Phone :
406-622-5680
IND HEMP Main Office:
1210 22nd St, Ft. Benton, MT 59442
IH Fiber Processing Facility:
1500 27th Street Fort Benton, MT 59442
IH Oilseed Processing Facility:
1288 MT. Hwy 80 Fort Benton, MT 59442
IND HEMP Belgrade Office:
22 Astor Ave. Belgrade, MT 59714

  

The History


photo courtesy of Harmlesss Homephoto courtesy of Harmlesss Home

photo courtesy of Harmlesss Home

Hemp is one of the oldest, if not the oldest known source of plant fibers for woven goods. Beyond providing grain food and fiber for sail cloth, clothing, and much more, hemp is an excellent building material. Hempcrete, a type of concrete made with parts of the hemp plant, has been used in building for more then a thousand years. In the book “The Emperor Wears No Clothes,” the author cites the example of a 1500 year old bridge in France made with hempcrete.

Hemp goes beyond building ancient bridges. Hempcrete has well documented insulation, fire resistant, and acoustic properties. With a seed to harvest time of less than three months, hemp can outcompete trees for building material volume. Used as an insulation, it will continue to absorb carbon dioxide, making it the ideal alternative to wasteful forestry practices.

The Process

Cannabis Sativa, the species of plant that hemp is derived from, is a hurd type plant. The stalk of the plant has a fibrous and extremely strong exterior and a wood-like inner core. This is the bast and hurd. Other examples of hurd type plants are flax, jute, and kenaf. From the hurd’s wood-like inner core, a natural concrete aggregate is made.

The process of actually making hempcrete is very simple. All one would do is mix cement, which is a mixture of lime and other minerals, with water and add the hemp aggregate. Then you pour the mix into your foundation or molds, gently compressing the hempcrete as you pour.

Bonner, J. (2020, February 06). Learn How To Make Your Own Hempcrete. Retrieved August 26, 2020, from https://www.theextract.co.uk/lifestyle/sustainability/diy-hempcrete-wall/

 Herer, J., Cabarga, L., & McCormick, T. (2010). Jack Herer’s The emperor wears no clothes. Austin, TX: Ah Ha Pub.

Paridah, M., Basher, A., SaifulAzry, S., & Ahmed, Z. (2011). Retting Process Of Some Bast Plant Fibres And Its Effect On Fibre Quality: A Review. BioResources, 6(4), 5260-5281.

We would love to hear from you! Just call, email or use the button here to connect with us. Our mission is to connect our farmers with the hemp businesses of tomorrow. Let us provide the supply chain consistencies your business or product needs to scale and be successful.

 

Growers: to discuss what hemp production on your Montana, Idaho, Washington, or Oregon farm can do for you, visit here.

 

Want to be part of IND HEMP?  Check our career opportunities here!

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