“Just a girl and her plants.” It sounds simple. It may bring to mind a woman walking through a field at sunrise, touching the leaves, checking the soil, and listening to what the land has to say. That woman is part of me. But behind those five words lives a much larger story�one built through questions, rejection, resistance, education, faith, farming, and thousands of persistent acts � all unseen. It�s a story about the result of when one person realizes the door she continues asking others to walk through may be the very door she is meant to open herself. Though a personal journey, it has never been my story alone.
Twenty Rejections and One Clear Answer
In 2017, I spent nearly three months researching hemp and searching for farmers willing to grow it. I was especially focused on finding� female farmers. I asked questions, studied emerging laws, and talked to those who understood agriculture and its risks. I received 20 rejections.
The reasons were different, but they often returned to the same fundamental fears: God, family, and church. Women worried about how growing hemp might affect the way others judged their character or sanity. At that time, hemp was still widely confused with marijuana, carrying decades of stigma and legal uncertainty. After the twentieth rejection, I realized I was looking into a mirror. I could continue asking someone else to take the risk, or I could accept that perhaps I was the woman I had been searching for. So, I decided to plant.
Before the Seed Reached the Soil
Even the seeds carried a story of resistance. Before hemp became federally legal under the 2018 Farm Bill, moving certified seed was extraordinarily complicated. Our early seeds traveled from Italy by ship, crossing an ocean and surviving intense regulatory scrutiny just to reach North Carolina soil.
This was a preview of the years ahead. There were warnings from banks, threats of closed accounts, and constant resistance from nearly every direction. More than once I questioned whether it was all worth it. In hindsight, my answer is absolute: Yes. Not because the road was easy, but because of the lives that were changed along the way.
Many Started the Pilot Program
It is important to share history accurately. North Carolina�s Industrial Hemp Pilot Program was a collective effort created through state legislation. I did not create the statewide program; my role was to advocate, educate, raise funds, and build momentum. North Carolina farmers reportedly raised approximately $200,000 to help fund the pilot program�a testament to the personal commitment that built our early infrastructure.
This movement belongs to the people. Every person who signed a petition, attended a meeting, or explained hemp to a skeptical neighbor helped move it forward.
Education Became Part of the Harvest
Planting hemp was only the beginning. We were simultaneously trying to grow public understanding. People wanted to know: Was hemp the same as marijuana? How would crops be tested? Could cannabinoids become part of a natural approach to wellness?.
I answered those questions anywhere people were willing to listen�farm tours, media interviews, and legislative conversations. Education was not separate from the crop; education was part of the crop.
From the Farm to the TEDx Stage
In 2018, that mission reached the TEDxAsheville stage with my talk, “Hemp as a Crop”. The goal remained the same: replace fear with information. That same year, I was selected as a featured farmer for Hemp History Week, bringing national attention to the emerging role of women in the industry.
The most important work, however, happened away from the cameras; a farmer deciding to plant – a mother finding another option for her family.
Why the Struggle Was Worth It
The answer became personal long before it became political. I saw the impact in my own family, in veteran friends, and in farmers looking to preserve their land. Those experiences are why I continued through financial strain and public criticism. The resistance did not make the work less worthwhile; it clarified why the work mattered.
What Grew From Those First Fields
North Carolina�s hemp industry now supports thousands of jobs and generates billions in revenue. These numbers represent real people: a manufacturer creating safe products, a retailer answering questions, or a mother searching for wellness options. This is not a fringe issue; it�s a North Carolina issue.
Recognition Comes with Responsibility
I have been deeply honored by the recognition this work has received, including the NC3 Trailblazer Award in 2026. Awards mean the responsibility has grown. Every platform I am given belongs partly to the farmer who cannot leave the field and the mother afraid of judgment. My responsibility is to help make space for those voices.
We Support Regulation
The hemp movement cannot succeed without accountability. We support:
- Adult-only access for intoxicating products
- Independent testing and truthful labels
- Licensing, enforcement, and meaningful penalties for bad actors
What we do not support is prohibition disguised as consumer protection. We can protect consumers and preserve economic opportunity simultaneously.
The Next Step Belongs to All of Us
Every movement is built through actions that may feel too small to matter. This issue is not partisan; plants do not register with a political party.
North Carolina now has a choice: build a responsible regulatory system or allow misinformation to dismantle years of legitimate work. I am still just a girl and her plants, but I am standing beside thousands of people who built something far greater than any one of us.
Follow Save NC Hemp. Join the movement. Share your story. Tell your legislators: regulate hemp responsibly, protect consumers, and preserve the lawful farmers who helped build this industry.
