Kentucky Hemp Company Moves Ahead with Planting Despite Looming Federal THC Ban

Cornbread Hemp, a Louisville-based company, is proceeding with its planting season in Marion County despite a federal provision that threatens to outlaw most hemp-derived THC products. The provision, added to a congressional spending bill, aims to close the loophole created by the 2018 Farm Bill that allowed for the sale of intoxicating hemp-derived substances. This development is critical for the sector as it puts thousands of jobs and established agricultural operations at risk while growers wait for potential regulatory relief from Congress.

Jay Grundy, a fifth-generation farmer and exclusive breeder for Cornbread Hemp, has begun planting approximately 2,500 hemp plants per acre near Lebanon, Kentucky. Despite a federal provision set to take effect in November that threatens to shut down the hemp-derived THC industry, Grundy is moving forward to meet the current planting window. The farm is already committed to H-2A labor contracts, meaning the operation must proceed regardless of the legislative uncertainty surrounding the crop's future legality, with Grundy noting that there is no turning back at this point.

Jim Higdon, co-founder of Cornbread Hemp, emphasizes that the company’s entire product line relies on the legal Delta-9 THC levels established by the plain language of the 2018 Farm Bill. A new provision introduced by Senator Mitch McConnell in 2025 is slated to take effect in November 2026, which would outlaw nearly all of Cornbread’s hemp-derived THC products and cripple an industry that was previously supercharged by federal legalization. Higdon warns that the elimination or recriminalization of these products would eliminate the numerous jobs the company has created.

To distinguish themselves from bad actors in the industry, Cornbread Hemp and its growers have implemented rigorous self-regulation, including a comprehensive track-and-trace system. This system allows every product sold to consumers to be traced back to its specific variety, the field it grew in, the date it was harvested, and the barn where it was cured. Farmers like Grundy are calling on Congress to implement formal regulations and full transparency for consumer products rather than a total ban, which might otherwise force growers to mow down their crops and absorb massive financial losses.