Lewisport Farmer Adds Hemp Crop
By Dave Taylor
The Hancock County Conservation District has named Mark Allen, of Lewisport, its 2019 Cooperator of the Year.
Allen, 57, was chosen for the award for his conservation practices on the approximately 650 acres he farms in the county, but the March presentation was pushed back to August due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“How the conservation office chooses the cooperator of the year is we kind of look at how their farming operation and how good a job they’re doing with their farming operation,” said Hancock County Conservation Technician Gary Baker. “And he does a really good job with his best management practices.”
Those best management practices are a prescribed plan made for each farmer to ensure they prevent erosion, contain runoff, avoid spraying chemicals near streams, and other conservation practices. Allen was chosen for doing all that well in 2019.
Allen moved to Hancock County about 15 years ago from Rockport, Ind., where he was a part-time farmer and crop insurance salesman. When he met his future wife _________________________ he moved to Lewisport where he farms about 80 acres near his home, and along with other land he farms along Highway 60 and other ground he rents he farms around 650 acres, mostly of corn and beans.
He also recently began farming hemp, which showed great promise but has been stymied by government regulations.
“I think it could be good if the FDA would step up and legalize it for use in different foods and drinks,” Allen said. “I think they’re going to.”
Right now his first crop from last year is being stored while he tries to find a way to sell it.
“It needs to be processed. That’s what we’re in the works of doing,” he said.
Hemp is sent to processing plants that remove the CBD from the material, which is used for many products, but when the hemp boom in Kentucky seemed to be growing there were plenty of processors. Not any more.
“There might be one or two left,” he said. “There was four or five last year and they went bankrupt.”
“We thought we had a buyer in another state. “That didn’t work out so we’re talking to someone in Colorado right now,” he said.
He farms around 17 acres of hemp, but the other 600 plus acres of corn and beans is growing well and looking like it’ll produce good yields, which is both good and bad news. “The weather’s been good. The crop looks really good, excellent,” he said. “I think we’re going to have outstanding yields, but the price is going to go down.”
With good weather, other farmers will have good yields too, so there will be more supply than demand.
“They kept promising if China would step up and start buying grain the prices would go up,” he said. “China’s buying record amounts right now and the prices are still going down, so I don’t know what the issue is.”
The hemp sitting in a barn still has promise though, depending on whether the government will make clear legal delineations between it and its high-inducing cousin, marijuana, and allow it to be treated like any other crop.
“Coca-Cola approached (our broker) about a month and a half ago and just asked if her network would be able to supply them enough hemp,” he said.
He thinks maybe the beverage giant is making plans for if and when the FDA approves it.
“We’re assuming or thinking maybe they’re going to put it in some kind of drink and sell it, CBD energy drink or Coca-Cola or something like that,” he said. “But we don’t know that.”
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