Erik and Hailey Silvers of International Falls, MN had been thinking about growing hemp for nearly 10 years. Then, in 2019, Minnesota passed legislation legalizing industrial hemp in the state, and the couple's dreams started to take shape.
Earlier this year they started Grindstone Farms to test the "hemp waters," as it were. Their conclusion: the water's just fine!
“This summer was just testing the strains to figure out which one would work the best,” Erik said. “Eventually, this will be so vertically integrated that I will breed the seeds myself... We'll have businesses extracting the oil here.”
The hope to add local jobs accompanies the couple's future plans. Jobs could range from the farming side, to processing the crop and eventually, retail opportunities.
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