BELOIT
Growing hemp is more difficult than it looks, Rock Hemp President Adam Aberle said.
鈥淭hey are definitely divas. They like to be pampered and cared for a lot,鈥 he said.
Aberle; his wife, Kristina; and kids Kaylee, 12; Ava, 8; Addison, 6; and Andrew, 2, grew their first fields of hemp this summer.
The family launched a new business to serve the growing demand for CBD oil and will be opening the Hemp Hut at 1521 Milton Ave., 糖心Vlog传媒, in early January.
鈥淚t鈥檚 profitable. We haven鈥檛 sold everything we grew this year, but sales are gaining speed,鈥 Aberle said.
Hemp became legal to grow in Wisconsin in 2018 and created somewhat of a 鈥済reen rush,鈥 but many people jumped in before doing all the research and have already exited the market after wrestling with the finicky plant, Aberle said.
Aberle said he enjoys farming hemp despite the work.
鈥淚t gives me freedom. I get to work outside and be in nature and set my own terms and hours,鈥 he said. 鈥淚 envision having a long-term relationship with hemp.鈥
Aberle of Beloit runs an auto restoration company but became intrigued with CBD oil after he had success using it to treat long-term back pain. After applying a topical lotion, he found it helped.
鈥淚t鈥檚 hard to describe it. It鈥檚 not like it kills or numbs the pain. For me, personally, it鈥檚 an absence of pain,鈥 he said.
Although the FDA has approved only one prescription product with CBD, a medication used to treat two forms of rare epilepsy, growing numbers of people are using CBD, and it is sold in a variety of Beloit businesses.
While some websites market CBD products for help with pain or anxiety or as a dietary supplement, the FDA has cautioned that some CBD products are marketed with unproven medical claims and could have side effects.
Despite CBD not being FDA approved, Aberle said his friends and family reported positive results. His wife said it took away her pain associated with endometriosis.
Addison Aberle holds a bag of finely ground hemp plant before CBD oil is extracted from it.
When Aberle heard Wisconsin was going to allow the cultivation of hemp, the lifelong entrepreneur and gardener started researching.
He learned some companies farm hemp, some sell it, some process it for CBD oil, and some do all three.
Other farms were growing hemp for fiber. With an interest in natural products, the Aberles decided they would grow hemp and extract CBD oil from the plant鈥檚 flowers.
The family rented 2.9 acres west of Beloit. After growing seedlings in a greenhouse, 3,600 plants went into the ground in June.
Because of the wet spring, the plants went in a bit later than hoped. While hemp plants are hardy and grow quickly, those grown for CBD oil need more care because of their delicate flowers. They need to be spaced more widely, resulting in a greater threat of weeds.
Because no herbicide could be used, endless weeding kept the family busy.
鈥淚t turned into a six- and seven-day job for 10-12 hours a day,鈥 Aberle said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a plant that has a wonderful will to survive, but it doesn鈥檛 mean you will get the best yield off of it.鈥
The family harvested the hemp in October, a bit later than expected because of rain. They cut the plants and hung them to dry in racks in an outbuilding.
Aberle explained how he dries the plants for five days to three weeks before pulling off the dried, five-pointed leaves associated with hemp plants.
Because not much affordable equipment is yet available for hemp processing, much of the work is done by hand. The trimmed flowers are sold to those who wish to smoke hemp.
鈥淚t鈥檚 the nonalcoholic beer of the marijuana world. It won鈥檛 get you high,鈥 he said.
After some of the trimmed flowers are sold, the remaining flowers are ground for later CBD oil extraction. The Aberles had enough oil for their first Rock Hemp product offerings, which include tinctures, salves, anointing oils, infused coconut oils and infused butter, which can be used to make hemp edibles.
The Aberles are providing their products to retail stores and launching their own store.
Aberle noted his family鈥檚 products contain not only CBD oil but also more than 14 other cannabinoids which could have medicinal benefits. For example, the aromatic terpenes are among the compounds that might create feelings of relaxation.
For Aberle, there is unlimited potential in hemp.
He hopes to one day transition to tri-cropping鈥攈arvesting the plants鈥 fiber for textiles, hurd for animal bedding, grains for animal feed and flowers for CBD oil.
鈥淭hat will be the future. More farmers will transition to that model as we develop more infrastructure to process the fiber,鈥 Aberle said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a botanical that is out there, and I think the future of it could be very bright if it doesn鈥檛 end up being overregulated.鈥
Adam and Kristina Aberle hold CBD oil as well as other CBD infused products they sell.