About Us
The rooted structure of The Old Homestead, now Homestead Hemp 1787, dates back 233 years when Reverend Clark Rogers established the farm in upstate New York. The property was said to be bought from a Revolutionary War soldier who was paid in land for his efforts in the war. The story goes that rather than keep the 558 acres that was granted to him, he sold it to Clark Rogers and his three sons. The sons built three log cabins on the same property the Rogers family lives on today. Almost ten years later in 1786, the town of Hebron was established.
The land has seen many hands, as the property and the farm have always been passed down generation after generation to the sons in the Rogers family. Clifford Rogers of the 6th generation saw it through to its last working days as a dairy farm. In the 1970’s, the dairy industry’s regulations changed, and many farms closed, including The Old Homestead, due to the financial inability to meet new dairy standards. After Cliff’s passing, the farm was handed down to 7th generation Rogers son, Thomas, and the farm has remained private ever since.
Fast forward to 2017, when the opportunity to reactivate the farm presented itself in the form of growing and researching hemp for the state of New York. The farm was renamed Homestead Hemp 1787 and experienced its first female managers in eight generations of family farming. At first, the goal was to give the farm a purpose; a reason to thrive, but the Rogers family has found a passion that goes far beyond the goal of saving the family farm.
Over the last three years, the Rogers have witnessed firsthand the benefits associated with CBD and have seen how it can change people’s lives for the better. They’ve made it their mission to bottle up all the magic that grows at Homestead Hemp and share it to help others find relief through physical, mental, and emotional struggles. Homestead Hemp is proud to provide a trusted source of small batch, carefully crafted CBD oil and to represent an authentic, transparent brand built from eight generations of family farming.
Model Turned Farmer
When my family farm, The Old Homestead, got the opportunity to start growing hemp through the New York State Pilot Research Program, I knew that we were about to embark on a journey bigger than us. At the time, I was living just outside of New York City, so I moved back home to put everything I had into seeing this new venture be successful for my family. We’ve had our family farm since 1787, and I refuse to be the generation to have to let it go. Knowing little to no knowledge about hemp or CBD, I unhesitatingly dove headfirst in the wild west cannabis industry, renaming the farm to Homestead Hemp 1787.
Before taking the reins of the family farm, I was pursuing a professional singing career, and had just graduated from Purchase College with a Bachelor’s in Music. My career in the spotlight however started before my college education. I moved the city at 18 years old after being scouted by a modeling agency at a gas station. I wasn’t sure about my plans and I thought if I passed up the opportunity to model, I would regret it later in life. So once again, I dove in head first to a an industry I knew nothing about. While modeling was something I had always dreamed of, my continuous struggle with anxiety started to take a toll the further I got into the heart of the industry. This way of life was a big undertaking to say the least and the stress of the transition, the weighty sacrifices and challenging hurdles got to me.
It didn’t take long for me to realize that my anxiety was affecting my body and health. The first place we show our anxiety, stress, depression, pain, grief, and hurt, is on our faces and through our skin. For years I’ve dealt with friends and co-workers asking me if I’m sick, or telling me that I look terrible, while also having make-up artists on set ask me if I went out partying the night before. None of them knew that it’s a reaction my skin shows when stressed or anxious.
Since leaving that world and becoming a farmer, there was one thing that I didn’t expect to find through the hard work of growing hemp, and that was relief. Through CBD, I’ve found a natural, plant-based way to stay grounded, while also combatting my anxiety, and the effects it has on my skin. Better yet, I now grow my own relief and have made it my mission to bottle up the all the goodness that grows here at Homestead Hemp, and share it with as many people as possible. I hope you find the relief you’ve been searching for through our high quality, home grown CBD products.
Stay grounded,
Iris