P R O D U C E R P R O F I L E
BY KAY BJORK • PHOTOS COURTESY OF NORTH40
Hemp
Nathan Keane of Upham Farms
16
A
er hemp became federally legal to grow in 2018, Nathan Keane
says they planted their first crop of hemp at Upham Farms Inc.
near Loma, MT, where he works as owner and operator with his
father-in-law Kerry Upham. Farmers learn to expect the unexpected
and deal with its challenges, but the next few years, Nature threw
a few extra punches with drought, grasshoppers, hail, and early
and late snowstorms combined with cold weather.
Farming
GROWING AN OLD CROP IN A NEW ERA
The hemp plant and seeds are an exciting new crop in Montana with thousands of uses for the
fast-growing plant.
