Farm Facts: Fiber Hemp

What is fiber hemp, and how does it contribute to North Carolina agriculture? Get answers to these questions and more with these fun farm facts about fiber hemp.

• Fiber hemp is grown from the same plant that is used for CBD products, but it does not involve harvesting flowers.
• Fiber hemp does not contain any THC.
• North Carolina farmers began cultivating industrial hemp in 2017.
• 857K pounds of fiber hemp harvested in North Carolina in 2022

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Ag Research Helps N.C. Farmers Feed More People on Less Land

N.C. farmers and agriculture contribute $103.2 billion to our state’s economy, and we celebrate the hard work it took to get here.

• Fiber hemp now accounts for roughly three quarters of hemp production in North Carolina.
• The fiber segment has seen an acreage growth of over 130% in the last two crop cycles.
• Fiber hemp’s tall, thin stems are preferred by the textile industry for high-quality fiber.
• Fiber hemp is used in cotton fiber blends like denim, canvas and jackets but is a replacement for synthetic blends, not cotton itself.
• It’s also used for animal bedding, paper, insulation and eco-friendly building materials like hempcrete.

Source: NC State Extension, PMC/National Library of Medicine, USDA NASS