Florida Hemp Farmers

Tim Hammerich

News Reporter

Hemp has been a hot topic in agricultural circles in recent years. After some experience growing hemp both in Florida and out of state, Jammie Treadwell, noticed there was a lot interest but not a lot of experience growing the crop in a humid climate.

Treadwell… “So we decided to start a group called Florida Hemp Farmers. And it's a group of about 10 farmers this season in Lake and Orange County that we worked with helping them with their starts, also helping them with their crops. So we kind of coached them along and worked through issues. And then our manufacturing facility in Umatilla, we actually purchased those farmers' crops. And some of those farmers were able to grow really high quality product, which we'll be able to use in flour or other preparations. Some were able to grow biomass, which we'll convert into oil and use in our CBD products. So, we're really proud and thankful that we've been able to help a lot of farmers get off to a good start in our community.”

Treadwell says many of the hemp varieties have been developed for climates far different than Florida’s and there are unique pest and disease pressures to be aware of in the area. She says it has been rewarding to help fellow farmers get started in producing the crop.