PLEASUREVILLE, Ky. – Penny Kephart returned to her grandfather’s farm in 2019 during Covid as her way of social distancing.  Her goal was to grow, develop, and distribute high-quality wellness products from certified organic hemp and inspire others to find healthy alternatives for improving their daily life.

In order to become a licensed grower in Kentucky, the Department of Agriculture requires at least 1,000 plants.  Penny’s Stormy Daniels hemp is planted each year around June using a tobacco setter and her grandfather’s 1948 Farmall.  It is the grower’s responsibility to contact the State at least 30 days prior to fall harvest.  The 4 to 5 foot tall crop is ready once the trichomes (hair-like appendages that contain cannabinoids and terpenes) turn an amber color and are slightly sticky.  The state then takes samples to ensure there is no more than .3% THC. They report their findings to the farmer within one to two weeks.    

“With only an acre to harvest, this involves a great deal of manual labor,” Kephart said.  “The entire plant is cut at the base and then transported into grandfather’s old tobacco barn to hang up to dry.  Once dry, the plant will be bucked (the process of removing the buds from their stems) then placed into a super sack for storage; this will hold 300 pounds of product.”

Penny uses a USDA Certified Organic Hemp Processor out of North Carolina for lipid extraction.  Once the return trip is made, the result will be used in CBD hemp products – oils, tinctures (liquid herbal extracts used as herbal medicine), body butter, bath scrubs, and gummies.

Kephart Acres Kentucky Hemp Products are sold at the local farmers market and at website: www.kephartacres.com.