Two Kentucky boys, 15 acres of farmland, and a homegrown hemp company are hoping to grow the Commonwealth into a new agricultural era by returning the state to its historical roots.
Jim Higdon and Eric Zipperle co-founded Cornbread Hemp, a full-spectrum CBD business, in 2019, just months after Congress legalized CBD — an active ingredient in cannabis that does not cause a "high" — outright under the 2018 Farm Bill.
While CBD and other hemp-derived products such as delta-8 and delta-9 are legal in Kentucky, cannabis remains illegal. In March, Gov. Andy Beshear signed a bill to legalize medical cannabis, a program that is expected to begin in 2025.
Since 2019, the duo has capitalized on the cush Kentucky agricultural environment, growing certified organic cannabis plants to produce high-quality hemp for their products ranging from CBD oils and pet products to their newly released CBD sleep gummies. CBD products are not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, but many studies show these products can help with pain, inflammation, and sleep.
This year, Cornbread Hemp is expected to rack in $20 million in sales from its products which are fueled by hemp grown across 15 acres in Lexington at former Lexington Mayor and Congressman Scotty Baesler’s farm and at a farm in Higdon’s hometown of Marion County.
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