Now that we’ve explored the history of hemp and the challenges in hemp farming, it’s important to discuss what’s behind the Meristem Farms label.

Our label represents hard work in agriculture, the ingredients we put in our products, the history of cannabis and the work our family has put into bringing these products to your home.

Each season, Meristem Farms plants at least six of our proprietary, Vermont-bred, cannabinoid and terpene-rich varieties. Farming hemp is a relatively straightforward agricultural endeavor akin to traditional farming practices and a great entry point to sustainable, climate smart agriculture.  

As Meristem Farms grows and enters new lives, we care about staying rooted, remembering why we started it all and why we wake up every day feeling hopeful and excited to create new products. Our love for the industry goes beyond just cannabis — it’s about the impact, the history, and the changes that mindful products can bring into our society.

States all over the country are struggling to get ‘social equity’ right in cannabis but because of Vermont’s commitment to working lands, economic opportunity AND racial and social justice we have a golden opportunity RIGHT NOW to become a model for the nation in how this CAN work.

In recent years, the popularity of hemp flower — and its best-known molecular compound, cannabidiol (CBD) — has increased significantly, making it a household item that many people enjoy when in search of relief from stress, inflammation and anxiety.  But despite its popularity, confusion reigns as many don't understand that hemp is “more than a molecule,” with a range of benefits much broader than CBD alone, or how hemp differs from marijuana (more on this term below), and the differences that come from how hemp is consumed.

Confusion and consternation now reign with the IFR in its current form, and we fear this year’s impending harvest will yield a bumper crop of bankruptcies and lawsuits rather than fiber, flower and food. Therefore we urge the Department to delay enforcement of the IFR provisions relating to the problems it has now publicly recognized, as it did for two such provisions in February, until the Rule is finalized.

"According to Herrick Fox, co-owner of Meristem Farms in Vermont..."In the case of the coronavirus, there appears to be no disaster declaration by the secretary of agriculture, or other agriculture-specific disaster funding authorized by the CARES Act, so Congress is working to clarify to SBA its apparent intent that farms should be included in the [Emergency Injury Disaster Loan] offered through SBA in this case,” Fox said."

Meristem Farms, like many small-to-medium sized farms across the country are committed to farming artisanal, organically-farmed hemp with a very high plant-to-love ratio. For this way of cultivation to survive, USDA's hemp rule must be friendly for small and medium sized-farms.