No-Till Legend Steve Groff first took an interest in growing hemp back in 1999. At that time, it was illegal in his home state of Pennsylvania and still would be for another 20 years. But when it became legal in 2019, the Holtwood, Pa., cover crop expert and roller crimper innovator was ready to get to work

“I was a little naive thinking that we could change the laws to make it legal sooner,” Groff says. “Some states came around quicker than others, but for Pennsylvania, it wasn’t until 2019.”

Hemp has many uses and many different varieties. Groff specifically grows industrial fiber hemp. This variety is typically grown and cultivated for the hemp hurd or hemp shiv, terms for the woody inner part of the stalk.

Like the name suggests, the fibers in this part of the plant can be used to replace plastics or made into rope or clothing. Groff says some companies are even experimenting with using hemp fiber to make batteries.

Specialty Equipment

Groff’s industrial fiber hemp plants stand around 4-5 feet tall in mid-June, and he says he can count on them being twice as tall by Aug. 1.

“You have to think about how you’re going to harvest a plant like this that is going to be as tall as corn,” Groff says. “It’s planted like wheat, around 1.2 million seeds per acre — a very thick planting density — which means you really have to think about what kind of equipment is going…