What One Greenhouse Operation Is Doing To Take the Lead on Hemp in Florida
Treadwell Farms has grown four hemp crops in its greenhouse near Umatilla, FL. From left: Dr. Javier Garces, Jammie Treadwell, and Glen Treadwell.
Photo by Frank Giles
The fledgling Florida industrial hemp crop will celebrate its first birthday this month. The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) began permitting growers to cultivate the low-THC/high CBD version of the cannabis plant in April 2020.
A lot has been learned in that time, but there’s much more to understand as the hemp sector moves into the future. To date, FDACS reports that nearly 30,000 acres of the crop have been licensed to grow in the state.
The Treadwell family, based in Umatilla, know as much about growing the cannabis plant in Florida’s environment than just about anyone. While the state’s hemp industry is only a year old, Glen and Jammie Treadwell, father and daughter co-owners of Treadwell Farms, have been studying the plant for years.
There are a lot of expectations surrounding the crop, but reliable, real-world information about hemp’s performance in Florida is still being developed. The Treadwells have grown into a leadership position of helping other farmers and sharing all they’ve learned in their travels and study. As their company slogan notes: “No hype. Just hemp.”
Their journey learning about growing cannabis started when medicinal marijuana was approved by Florida voters in 2014. The Treadwell family had been growing ornamental plants for generations. They felt the plant held potential for important treatments for ailments like epilepsy and other conditions.
While they did not secure a license to grow medical marijuana initially, they did secure a permit later. In the meantime, the family traveled to Israel to learn about cannabis. Jammie Treadwell also traveled to Oregon to learn, and then went to work with a farm located there to help them grow the crop.
When Treadwell Farms received its medical marijuana permit, Jammie returned home to grow the plant with her father. After five successful grow cycles in their nursery, the family and its partners had an opportunity to sell their permit, which they did. This all unfolded as the farm bill allowed hemp cultivation and the state gave the crop a nod in
the legislature.
Enter Hemp
While Treadwell Farms was among the first to apply and receive a license to grow hemp, its experience with the crop was not new. The farm cooperated with Sunshine Hemp and the Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU) hemp pilot project as one of its growing sites. Another pilot program is being conducted by UF/IFAS. In cooperating with FAMU, the Treadwells were able to see genetics and growing practices in advance of permitting.
“We like to do our research and then move,” Jammie says. “Our travels to Israel and growing out in Oregon were all about building our knowledge. As hemp permitting got closer, we were getting nervous because much of the expertise was not from Florida. So we felt we had a role to play to help Florida hemp farmers be successful by sharing what we’ve learned.”
While the outside experts had valuable information to share, Jammie says Florida’s environment and growing conditions are so different that some things don’t translate into production. Last year, they worked with 10 other Central Florida growers to establish Florida Hemp Farmers. Jammie describes the group as a collective of like-minded growers who are dedicated to producing hemp and promoting the industry through advocacy, education, and training.
“These farmers were able to come along with us through this first year of growing,” she says. “We provided training seminars, visited their farms, and shared information on growing among ourselves. We also were able to purchase from these growers to supply our CBD processing facility in Umatilla.”
Glen adds that all the growers in the group had a successful first year. Production ranges from outdoor to controlled environment greenhouse to shade house.
“What is unique is that we have experience in growing in all of these environments and are willing to share the knowledge,” he says.
Glen adds that the goal is to produce fall and spring crops outdoors. In a greenhouse, about four grow cycles can be achieved per year.
“We have the unique ability here in Florida to produce multiple crops, which is going to allow us to have fresh hemp flower (the bud that contains the CBD) when it’s not traditionally available on the market,” he says.
For more, continue reading at GrowingProduce.com.
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