The Fiber King In-Field Decorticator

On this week's show, we catch up with Lancaster County farmer, hemp innovator and cover-crop coach Steve Groff to hear about the progress on two machines that have been years in the making and, he thinks, are finally about ready. The headliner is the Fiber King in-field decorticator, a project Groff has been developing with Larry Serbin of Hemp Traders. Instead of hauling bulky raw stalks off the field, the machine decorticates the hemp right where it grows: the fiber is laid on the ground to dry for a couple of days and then round-baled while the wet hurd drops into a standard forage wagon. Groff calls it a systems approach. They're ready to build the first commercial unit and are testing at universities, but they're waiting on investor funding to get there. The economics are the whole point. Hemp is expensive to move as raw biomass — you just can't get enough weight on a truck — so decorticating in the field adds value for the farmer and lowers transportation costs as the crop gets denser. "You want to give the farmer as much profit as possible," Groff said. We also talked about his four-inch precision no-till hemp planter, developed through a Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture innovation grant. By singulating seed and placing it on even four-inch spacing, the planter aims for the uniform, pencil- to Sharpie-sized stalks that textile buyers want, Groff said. Learn More Steve Groff stevegroff.com Hemp Traders hemptraders.com Hemp Events and Happenings One Plant Documentary World Premiere — Nashville Film Festival  Nashville, TN Sept. 26 nashfilmfest2026.eventive.org/schedule/one-plant-6a729213e47b192d0a91b154 Hemp Lava Love Workshop  Tucson, AZ  Oct. 13–15 hemplavalove.my.canva.site/garden-wedding-website-ph-in-white-red-black-romantic-scrapbook-style-style One Plant Documentary Screening Lancaster, PA Oct. 24 eventbrite.com/e/lancaster-farming-sunflower-present-one-plant-tickets-1998324956739 Thanks to Our Sponsors! Americhanvre americhanvre.com IND Hemp indhemp.com Forever Green hempcutter.com