My name is Kat Rust, I grew up in Fresno, California and have been a D.C. resident since 2013. I grew up playing with plants and dirt in my family’s gardens. The love for agriculture and outdoors runs deep in the San Joaquin Valley of California.

Growing up in one of the richest agricultural areas in the United States greatly impacted my work in the cannabis and hemp industry.  The San Joaquin Valley proudly produces ¼ of the Nation’s food according to USGS and the value of compassionate cultivation, or cultivating to feed others, is at the heart of this pride.  Similarly, I pride myself with continuing to bring this core value to the cannabis and hemp industry through all of my endeavors.  

I started cultivating cannabis as a patient in California’s medical program in the early 2000s. At the time, my mentor was an amazing cultivator (and DJ) who goes by DJ DNice. He taught me about indoor cultivation right in the heart of San Fernando Valley during its wild, wild, west hey-days.

My opportunity to work on the customer-facing side of medical cannabis was after my first visit to a California dispensary. I was a new medical patient and I immediately became friends with the owner. He told me that he was opening up another dispensary and offered me a job as a Budtender right there on the spot. I was stoked and of course accepted, who wouldn’t want to work in Ocean Beach, California, at a place called, Utopia Dispensary?!

“Growing cannabis at home gives people the freedom to take advantage of all of the potential therapeutics the plant has to offer.”

I love cannabis cultivation because I know I’ll never stop learning!  There’s no end to all the marvelous and mysterious wonders of the cannabis plant.  Cultivating cannabis gives people a hands-on, first row experience in nature’s “classroom”. Growing cannabis at home gives people the freedom to take advantage of all of the potential therapeutics the plant has to offer.  From well-known health benefits of gardening, to new culinary options utilizing the raw plant itself, there are endless advantages that come from cultivating cannabis at home.

The late cannabis activist, Charles Edward “OG Eddy” Lepp, will always be one of my cultivation heroes. His gardens and how he used them to teach the world about cannabis and cultivation was unprecedented at the time, especially give the threat of prosecution. His advocacy will be missed, but his impact on our industry will truly last forever.

“The DMV is host to deeply rooted and talented cannabis cultivators and it’s time to celebrate and support this community!”  

It’s that kind of love and commitment to cultivation that makes me so happy to be part of NCF’s National Cannabis Championship sponsored by DC’s much-loved cannabis reviewer, Gentleman Toker. The DMV is host to deeply rooted and talented cannabis cultivators and it’s time to celebrate and support this community! I’m super excited to be helping make the inaugural National Cannabis Championship a reality for east coast growers. I can’t wait to see the genetics from the local breeders that will be entering the inaugural competition. I’m also excited to use the NCC platform to educate folks about safe cultivation practices and share information to help push the needle forward for all states to legalize home cultivation.

“Through my work, I feel like I’m cultivating my own future - and some good cannabis!”

One of my favorite parts of working in the cannabis industry is there’s always something new to learn and things are always evolving. I don’t know if I’ve found my dream job in cannabis yet. Maybe it doesn’t exist. That’s what’s so exciting. Through my work, I feel like I’m cultivating my own future - and some good cannabis!

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Registration for the inaugural National Cannabis Championship opens on Tuesday, November 30, 2021. The deadline for entries is Sunday, March 20, 2022.

All participants must be registered to take part in the competition. Sign up for our newsletter and follow us on Instagram and Facebook for the latest announcements and we’ll see you in April!