Business View Magazine | September 2020

111 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE SEPTEMBER 2020 In addition to providing product for the medicinal sector, Patrick notes that industrial hemp is also an excellent, cost-effective substitute for existing products such as textiles, cellulose plastics, bio-fuels, and, now, hemcrete, which is a relatively new composite material made from the plant’s hurd, or core. Hempcrete provides a natural, vapor-permeable, airtight insulation material which also has great thermal mass, giving it a uniquely effective thermal performance. Hemp composites are light and strong, and, ideally, can even replace fiberglass and some carbon fiber. “You have a CBD variety, and then you have your fiber varieties,” Patrick says. “We bale it up like hay and sell it per ton to large corporations. That’s the future for the industrial hemp industry; it’s the same way we’ve done with our hay over the years, and it’s the way we will be able to farm industrial hemp at a commodity level, like we do with our soybeans, tobacco, and vegetables.” Patrick is also intent on helping other farmers, especially minority farmers like himself, learn how to utilize their land for good; planting and harvesting products that are sustainable, environmentally-friendly, and healthy for human consumption. In October 2019, he was featured as the keynote speaker for a panel called “Land of Opportunity in Black Agribusiness” at the annual Black Wall Street conference for entrepreneurs focused on the intersection of content, connections, and culture in Durham, NC. In January 2020, Patrick was featured on The Black Equity Network podcast panel “Dear Black Farmers” Episode 266. In order to encourage young people to farm, the Brown Family Farms serves as a learning environment for organizations such as the Golden LEAF Foundation and the NC Corporative Extension offices. To date, 2 college interns from Winston-Salem State have volunteered over 200 hours which had helped them earn college course credits. “We’re losing a lot of HEMPF INI TY