US
Some Tennessee tobacco farmers are turning to hemp for financial stability, with an estimated 38,000 acres of hemp expected to be farmed in Tennessee in 2019. Only 4,700 acres were farmed in 2018.
Tobacco farmer Lee Bagwell of Triple J Farms said he considered growing hemp after researching the crop.
“We’re not looking, as far as the hemp, to replace our tobacco. We’re really blessed with this being a good center of tobacco in the state. That’s what our county is really known for – dark fire tobacco,” he said.
Instead, the hemp crop is intended to diversify the crop grown on the farm. Bagwell grows 30 acres of tobacco, row crops, such as corn, in addition to his six acres of hemp. This is Bagwell’s first year to do so. He’s not sure what type of a profit he will make but hopes to break even.
“Our farm has always been diverse,” said Bagwell. “The hemp gives us some sense of safety. But it’s because we’re more diversified and we have a crop failure on one side, we have something to kind of make up for it. That’s something we really try to do.”
He said picking hemp up was easier as it shares some similarities with growing tobacco: “It really fit our production methods with what we’re doing with the tobacco and stuff, right. It was a good fit for us.”