A first-of-its-kind 4-acre hemp maze has been grown in Central Pa.
There are few, if any, known hemp mazes across the state and they remain relatively rare across the country. They are just as much fun as corn mazes, and even better for the Earth, according to Steve Groff, owner of Cedar Meadow Farm, in Holtwood, Pa.
His interest in growing hemp began over 20 years ago but the state didn’t allow it to be grown until December 2018, when a bill was passed to legalize the crop.
Since then, Groff has been growing hemp. He spent the first two years growing CBD (cannabidiol) Hemp. CBD is the second most prevalent of the active ingredients of cannabis, but by itself does not create a “high.”
Then Groff started working with fiber hemp, which is primarily used to make different fibers, clothing material, and many other items. This crop is what sparked Groff’s idea to create a hemp maze.
“We’ve all heard of corn mazes,” he said. “They’ve been popular for the last 20 years or so. I thought this would be a great way to help the public better understand all the good things that this crop has to offer.”
While touring the maze on the ground, you may not be able to make out the overall design. But it is crafted to look like the company mascot, Grizzly, the dog. Grizzly also serves as the “face” of the company’s logo.
The maze portrays Grizzly like a robot, so they affectionately refer to it as a “Grizbot” design.
The maze is expected to open to the public Saturday Sept. 4, with a “Pay what you will” ticket fee. The following Saturday, Sept. 11, all tickets are $5 to celebrate “Patriot Day.” Tickets must be purchased online. Other specials and details can be found on their website at www.cedarmeadowadventures.com.
Creating a giant, walk-through maze can be very difficult and requires research and expertise. Groff reached out to a pioneering company in York, Maize Quest, that specializes in these kind of projects.
To start, Groff gave them the Grizzly logo, which the created and GPS-referenced it to the field, using GPS coordinates of all four corners.
“They overlaid that, then they came here with a special little tractor, and laid out the path,” Groff said. “It is not easy, so you need the professionals to help you to do it right.”
Groff wanted to incorporate educational elements about the various good uses for hemp as part of the visitor-experience. Beyond the myriad uses for hemp fiber, there are medicinal uses for CBD, and the seeds can be used to make additional items, including edibles and baked products. The woody inner parts of the hemp stalk can even be used as an alternative to plastic.
Some people don’t understand the difference between hemp and marijuana, which can cause a stigma for his crop, Groff said. But there are distinct differences between hemp and marijuana, he said, not unlike corn or other crops.
There is corn thats bred for popping and eating at the movies; and sweet corn, designed to be eaten with a meal, and even corn that’s created specifically to be used as food for animals. Likewise, he said, hemp has its separate and distinct uses.
“It’s interesting the reaction I get from some people when I say we’re gonna put in a hemp maze,” he said. “They’re like ‘Ooooh, you’re gonna be able to get high?’ No,” said Groff. “You have some hemp, that has been selected to be used for marijuana or as THC (the main psychoactive compound in cannabis.) That’s where people get the high.
“You have other selections that have been selected more for CBD and a lot of the benefits for health that you can get from CBD,” he said. “Those plants have very low-THC and very high CBD. The plants you see here are selected for fiber.”
Beyond using the fiber for clothing and textiles, there is also a nutritional aspect as the plants are high in the omega 3s, a good source of protein, and naturally healthy, he said.
Growing hemp comes with many advantages compared to traditional corn or soybean crops. It’s a renewable resource which helps with good crop rotation and produces healthy soil.
Groff said he works as a regenerative agriculture farmer, which means he doesn’t till the soil, he uses “cover crops
“We’re regenerating the soil back to its original properties and crop rotation or having diverse species within the rotation is important to grow healthy food,” said Groff. “It’s just a fact of nature. We’re trying to mimic nature.”
There are a few challenges with growing hemp, including trying to figure out how to make the most out of the fairly new crop and following government rules.
“As we move forward here, I believe this crop has a bright future because of all the many uses that it has that can benefit not only us as humanity, but benefit the planet as well,” he said.
The maze is nearly ready for its public debut.
“We have a few final finishing touches to put on, education stations that we’re going to be putting in, in the next week,: Groff said, “so by the first weekend of September, we’re going to be ready to go with food available,” including food with hemp as an ingredient.
There will be “a lot of fun activities for the children, for the families, and for people just interested in getting out in the farm,” Groff said. “It’s more than just hemp here. So we want to demonstrate and help people understand why this is essential for agriculture for the future.”
The maze will continue to be open every Friday and Saturday starting at 4 p.m. through the month of October.
Source: Pennlive
Image: Unsplashed
