HORRY COUNTY, SC (WPDE) — Janel Ralph walks through her greenhouse, looking over 3,200 young hemp plants that she says haven’t been grown legally in South Carolina since the 1930’s.
“It’s good to see them back,” she said, smiling.
South Carolina officials hope the farmers will experiment with different soil, temperature and watering techniques to figure out what combination the plant thrives on.
For Ralph, it’s an early foot through the door of what she predicts will be the state’s next cash crop.
“We do know this is sustainable, we do know this is going to be the next big crop for farmers,” she explained.
To be clear, hemp and marijuana both come from the cannabis species, but are different plants. Hemp has little to no THC, the chemical that can get you high.
Still, because many people are unaware of the differences, she’s installed extra security measures like cameras to prevent people from taking her plants, from which she plans to extract cannabidiol oil (CBD), a byproduct, from her crop for Palmetto Harmony’s line of essential oil products.
The rest of the plant will be sold to other companies that produce things like rope, construction material and clothing.
However, Ralph is disappointed that there’s a limit on the number of people allowed to grow hemp during the trial period.
“I do believe that in order for you to get accurate data, you need a large pool of farmers growing this so we can figure out how to do it,” she said.
The South Carolina Department of Agriculture is planning on offering a total of 40 hemp licenses in 2019, double the current amount.
Ralph said so far, her attempts have been successful, although she wishes she had installed heaters in her greenhouse to run during the colder nights.
She said she plans to begin extracting the first batch of oil after the harvest, and will be opening a storefront in downtown Conway next month to help meet increased demand for her company’s products.
As for anyone looking to learn about hemp and see it for themselves, Ralph says she will offer public tours of her facility shortly before the fall harvest season.