Farmers have long since plowed and harrowed their fields to produce cash crops that are served hot on the table, tucked into pipes, stirred into coffee for a little added sweetness, or spun into new threads, all while adding some coin to their pockets. Nestled on a hillside in Canton, a couple has turned their attention to a new leaf—the hemp plant, a close relative of marijuana.
In the throes of the pandemic, Shelby and Jesse James decided to pivot and fulfill Jesse's dream of cultivating legal cannabis. "I've always enjoyed growing in general, so it just kind of stemmed from that," Jesse said.
Tiny site, growing business
After securing a license from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, they transformed a tenth-acre of their two-acre property into a vibrant hemp nursery, thus establishing WNC Green Horizon Hemp Farms three years ago. Their greenhouse now boasts thriving hemp plants, with plans to expand to mini greenhouses for cultivating various strains of the plant.
Although their operation is legal, and all products are USDA regulated, people still hold their reservations about dispensary openings or events like the Stoner's Ball in Maggie Valley. But Shelby said that a lot of folks are smokers — they just keep it under wraps. "I would say a mass majority have bought it, they know what it is, they enjoy it themselves, but it being something that's federally illegal and it's just something people don't really talk about as much," Shelby said. "But as we've been in the business, and the more people we meet, the more people we know do smoke, but it's just not something they're comfortable sharing."
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