BY JOE BIRRITTIER

During this time of year, it is not an uncommon sight to see farmers in their fields working the land to provide food for the nation. 

The foundation of Monroe County is rested upon traditional production agriculture with crops such as soybeans, corn and wheat. 

Growers like Tammy Duensing of Prairie du Rocher are challenging the traditional concepts and crops utilized in production agriculture through the production of industrial hemp and medical marijuana. 

“Industrial hemp and CBD plants can create fiber, linen, medical products and all sorts of other things,” Duensing said.

“CBD stands for cannabidiol and is an active component that can soothe many ailments,” Duensing said.

She says CBD application can help people with arthritis, anxiety, Parkinson’s Disease, depression and many other illnesses. 

Though hemp comes from the same species as marijuana, a plant can only qualify as hemp if the THC content is less than 0.3 percent, according to the United States Department of Agriculture. THC, or Tetrahydrocannabinol, is the distinct chemical compound that creates the “high feeling” for people when smoking recreational marijuana.

In 1937, the Marijuana Tax Act was passed by Congress and hemp was deemed an illegal substance. This policy did not change until the 2018 Farm Bill signed by President Donald Trump, which legalized the commercial usage of hemp.

Since the policy regarding hemp production is so new, Duensing says much of the oversight belongs to her and other individual growers.

“There are no guidelines released by the FDA yet on hemp production, so growers like me have to be personally accountable for what happens,” Duensing said.

One organization that assists Duensing and the 600 hemp producers across the state is the Illinois Hemp Growers Association. Chris Berry, CEO of the Hemp Growers Association, says the main focus of the group is to educate and encourage new growers in Illinois. 

Even with groups like the Hemp Growers Association, Duensing understands the difficulties that can come from producing this crop and advises patience.

“I advise starting small with growing hemp and medical marijuana because it is a very delicate plant,” she said. 

The difficulty of production is just one of the many concerns some growers have about this crop.

“Before I start planting hemp, I think there definitely needs to be greater infrastructure involved with this commodity,” said Ryan Reeverts, a corn and soybean farmer in Illinois.

Reeverts said friends in the farming industry have lost money due to lack of stability in the hemp market.

“One of my friends decided to plant 20 acres of hemp,” said Reeverts, “but then the processors canceled their contract with the farm and others because they had too much supply.”

Reeverts believes the prospect of hemp can be an exciting option for production agriculture, but it needs greater structure.

“To bring this commodity to the public market is a great opportunity for farmers struggling, but I think the process needs more organization before I invest,” Reeverts said. 

Duensing has not met the same challenges as Reeverts because her beginnings in hemp production were situational and on a much smaller scale. 

“I started production because of necessity. Some people want to get in this for money, but I did it for medicine,” she said.

Now after growing and selling the product for over a year, Duensing says she and others are seeing the benefits of using hemp and CBD.

“I have been selling the product for one and a half years and have not met anyone dealing with pain after using the product,” Duensing said.

Along with the personal health benefits, Duensing enjoys the fact that her hemp production farm is very eco-friendly.

“All the access parts of my plant are used to feed my alpacas,” Duensing said. “Once they eat it, the waste produced from my alpacas is turned into compost to help grow the next cycle of plants.”

While the image of the modern Monroe County farm is synonymous with large open fields of grain, new crops like hemp could change that image entirely. 

“I believe that hemp production is not just a fad,” says Duensing, “but the wave of the future.”