Hemp & Agriculture with John Porterfield of Woolen Hemp

Hemp has got uses from the roots to the shoots and this magical plant along with organic farming is slowly helping America move toward a culture of health and sustainability.

Today’s guest is John Porterfield, founder of Woolen Hemp, and he joins us to talk about organic agriculture and the many uses of hemp. John has done a lot in his career to help farmers do more with less. His work ranges from practicing sustainable mining for minerals used in agricultural industries to growing hemp on farms in rotation to help companies eliminate weeds and make the transition to organic farming. He talks about the many uses of the hemp plant and the benefits of using it over its competitors in farming, textiles, and nutrition in areas of sustainability, health, efficiency, and more.

We also touch on how John is connecting wool and hemp growers through Woolen Hemp, and get into the work he is doing to help war veterans learn about organic farming in Montana. So far all this and more in an upbeat conversation where we sing the praises of hemp and organic, tune in today!

Key Points From This Episode:

  • Convincing farmers to adopt organic practices by introducing hemp into the rotation.

  • The damage that mining and agriculture cause and John’s work finding greener organic processes.

  • John’s work with hemp products and advocation for hemp as a weed deterrent for farmers.

  • Stories of how hemp and organic processes are becoming more widely used by farmers.

  • Stats for how many farms are growing organic in Montana versus other US states.

  • The good work John is doing helping veterans get into organic farming in Montana.

  • The move toward American-made products and how the organic movement is pushing for this.

  • Connecting wool and hemp growers and the aim behind Woolen Hemp.

  • The process of making hemp textiles and how it is more sustainable and efficient.

  • John’s aims for what he hopes to achieve through the Organic Marketing Association.

  • The movement toward using hemp in the production of beef and the benefits of this.

  • Going back to how we did things before with hemp and organic.

  • John’s previous careers in the recreation and outdoor activity space.


Tweetables:

“As we become a more sophisticated commodity hemp is going to find its way into all kinds of different uses.” — John Porterfield [0:15:52]

“We have got to get away from having those negative impacts on or soil, our land, and our water systems, wildlife, all those things, and organic is the answer.” — John Porterfield [0:26:32]

“We got a lot of farms that are on the non-organic side and we are going to try to help to convince them to make the switch by integrating hemp into the rotation.” — John Porterfield [0:27:45]

“Hemp’s day is coming and cotton knows it.” — John Porterfield [0:27:45]


Modern Species

A sustainable brand design agency helping better-for-the-world brand launch, evolve, and grow to scale their impact.

https://modernspecies.com/
Previous
Previous

Growing Upcycling with TJ Galiardi of Outcast Foods

Next
Next

Making Green Mainstream with Annalea Krebs of Social Nature