South Bend Industrial Hemp (SBIH), a Kansas-based company that grows and processes its own hemp for grain, fiber, and CBD, has partnered with Dakota Hemp LLC to increase industrial hemp processing capacity in the Midwest.
Dakota Hemp is a cultivator located in Wakonda, South Dakota. In a press release, SBIH said the goal of the partnership is to increase hemp hurd and fiber availability while decreasing shipping costs based upon customer location.
“John Peterson [owner of Dakota Hemp] and his team are top-notch South Dakota farmers and soon-to-be processors. This was a natural progression to where we feel the hemp industry needs to go to be successful: small regional facilities working together to build the supply chain and service farmers across the Midwest,” said Melissa Nelson, co-owner of SBIH, in a news release.
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SBIH opened its decortication facility in June of 2021, making it the first fiber processing facility in the state. The decorticator can run at a capacity of 1.8 tons per hour.
Last year, SBIH partnered with growers across Kansas, along with some in Oklahoma and Nebraska, to grow 1,000 acres of hemp for fiber. Of those acres, SBIH grew 160 for dual-purpose fiber and grain production. (SBIH has a 2,500-acre farm on which the team also grows crops like corn, soybeans, wheat, and milo.)
In 2021, South Dakota ranked no. 8 in most acres of hemp harvested in the country, with 1,700 total. Kansas ranked no. 18 with 400 acres harvested total
