Hemp Voices: Karen & Jon Winkles, Aggricrete, LLC
Karen Winkles, president, and Jon Winkles, VP, are founders of Aggricrete, LLC, a Texas-based building materials supply company
Karen is an expert in remote bookkeeping for development and construction. Jonathan brings 30 years of construction experience to the new business.
The back-to-our-roots, agrarian, seed-to-shelter possibilities of industrial hemp are intriguing. If we can see the resurgence of small-scale raw material production, eliminating supply chain interruptions and our dependence on non-sustainable resources, where is the downside? Industrial hemp plants have the ability to feed us, clothe us, and shelter us, coupled with the restorative phytoremediation of the soil in which hemp is grown.
What was a win for your company in the past year?
We received our Texas Hemp Growers license from the Department of Agriculture in January of 2025. With growing opportunities currently in two counties, we hope to partner with additional landowners in the coming year.
What is something about hemp building/construction/processing you didn't know a year ago?
Both Karen and Jon have been involved with the traditional construction industry for more than two decades. Having four adult kids together and now two grandchildren, building for the future starts to take on a different look and a new meaning. These folks should not have to choose between having children or having a house.
What is attainable is to make homes more economical to install, operate, and maintain. By starting out with a smaller structure (read smaller mortgage), with portions of the build that can be self-performed, young couples can self-fund or borrow for expansion when they need room. This material bucks the status quo of homes that seem to last only 50 years or so. We must do better. Easily accessible technology and the DIY possibilities of hempcrete lower the barriers for use and make the methodology executable and available to many.
What challenges does the hemp building industry face that it must overcome?
Hemp can be described as marijuana's sober sister and should be treated as a viable agriculture commodity and enjoy access to the same crop insurances and banking other crops are afforded. Currently hempcrete can be used above grade, in non-structural applications. However, the use of industrial hemp resins and in the micronized form has led to products like the rebar and epoxies that exceed the traditional petroleum and steel equivalents. We hope to pursue and develop tilt-wall and precast panel use.
Phone: (512) 988-9862
Email: jon@aggricrete.com
