Robbed hemp farmer gets new plants

FLORENCE, Vt. (WCAX) - A Moretown hemp farmer is receiving help from another Vermont farmer after her plants were stolen from her garden early last month.

Jenna Rossbach at Fancy Plants Farm woke up to find someone had cut down and stolen all 50 of her hemp plants destined for CBD products. In total, the stolen plants had an estimated value of around $6,000 when ready to harvest. But, the thieves took the plants too early in the growing season.

WCAX shared her story and it caught the attention of farmers as far away as Oregon and California, who offered to help. But the first offer came from less than 60 miles away. Sam Markowski, the owner of VT Terps in Florence, is now giving her 50 of his own plants.

A happy ending that Rossbach says we all need these days. “This is really a story about the big guy helping the little guy. It’s a story about Vermont’s agricultural community always having each other’s back, and really a nod to cannabis culture as well,” she said.

“We probably plant close to 130,000, so to give up 50 -- you could say it’s chicken feed -- but to someone who had a full crop of 50 plants, it’s more than chicken feed. It’s a huge supplement to her livelihood,” said Markowski.

Rossbach says this makes a large monetary difference, but it isn’t just about the bottom line. Hemp is a medicinal plant its farmers grow for the good of CBD products.

It’s still not clear who may have swiped her crop.

Related Story:

Hemp plants swiped from Moretown farm

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