Glen, Sharon and Jammie Treadwell, Treadwell Farms

The Treadwell Family is no stranger to the nursery business and farming. For more than 100 years, the Treadwells have been farming in Florida. In the 1950s Glen Treadwell’s father moved his family from Bonifay, Florida to the Golden Triangle.  Glen and Sharon had an ornamental nursery business for more than 40 years. While researching participation in Florida's medical cannabis program and learning about hemp, they became convinced that they could bring their Florida agricultural experience to bear the benefit of their community.

In July of 2019, Glen, his wife Sharon, and daughter Jammie relaunched their family nursery to grow hemp to be processed for CBD and other cannabinoids. As a new industry and crop in the state, the Treadwells felt they were well-positioned to successfully grow and process hemp. 

“We knew that we wanted to make the best CBD product that we could make - grown and made locally in Florida,” said Glen.

Glen noted that they originally thought they should just grow the hemp themselves and given the Treadwell’s background, it’s not hard to understand why. 

“We realized that the plants had to have somewhere to go,” he added, “We then shifted to the processing side and wanted other farmers to get involved.”

The Treadwell family helped found Florida Hemp Farmers and decided to invite other farmers to create a community of like-minded growers to establish the hemp industry in the area. 

“This is something new for all of our farmers, we have some that have been farmers for many generations and some who are just starting out,” he commented “They’re all doing great and every single one of them is all-in.”

Since the Treadwells both grow and process hemp, they understand what it takes to be successful and make a quality product. 

“One of the things that we know is that in order for a processing facility to be successful, it needs farmers within a 50-mile radius and the farmers need somewhere for their products to go in order to sell the crop. We are in a relationship with these farmers, we feel strongly that the Golden Triangle is an excellent region for this crop,” commented Jammie.

The Treadwells are not only native to the area but also confident that the area is prime for hemp production. The area historically has been the foliage capital of the world, and a major hub for Florida’s signature crop, oranges, and other citrus and in recent years has been a mecca for growing blueberries. The area has a rich agricultural history and received its moniker from the region’s yellow soil.

“We wanted to work with farms that had people running them that would be successful but also it was important to us that we had a place for them to be successful. We think it is important to preserve the history of the region and not lose the agricultural land to development. Also to leave the land better, some of our farmers are rehabilitating areas or retaining their agricultural designation,” said Jammie. 

“We think it is vital in our community to keep the agricultural flavor and it’s important for our community to know where their food is coming from and where their hemp comes from,” she added. 

Jammie noted that it was important to the family to produce a product for their community that is local and is safe. 

“One thing that I have struggled with in my previous career, oftentimes I was getting things done but over a longer period of time,” said Jammie, “It’s nice to come back to something that is tangible and something that we can measure our success in very quantifiable terms. It is rewarding to have immediate feedback,” Jammie said.

“There’s not much that’s more rewarding than this and having a farm and watching the plants grow.”

As founding partners of Florida Hemp Farmers, the Treadwells wanted to help other farm families in the Golden Triangle to have success growing high-quality hemp crops and strive to bring to market a truly Fresh From Florida hemp product.

“We hope that we are successful and hope that we can help other farmers be successful and expand hemp across the region and state. The future is bright,” said Glen.