Northeast entrepreneurs push industrial hemp fiber manufacturing, ask senators for state support

Janet Curry, a Vermont hemp grower and co‑founder of Bill Hemp USA, and Travis Samuels, co‑owner and CEO of Scion Growers, told the Vermont Senate Agriculture Committee that industrial hemp fiber offers a pathway for farm diversification and local manufacturing — if state and federal policy and financing hurdles are addressed.

Curry, owner of Valley Stock Farm, described how she grows a Polish fiber hemp strain with a roughly 70‑day maturation and harvests the crop like hay, noting specific production practices and contamination concerns. "We go in and be cut right before the males start to produce the pollen because pollen can travel anywhere between 10 to 15 miles and can contaminate either a CBD crop or now, in this case, a THC crop," Curry said, explaining the harvest timing and neighbor‑friendly practice. She said harvested stalks are dried to about 10% moisture, raked and baled for processing and that early test plots produced measurable yields while extreme weather has sometimes prevented harvest.

Curry and Samuels described a vertically linked business plan that spans farm production, fiber separation and plastics and housewares manufacturing. Curry said Bill Hemp USA markets EcoChic household items (straws, cups, plates and 3‑D filament) made from a hemp granulate produced by a companion product line, Tetraplex. She described partnerships with regional compounders and manufacturers in Massachusetts, Vermont and New Hampshire and said the company is preparing to fill customer orders in 2026.

"We've got to separate this," Curry said of hemp fiber and other cannabis products. "We're missing out on so much from that fiber end of it." She said European certifications and patents held by affiliated companies make some product development and export work easier, but that U.S. financing options are limited because hemp fiber remains associated in finance and regulation with other cannabis derivatives.

Samuels said the processing bottleneck is central to the business case: farmers can grow fiber using existing hay equipment and round‑bale logistics, but there are few domestic processors. "For the processing equipment, we're looking at anywhere from $1,500,000 to $5,000,000 depending on what we get for processing equipment," Samuels said. He added that U.S. processing capacity is limited — "less than 10 in the entirety of the United States" — so many building suppliers import material.

Both speakers said they have scouted markets and customers. Curry said one corporate buyer has a purchase order for 2026 and cited Cisco's high straw consumption as an example of large potential demand. Samuels said dozens of Vermont farmers have expressed willingness to plant hemp fiber if local processing were available and that farmer payouts can be comparable to hay while offering higher per‑acre returns when yields are strong.

The presenters asked the committee to help by coordinating with state agriculture officials and Vermont's federal delegation and by identifying state funding or policy changes to unlock grants and lending. Curry said she has met with staff from U.S. Sen. Peter Welch's office and others but that many state lending programs have strict requirements that limit access for hemp enterprises. She asked the committee for a follow‑up meeting with the Department of Agriculture and further introductions to federal staff.

Senators on the panel acknowledged policy limits tied to federal farm law and suggested staff follow up with the presenters to map funding and regulatory options. No formal committee action was taken; presenters requested additional meetings and support rather than a vote.

Why this matters: Committee members and presenters framed industrial hemp fiber as a farm diversification opportunity that could reuse underused manufacturing space, create jobs in rural areas and supply regional manufacturers, but attendees warned that current financing and limited processing capacity make near‑term expansion contingent on public support and private capital.