Chatham hosting farmer-focused trade show

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Editor’s note: The first Mid-Atlantic Hemp Show & Conference, scheduled for Nov. 22-23 at the Chatham County Agriculture & Conference Center, will bring our region’s top agriculture business leaders together to explore the latest in hemp growing, processing, harvest and supply chain. The News + Record spoke with show organizer Lucy Grist to find out how it came about, and what attendees can expect. Grist recently retired after an 11-year career as the development director for the Occoneechee Council of the Boy Scouts of America and launched Grist & Co. to produce the trade show.

Why do you think Chatham County is ready and poised for a major hemp-related trade show?

The central location of Chatham County to farmers in general and those already growing hemp, the perfect first-show size and well-appointed agricultural center, made Chatham the choice location for the first east coast, farmer-focused hemp trade show. The county is already a leader in hemp production and several Industrial Hemp Workshops have been held at the Ag Center through the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Agency, creating a precedent for welcoming the hemp industry into the area.

What makes Chatham County the ideal place?

Chatham is a huge agriculture county with a diversity of the hemp industry currently thriving. Simply put, it is close to area farmers we want to reach and help. The Ag Center is a great facility and it was available at the best time for a Hemp Trade Show and Conference, after harvest and before buying decisions are being made for the 2020 crop!

Why hemp?

Growing up in eastern N.C., I don’t remember a fall without 3A football and the smell of flue-cured tobacco from regional warehouses based in my hometown of Washington. My earliest memories include the tobacco barn shelter where the easy conversations and security nurtured me from a very early age. But that’s all gone now. The tobacco warehouses closed, the smaller family farms were absorbed into large production tracts and those barns with peeled back tin roofs were ruined once rain got inside.

So why hemp? Hemp is an opportunity for farming to be rejuvenated with a profitable crop. I want to help our famers in a small way to make that possibility a reality.

In 1988 I took a Strong Interest Inventory at UNC-Chapel Hill and discovered that overwhelmingly, I like what farmers like! I launched the North Carolina “Farmers Fastline” buyers guide for farm equipment and knew the lay of the land and the needs of the business regarding farm equipment. Upon my BSA retirement this past summer, I knew I wanted to produce a trade show after the now almost forgotten Mid-Atlantic Farm Show and I am privileged to bring this farmer-focused show to those within the hemp space on the east coast.

 

You’ve recently left a career with the Boy Scouts of America to make this show happen. Can you walk us through your thought process?

For more than a decade I was privileged to work with volunteers growing young boys into men. It was an honor and forever a part of who I am. And yet, I made the decision to go out on my own to practice skill sets honed through extensive training and experience. I learned soup-to-nuts planning of events and how to add the extra sizzle that caused attendees to feel their time was well spent. The big difference now from the non-profit world is I have no volunteers! Scouting volunteers are the best. Think about it, a person who will commit to take 1 to 30 boys camping monthly is a person you can depend to show up and help.

Producing a trade show is lonely!

Putting this show together while the state legislature is still somewhat involved in deciding some legal issues must have been a challenge. Can you talk about that?

In the stormy times of hemp politics and pending legislation, I focus on my mission for the Mid-Atlantic Hemp Trade Show. For farmers, by farmers, what do they need, who do they need to connect with to produce a viable crop? How can they grow, harvest, process and market or sell their crops? I have sought out trustworthy people from seed to shelf. I am apolitical but totally believe that our farmers have a chance to come out on top of this. The USDA just issued regulations that our state legislature will respond to and our farmers are planning for success.

 

What have YOU learned about hemp since you began this journey?

I’ve learned that hemp is an ancient crop that got caught in political crossfire and was taxed then outlawed with generations of farmers not passing down how to grow this magnificent crop. Farmers are gaining so much first-hand knowledge but it starts with supposition!

Farmers have left N.C. for immersion experiences in states like Oregon, Washington and Colorado to come back home and grow the most excellent crops. Hemp that will be ingested should not be grown with the types of chemicals our farmers are used to and there are many risks involved with the seeds, plants, harvest and storage. The Mid-Atlantic Hemp Trade Show is geared to offer a time and space for professional knowledge share.

The stigma of hemp being marijuana coming out of the closet is dissipating and the excitement and honor of producing a cash crop that benefits industry and entire people groups is something all North Carolinians can take pride in. Our farmers are the nation’s best.

 

How are local hemp growers, dealers and others assisting you in developing and producing the show?

N.C. State and the N.C. Dept. of Agriculture have responded overwhelmingly with their willingness to provide answers and contacts for me throughout the planning of the trade show. Because the crop is emerging and the number of producers and acreages are increasing exponentially, it’s an “all hands” call for everyone to join in the knowledge share. Literally being in the fields has enabled me to connect with some of the state’s most prolific growers who have a clear vision for a future where the hemp plant is used in its entirety for the betterment of us all.

What else do we need to know?

Our exhibitors are coming from North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, California and as far away as Canada! There will be booths for business to include farm management and consulting, insurance, legal advice and marketing. Others will exhibit clones, debunking equipment, drones, planters, plows, extraction equipment, grow lights, harvesting equipment, nutrients, organic plants, and CBD processors and retail.

The show is from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 22, and Saturday, Nov. 23. The run of show was curated from the results of a survey that asked more than 100 individuals in the hemp industry how a trade show and conference would best benefit their business. From “Knowledge Share” panel discussions and Equipment Demonstrations, to the business “Hemp Hub,” the event is so full that we added an additional day to ensure ample opportunities for networking.

General admission tickets are $5 per day; conference admission, which includes lunch, is $35 per day. We also have a VIP reception on Friday; details are on our website.

There are more than 1,300 licensed growers in North Carolina right now, growing on more than 16,000 acres and in more than 6 million feet of greenhouse space. Come to the show and find out why hemp is part of the future of North Carolina!