genuine opportunity to
succeed. He brings to the board the perspective of someone who has spent decades building small businesses but
who also understands what it means to walk the fields, deal with the weather, bring in a harvest, and figure out how to
turn what you grow into a sustainable business.
Tom believes New York cannabis has the potential to become something special – an industry built around its farmers,
its communities, and locally owned businesses rather than simply becoming another commodity controlled by the
largest companies.