Hemp: By the People, For the People

Did you know

...that in 1941 Henry Ford presented to the world a car made entirely of hemp that could run on either hemp fuel or vegetable oil? He put 12 years of research into this project—testament to his hopes and expectations for a remarkable 100% green car. Imagine if the car industry had gone down that path. What a different world this would be.

Here are some more amazing facts about the people’s plant.

• Hemp used for paper production can be regrown in one year. It takes 12 years to replace trees used for the me purpose.

  • Both hemp fiber and cotton fiber can be used to make breathable, high quality textiles, but that’s where the similarity ends. Growing hemp is more ecologically sustainable than growing cotton. It requires far less water, is `naturally pest-resistant (thus no pesticides), and grows to maturity in just 2-3 months. Not only that, a hemp plant produces 220% more fiber than a cotton plant.

• Unlike synthetic fabrics that pollute our waters and create industrial toxins during their manufacture, hemp fabric creation has a small carbon footprint and produces no toxins. (See above.)

• Food grade hemp has far reaching potential: delicious proteins, hemp flour, healing oils, to name a few.

• You can use hemp to build a house (or Adirondack chair or bedside table) instead of using expensive, non-renewable wood.

• During wartime in the US, farmers were often mandated to grow hemp because it is so versatile and renewable.

• CBD studies and clinical trials regarding CBD and CBD hemp are ongoing and increasing in number because the health benefits of this plant and its compounds promise to be bigger than anything most people can imagine.

• The US government holds the patent for the non-psychoactive compounds within cannabis plants, including both marijuana and CBD hemp. They must want all that goodness for themselves. But why?

• All the industries listed above—paper, textile, food and pharmaceuticals, as well as the oil industry that counts on fossil fuels to turn a profit—lobby to take hemp away from the people. And they keep on winning the fight.

What is the future of this remarkable plant that has been forbidden to us for so many decades until recently?

At Hempire State Growers we understand that farmers are needed to grow hemp. But hemp must be processed to be used. To gain economic sovereignty and to ensure the fair distribution of proceeds among the community of growers, farmers need to be part of the processing and/or sale of the hemp plant. We are firmly committed to our seed-to-sale model and glad to share our on-site processing equipment with other farmers in the region, at cost.

There is enough of this abundant plant to go around and a place for everyone at the table. There is no reason that corporations and pharmaceutical companies can’t pull up to that table too. We just don’t want them to take hemp away from us— the people.

Hempire State Growers is committed to vertical economics in the hemp business. Meaning, we are interested in farmers, farm workers, and local communities being part of the wealth creation of this new industry.

When farmers make money, they invest it right where they live—their communities, their farms, their workers. When that happens, farmers will be able to adapt regenerative agricultural practices because they will be able to afford to do so. They will be able to create healthier soils. They will be able to pay their workers more, and those workers will be able to buy a home, a car, an education for their children.

All of the above is why we call it the people’s plant, and why we want it to remain so. Throughout history, hemp was grown widely across the planet. And now it’s coming back.

We are excited for the future of hemp. At Hempire State Growers we are ready to play our part in sustainable agriculture and the distribution of wealth to a more balanced economy.

Help us spread the word.