BERGHEIM, Texas – Tiptoe through the... hemp farm? That’s right, you can tour a hemp farm in Bergheim, just a 40-minute drive from downtown San Antonio.
Pur Isolabs offers hemp CBD products made from plants grown on-site and offers tours twice a day, six days a week.
Tours start in the greenhouse and end in the field, according to Pur Isolabs spokesperson Meggan Roundtree, who said guests can expect to kick off the tour with a bottle of CBD-infused water.
“Our team educates guests on everything hemp, from obtaining the hemp seeds to the end of harvest. It’s definitely a sensory tour where you can see, smell, and touch the plants,” Roundtree said.
Tours are offered Monday through Friday at 11 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. and on Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Call (830)-755-8000 to schedule a tour.
The cost for a tour is $10-per-person but that fee can be applied to any in-store purchase.
Hemp farm just outside Boerne sees growth in first crop
“When the 2018 Farm Bill passed and it became legal to grow hemp in Texas we wanted to take the opportunity to grow and use it as an educational tool so that others could see and touch the plant while learning about it,” said Roundtree.
Pur Isolabs owner Austin Ruple “grew up in South Texas farming peanuts with his family, so this was a natural extension of his background,” Roundtree told KSAT in an interview on Friday.
As for those who are wondering about the legality of a hemp farm, Roundtree explained that while hemp and marijuana are both in the cannabis family “the differentiation occurs with the THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, levels.”
“Any plant with a level of under 0.3% is designated as hemp and legal in most states. Plants with levels over this 0.3% (generally 5% to 35%) are classified as marijuana,” Roundtree said.
The 2018 Texas Farm Bill legalized the commercial production of hemp and authorized states to submit plans to administer hemp programs, according to TexasAgriculture.gov.
Governor Greg Abbott signed House Bill 1325 into law on June 10, 2019, authorizing the production, manufacture, retail sale, and inspection of industrial hemp crops and products in Texas.
What’s the difference between hemp and marijuana?
All tours are limited to 10 people, in accordance with state guidelines, and all guests are required to wear a mask. “The majority of the tour is conducted outdoors, where social distancing is easily practiced,” said Roundtree. “If anyone has special health concerns, a private tour can be requested.”
Pur Isolabs is located at 46 North FM 3351 in Bergheim.