Lake County farm to plant Florida's first commercial hemp crops this week

EUSTIS, Fla. - A new industry in Central Florida will soon start to grow, literally. Treadwell Farms in Lake County will plant its first hemp crops this week

“So, we’re three months away from having our own hemp grown in Florida by ourselves and a lot of other small businesses that are going to develop as the hemp industry expands,” Treadwell Farms owner Jammie Treadwell said.

This is a big deal because it has been about a year since Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill that created the hemp program in Florida. After that, it took the state several months to develop rules and regulations for the industry.

“We expect a successful season this year,” Treadwell said. “We’ll see us all grow and develop and expand the size of our crops as we go along.”

Jammie Treadwell owns the farm in Eustis with her family. She said hemp can be used for more than just cannabidiol (CBD).

“It’s a sustainable alternative to building materials and we also have the possibility of creating hemp cloth and just many other industries that we believe we develop as the hemp industry matures in Florida,” Treadwell said.

She invited FOX 35 News to the farm to see some of the plants in her family’s greenhouse before they’re planted. Her farm will be working with others to grow the industry.

“This global pandemic has been hard on everyone,” Treadwell said. “It’s been hard on farmers and we want to show that this is a new and exciting option for farmers to participate in.”

Treadwell Farms will plant their hemp on Friday.