Hemp Voices: Morgan Tweet, IND HEMP
Morgan Tweet (Right) is co-founder and CEO of IND HEMP in Fort Benton, MT
I am most interested in how hemp based materials and systems can replace existing building materials that are potentially toxic for home owners. As we become more aware of how the environments we live and work in play a role in our overall health, its exciting to think our industry can play a role in bettering people’s lives without even knowing it.
I also love how hemp inspires builders and architects to think and design differently, taking more holistic approaches to the functionality of the house and the eventual users.
What was a win for your company in the past year?
As a company that also utilizes residual straw from grain crops, it was really exciting to see the passage of Hemp Seed Meal as an approved feed ingredient through AAFCO. This is a huge milestone for the industry and something I personally, along with IND HEMP, has been invested in for several years.
What is something about hemp building/construction/processing you didn’t know a year ago?
A year ago I was not aware of how shorter hemp fibers could potentially be used for loose fill insulation materials similar to fiberglass blow-in insulation that you find in attics or other high loft applications. I love the idea of another application to replace fiberglass.
What challenges does the hemp building industry face that it must overcome?
As our industry grows in consumer awareness and hopefully adoption, I do think we will be challenged to grow mindfully. It is important that demand for all products (including any co-products or by-products) grows relatively similar or else there will be major discrepancies in supply and demand. We don’t want to devalue our co-products because we are looking to offload inventory to fulfill demand for another, i.e. we don’t want to devalue the hurd or fine fiber products because there is such a demand for our bast fiber, or vice versa. Being mindful of the product mix is important to strategically chase after opportunities.
Email: sales@indhemp.com
Phone: (406) 622-5680
