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The American-made hemp shirt experiment

In a proof-of-concept run, IND Hemp and a Fort Benton fiber processor produced the Benton work shirt after a 2020 Montana hemp harvest, reaching the market last year.
After legalization, state and federal tensions slowed U.S. hemp textile revival, with Congress's 2018 farm bill ending nearly a century of prohibition and DEA initially declining to recognize Montana licenses.
At the Fort Benton decortication plant, French-made machinery separated bast from hurd, then fibers moved through U.S. mills before sewing contractors handled production, despite setbacks including a missing roll.
Selling at $150, the Benton work shirt illustrates high U.S. production costs keep small runs costly, yet consumers who respond to USA-made marketing support plans for scaling into outerwear and pants.
Amid efforts to rebuild domestic textiles, IND reports more consistent textile-grade fibers after a 2020 trial run, but agronomic variability and costly equipment limit scaling.

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The American-made hemp shirt experiment

By MATT HUDSON, Montana Free Press In 2020, a northcentral Montana hemp crop was harvested, beginning a trial run by two Montana companies to produce clothing without the material ever leaving the United States. Related Articles Hundreds of San Diego County schools, parks and care facilities are near potentially dangerous oil wells, data show Scientists change how El Niño is labeled to keep up with spike in tempera…

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