CENTERBURG, Ohio — Kelly Hondros’s family has been farming for 20 years, but this harvest is different. It’s the first year Ohio farmers can become licensed to grow hemp, and she and her husband wanted to be a part of it.

“It is just a new industry in this state, and in Ohio, and just being open to learning about it. That’s pretty much how, we just dug right in,” said Hondros.

What You Need To Know

  • This is the first year Ohio farmers can be licensed to harvest hemp

  • Motive CBD, a company based in the central Ohio suburb of Westerville, has a hemp farm with 12,000 plants

  • They are in the process of harvesting and drying out hemp to put in oils, creams, and balms for sale

Hondros handles the agriculture side of things, while her husband Corey Poches focuses on the marketing.

“We’ve been around for a year as a business, but it’s always been a goal of us to bring the seed to sale aspect to life so we’re growing it, we’re processing it on our own, and putting it in our final product.”

Before that, though, the hemp has to be picked and hung in drying barns. It’s a delicate process and not one people are typically familiar with.

“I mean, education is piece of what we do every single day. We understand there's a big stigma behind this and that people don’t necessarily understand what it is or think it’s marijuana,” said Poches.

The pairs' company, Motive CBD, provides THC-free wellness products, with the goal of helping people get pain relief. And in just 60 days, the more than 12,000 plants on their farm will be in creams, oils, and balms for sale.