Iowa Farmers Invest in Industrial Hemp Infrastructure
Farmers in Rock Valley, Iowa, are making significant investments in industrial hemp processing and manufacturing facilities, aiming to create a robust local market for the crop. Steve Vonk, a farmer near Rock Valley, expanded his hemp acreage from 100 acres last year to 1,500 acres this spring, also convincing nine other area farmers to grow hemp to supply the new operations. This initiative addresses a key challenge in the nascent hemp industry: market development.
“The biggest challenge is the marketing behind everything,” said Steve Vonk, as reported by GN: industrial hemp. “It’s kind of a chicken and egg thing.”
New Facilities for Hemp Processing and Building Blocks
Two new facilities are central to this market development. Vonk, along with his son Dawson Vonk and daughter Kaela Clarey, owns HempAgra, which is installing a HempTrain processing machine. This equipment is designed to produce high-quality hemp fiber, superior in length and cleanliness, intended for the textile industry. Samples of this fiber are planned for overseas markets.
Next door to HempAgra, a new manufacturing plant in Rock Valley, operated by RenewaBuild Great Plains, will produce structural, interlocking hemp building blocks. These blocks combine hemp hurd (the woody core of the stalk) with lime and a polymer composite core. The resulting blocks are about the size of cinder blocks and offer several advantages:
- Structural Integrity: They eliminate the need for traditional wood or steel framing in construction.
- Insulation: They provide inherent insulation properties.
- Resistance: They are designed to be fire, mold, and wind resistant.
RenewaBuild Great Plains licenses its technology from the Canadian company RenewaBuild Field to Form. The Rock Valley plant is set to be RenewaBuild’s first commercial factory, with initial block production anticipated by December. The goal is to produce one million blocks annually, enough to construct 600 homes, requiring 2,000 to 3,000 acres of hemp.
Expanding Hemp Acreage and Market Dynamics
The expansion of hemp cultivation in Iowa reflects a broader trend among some farmers to diversify away from traditional commodity crops. Steve Vonk and South Dakota farmer and hemp processor John Peterson, who serves as president of the South Dakota Industrial Hemp Association, opted against growing soybeans this year due to poor commodity prices and a shrinking export market. They will instead focus on corn and hemp.
While Iowa’s hemp acreage has historically been small, Vonk’s current acreage alone surpasses the state’s total from last year, which was 205 acres. Nationally, according to the USDA NASS National Hemp Report cited by GN: industrial hemp, Kentucky led in harvested hemp acres with 7,500, followed by Texas (3,650) and California (3,700). South Dakota, which led the nation in hemp acres in 2021 and 2022, harvested 1,020 acres last year, placing it at number 12. Peterson expects South Dakota’s acreage to rebound to around 3,000 acres this year, similar to 2021 levels, driven by the textile market.
Local Economic Impact and Supply Chain
The Rock Valley block facility will source its hemp hurd from three regional processors within a 100-mile radius: Vonk’s HempAgra, Peterson’s Dakota Hemp in Wakonda, South Dakota, and Complete Hemp Processing in Winfred, South Dakota, owned by Ken Meyer, another RenewaBuild investor. The block manufacturing plant is expected to employ about seven people, with HempAgra employing another eight. This new venture aims to create a new market for local farmers and the community.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Hemp Gazette does not provide medical recommendations, diagnoses, or treatment plans. Always consult a qualified healthcare practitioner before making any decisions regarding your health or any medical condition. Statements concerning the therapeutic uses of hemp, cannabis, or cannabinoid-derived products have not been evaluated by Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA). Medicinal cannabis products in Australia are accessed via prescription pathways under TGA regulation.
