"The Future-Proof Farm; Changing Mindsets in a Changing World" Curious? Take a sneak peak at: SteveGroff.com

Congress is debating a nationwide ban on hemp. Here's what that means for Lancaster County businesses and farmers JADE CAMPOS | Staff Writer Aug 15, 2026 The 2018 Farm Bill, signed by President Donald Trump in his first term, legalized hemp products containing 0.3% or less of delta-9 THC. But last year, the bill Congress passed to end a two-month federal government shutdown included language to further restrict hemp products nationally, with the policy set to take effect Nov. 12. The new policy would create a 0.4 milligram cap per container for hemp products, an impossibly low amount according to some in the business. Lawmakers are now debating the issue again, with the Senate last week approving a measure to push the ban back by a month to December. The uncertainty surrounding the future of hemp has changed the way businesses have operated this year. Pennsylvania Sens. @DaveMcCormickPA, a Republican, and @JohnFetterman, a Democrat, supported the delay, which is intended to give lawmakers more time to create long-term solutions for hemp reform that do not take the products completely off of shelves. Benefits for textiles Holtwood farmer Steve Groff, who grows hemp for fiber, said the new hemp regulations would actually be good for his business, because it will separate floral hemp from his product, which is used for materials and textiles, not consumption. Groff wants hemp regulated based on how it will be used, which he said he believes would help end broad stigma around the crop. As a fiber hemp farmer, Groff said he often struggles to find banks that are willing to finance his work because they don’t understand the industry. Groff estimated that farming equipment to help expand his farm’s harvest would cost $500,000 — money financial institutions are wary of lending. “We’re ready to go. We know what to do and how to do it, we just need funding,” he said. David Groff and his father, Steve Groff, show raw material from hemp grown on their Holtwood farm after the stalks were processed to remove the hard inner core on Friday, Aug. 14, 2026. The material will be used to make textiles. SUZETTE WENGER | Staff Photographer

17 days after planting with our new no-till, @PrecisionPlant meters with a 4-in row spacing. This section was seeded at 1.5 million seeds per acre. Germination rate was 75%, so there is a few blank spots but singulation that the Precision planting meters gave us is great. – at Conestoga, PA

Making a few rounds with our infield #hemp decorticator. purefiberinnovations.com/ – at Conestoga, PA

Planting a 10-way mix of cover crops with our 4-in row spacing Precision Planting drill. – at Conestoga, PA

Just got the flax bales off the field and now planting a very diverse 9 species cover crop mix thanks to @GreenCoverSeed. Okra Dill Pearl Millet Radish Sunflower Seaseme seed Sugar beets Phacelia Sorgum Sudan grass – at Conestoga, PA

Baling flax at night when it gathers moisture. They like between 12 and 14% moisture in the bale. – at Conestoga, PA

Baling flax with a specially designed baler from Italy. Yes, it's fast like everything else we do with flax-8 miles per hour. Maybe that's why they call this baler the Sprinter! – at Conestoga, PA

Something new is coming to the Mid-Atlantic Region! groundworkagconference.com/

It's time to turn the #flax as part of the drying and retting process. – at Conestoga, PA

A first for us and maybe a first in the nation for many decades, so we've been told. Harvesting #flax for linen – at Conestoga, PA

For those No Tillers who plan way ahead- January, 2027. Looking forward to catching up with you all! no-tillfarmer.com/articles/1…

June 15th- it's hempening! – at Conestoga, PA

For those of you who saw my post a little over a week ago about taking the closing wheels off the drill here's how it looks now. We opened the seed trench an inch and a half deep to cleanly cut through the existing previous plant biomass and did not close up the seed slot so that the tiny little seeds would take root and emerge out of the trench as you see in this picture. – at Conestoga, PA

answer is all in how you manage it! – at Conestoga, PA

Is it beautiful or is it ugly? – at Conestoga, PA

Pro Tip: Roll at the right time. We still have 15 acres of pumpkins to plant. It's getting dry and no good rain in the forecast. So it's time to terminate the cover crop so it doesn't suck out anymore moisture. – at Conestoga, PA

First public viewing of our new 4-in row spacing, precision drill. Plant Right, row units and Precision Planting meters on each row for singulation of hemp and flax seeds. It's about 2 weeks from completion and we will be putting on a grain tank after this concept has been proven to be commercially viable. – at Conestoga, PA

Had about 30 people show up today for our fiber flax field day sponsored by the PA Flax Project. Looked at three varieties, three seeding rates, four planting depths, and 2 fertilizer rates. – at Conestoga, PA