Hemp production regulations in America have gone back and forth throughout the past century. After being declared illegal in 1937, then entirely banned in 1970, the 2018 Farm Bill re-legalized regulated hemp production in the U.S.

Because the hemp industry continues to grow, University of New Hampshire Extension organized a meeting at Full Moon Farm to educate farmers about production and regulation.

William Hastings, a UNH Extension field specialist, described this meeting as an opportunity to “learn what is involved to successfully produce and market resinous hemp products.”

Full Moon Farm, located in Wolfeboro, NH, is mostly known for their cut flowers but they also sell CBD products made from their organically grown hemp, from which they harvest resin. Kevin and Jen French have owned the farm for 26 years and worked as hobby farmers until they felt “a strong pull to continue the agricultural legacy” on the farm, Jen explained. Eight years ago, the Frenches became serious about cut flower farming. Their hemp-growing journey began in 2021.

The Frenches gained their interest in hemp production after learning the health benefits of CBD (cannabidiol) oil. Kevin worked as a stone mason for 40 years, leading to joint pain and arthritis. They discovered bath bombs containing CBD oil were “one of the most effective things” that relieved Kevin’s pain, inspiring him to obtain his federal license to grow hemp.

Full Moon Farm grows anywhere between 200 and 600 plants per year and has used various strains including ‘Hot Blonde,’ which Jen described as “robust” and “bud-heavy,” as well as ‘Grape Soda,’ a variety she said “smells heavenly.”

Kevin and Jen French (center) own and operate Full Moon Farm, which focuses mainly on flower production but also has a thriving resinous hemp aspect of the business. Submitted photo

The varieties of hemp grown for resin, as opposed to fiber or grain, have different growing practices. The resin is concentrated hemp flower extract that offers a high concentration of CBD.

Jen explained that there’s not a demand for the hemp plants or flowers in their area, so they “only grow what we need to process into full spectrum oil for CBD products.”

All of their hemp is grown organically on biodegradable plastic mulch in the field. They’ve found that due to bud rot, insect damage and disease, about half of the flowers they grow are harvestable. They harvest the plants at the end of September, trim each down to just the flower, dry them for four to five weeks and then cure them for seven to 10 days. After this process, the flower is sent to their lab in Maine to extract the full spectrum oil.

The lab uses the oil to make CBD gummies while the Frenches make their own CBD bath bombs and salves. Jen is pleased that their sales of CBD products have continued to grow over the years, despite the marketing barriers that they (and other CBD producers) face. Not only do various social media platforms refuse to promote any CBD-related posts but finding a reasonable way to sell the CBD products on their website was impossible. Most payment processors refused to be involved with selling CBD products, and those who would cooperate raised their fees tremendously. Jen realized that selling through their website was not realistic for small growers like themselves.

The couple continues to sell directly to consumers and are consistently “blown away by how well [the products] work,” Jen said.

Kevin and Jen are passionate about hemp production and believe in the products that they make and sell on the farm. Jen even described hemp as a “magical plant” on their farm website, fullmoonfarmnh.com.

For any farmer considering starting hemp production, it’s important to understand the regulations put in place. The organizers of the Full Moon Farm event recommend learning about licensing and regulatory requirements by viewing the Vermont 2022 Hemp Webinar, available on YouTube.

Vicki Felder, with the USDA Domestic Hemp Production Program, led that presentation, which outlined USDA legal requirements for hemp production. USDA regulates the production of hemp for both direct USDA hemp growers and state/tribal hemp growers.

Growers must obtain a USDA-issued hemp producer license and follow regulatory sampling requirements. These protocols and more can be found at ams.usda.gov/rules-regulations/hemp.

by Kelsi Devolve