Subtle Seed Farm is a 22-acre hemp farm located in Rutherford County’s own Greenhill. Subtle Seed began as part of the North Carolina Industrial Hemp Pilot Program, in an effort to test the economic viability of hemp production in the state. Today, the farm maintains 7,200 square feet of light deprivation greenhouse and ¾ acre of outdoor hemp during the traditional growing season thanks to it’s crew of ten Rutherford locals.
Owner, Bobby Gibbs, is passionate about organic farming and hemp, combining the two to bring high quality hemp products to Western North Carolina and beyond. Bobby has been cultivating cannabis his entire adult life and began co-managing Northern Californian commercial grows with a business partner in 2015 before moving to North Carolina in 2019 and starting his own Subtle Seed Farm.
Bobby’s goal as a hemp grower is to source the highest quality cannabis medicine for his friends and community. Subtle Seed rejects traditional cannabis agriculture practices dictating the use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers. Bobby instead takes pride in their use of strict organic farming practices, raising the high terpene hemp in living soil with irrigation from the farm’s own Appalachian mountain spring.
The drying and curing process consists of time and patience. The hemp is hung to dry, similar to tobacco. The cut plant is strung inside a climate controlled dry room for two weeks before it is stored and cured for an additional two weeks inside bins. Finally, local trimmers take over and turn the “grapes into wine,” or manicure the hemp by hand trimming each individual bud before they are placed into jars and finally the hands of consumers.
All this effort results in the products: smokable hemp flower, hemp extracts, and most recently, hemp gummies and soothing relief gel. The products are designed to have a variety of effects on users, including promoting restful sleep, easing stress and reducing pain/ inflammation.
To order Subtle Seed Farm products, visit the Rutherford County Farmers Market or visit their website, www.subtleseedfarm.com.