Growing Industrial Hemp in Kansas

This story originated on site, near Great Bend, Kansas.  I spent two days with three members of Circle K Farming Partnership and South Bend Industrial Hemp.

Melissa Nelson-Baldwin is a thirty-two year old dynamo.  She is  a research scientist and does work for the agri-chemical industry in proving their products.  She also is part of a traditional family farming business raising wheat, corn, soybeans and milo.

Since hemp became a legal crop to grow in 2018, she, Aaron, her husband and Richard, her brother-in-law, have examined this historic plant as a rotational crop and as a manufacturing enterprise.  Melissa is the lead on social media, speaker and invites tours to come to their farm to learn of this use of a plant that has been illegal to grow since the end of  World War II.

The reality of starting from the ground (literally) and developing production and processing skills are clearly described in a optimistic fashion by Melissa.  She speaks as a scientist, business owner and farm woman.  Refreshing and inspiring to say the least.

Next week, I will talk with her husband and brother-in-law about their take on hemp and expand on this week's details on how to raise and market the crop.