Jennifer Eis has been a dental hygienist for almost 20 years. With her family, she has lived on a 40-acre hobby farm with horses, dogs, and a cat for ten years. After her daughter was born in 2014, Jennifer started to look for an opportunity that would allow her to spend more time with her daughter, as well as, make an impact in the world. She found her answer on social media.
When a friend with an inoperable brain tumor posted about how CBD oil was controlling his seizures, Jennifer investigated growing hemp for CBD. In fact, Jennifer had two family members (one who has sadly since passed) who had seizure disorders – she saw this as an opportunity to support them and many others. After researching the multitude of benefits from CBD, Jennifer decided to obtain her growers license from the state of Wisconsin in 2019.
When she decided to grow hemp, Jennifer quickly realized how little she knew regarding the process. “Being a new farmer and with hemp not being legal to grow for decades, the educational resources were limited and the trustworthy ones even more so,” Jennifer recalls.
Once Jennifer read an article in GreenStone’s “Partners” magazine on GreenStone’s Grow Forward Grant program, she immediately acted. She used the $1,000 grant for young, beginning and small farmers to educate herself as much as possible: “I went to every seminar I could, I took an online course and used the grant for consulting.”
This year, Jennifer has realized she needed expert help when it came to the books, and used the grant for her first time use of GreenStone’s accounting services. As one can imagine, there are a lot of upfront costs involved in becoming a hemp farmer. The grant, however, took some of the financial burden away and provided Jennifer with an opportunity to build an educational foundation.
Jennifer feels, “…incredibly grateful to have the support from GreenStone. Having the accounting guidance from experts has really helped.” Through the seminars she attended, Jennifer also had the opportunity to meet multiple farmers. The advice and network of farmers has truly led to success.
In addition to growing, Jennifer formulates CBD products and has an online store: www.dreamingfieldfarm.com. Now that she is using her crop to physically make products, Jennifer hopes to further her business capabilities through more webinars and classes in the future.
“Education is key to success, along with grit and determination,” says Jennifer.
GreenStone is impressed by Jennifer’s diligent work ethic, and looks forward to supporting more young, beginning, and small farmers like Jennifer as they too expand their knowledge and business strengthens. Visit the Grow Forward Grant webpage to learn more about the $20,000 specialized program, along with loan programs and mentorships offered to YBSF customers.
