MERCER COUNTY, Ky. (LEX 18) — July is National Hemp Month and many Kentucky growers are taking advantage of the versatile plant.
Throughout the 1800s, shakers at Pleasant Hill used hemp for many aspects of their agrarian lifestyle, from textiles and ropes to twine that bound their brooms.
"The shakers grew hemp not to make money, but to support other industries here," said Mike Moore, farm manager.
Hundreds of years later, Shaker Village is cultivating fiber hemp once again in a demonstration plot on the farm.
The crop was legalized in the 2018 farm bill, allowing farmers like Moore to experiment with growing hemp.
"When it became legal, it made perfect sense to bring that history back, to show where it's been, and where it can go today. We did this, the first year when it went from a pilot program to a full on legal program in the state. We started small, and we're still small, but we've grown as much as an acre, which is a lot of hemp."
Moore says these stalks showcase the important history of hemp in Kentucky.
But the future of hemp is an even bigger deal.
"Seeing something like this come into our fields again, offers farmers, especially tobacco farmers that have small tracks of land, to be able to expand and support a new industry in the state."
There are some misconceptions about hemp.
For example, hemp is not marijuana. It doesn't have the same levels of THC, which is the compound that gets you high.
Kentucky remains one of the biggest producers of hemp in the country.
Last year, hemp was grown in 90 Kentucky counties.
The crop can be used in protein powder and construction, among a variety of other uses.
