About Us
Foothills gold hemp story
Foothills Gold Hemp was started in order to provide a safe premium hemp product at a fair price. According to state officials, hemp businesses, and news reports, many hemp products hitting the market have not been made in clean permitted facilities or tested for toxic pesticides, heavy metals, and/or bacteria. There are currently no laws requiring a special license or registration to sell hemp or hemp products in the State of North Carolina. There are no regulations to protect the consumer from unscrupulous sellers and no requirements that CBD products be tested to insure they are safe and actually contain the ingredients listed on the label. In 2019, the hemp industry realized that regulations needed to be enacted to protect the hemp industry and consumers. They lobbied the North Carolina legislature to pass legislation to oversee production of CBD products, have all sellers register with the State and provide testing of CBD products. Foothills Gold Hemp partner, Walter Smith, was one of the hemp growers leading the charge lobbying legislators to protect the consumers of North Carolina. Unfortunately, the legislature was split on several issues not related to consumer safety and as a result no hemp laws were approved.
That being said, we at Foothills Gold believe that transparency is always the best policy. Our products are made from quality North Carolina grown hemp and they are tested for CBD content, THC content, heavy metals, pesticides, bacteria, and other toxins. All of our tests are completed by third parties not associated with our company. These tests are readily available by visiting our certificate of analysis page. We will only market a safe premium product and we will sell it for a fair price. When you buy a product from Foothills Gold Hemp, we want you to know that it is safe. The stated potency on the label is actually what you are getting and that it contains no toxins.
We hope you like our products and ask for them by name when visit your local retailer. If you have any question, concerns, or comments you can reach us at (email).
Our team
Andy stancil
In 2016, I was told I had cancer and if I wanted to live, I must stop everything and get treatment right away...period. While this was taking place I was loosing my appetite and began to research CBD and THC. Fortunately, I found a CBD source that I decided to contact on Google. At that point, I made a contact who's name was Dr. Mike and he was in the process of setting up a Hemp Grow operation in Raleigh, North Carolina. I became friendly with Dr. Mike's assistant Windy while Dr. Mike was planning a trip to North Carolina to help with the developing hemp farming industry and assist with the pilot program. Windy sent me their CBD product from Colorado and it inspired me to help people who had issues with pain using CBD methods.
In 2018, I formed a licensed grow operation and suddenly, the phone started ringing. This was primarily due to an article that was published in the Wilkes Journal Patriot.
After going through several growing season here in Wilkes County and loosing money, I decided to market local hemp to local friends.
While working with the NC Department of Agricultural, I met Walter Smith, who had the perfect credentials and aspirations to take hemp production to the next level. In 2018, I also became familiar with the process of getting a North Carolina Hemp permit. It was permit #501 that was approved for the first grow operation in Wilkes County. The farming operation opened doors to new relationships that has helped us throughout the Foothills Gold Hemp startup.
Additionally, working with the NC Department of Agriculture helped us gain a better understanding of the actual plant and legal issues. Attending hemp events and meeting new growers gave us the push to continue. We now have a developed network of industry leaders from all over the world that keep us updated with new hemp products and strains. Our CBD start has even led us to the fabric part of the business. North Carolina has become an area that hemp thrives and NC soils produce some of the highest concentrations of CBD and fiber opportunities. Our overall goals are to bring farming back to life and revive family farming.
Walter Smith
I was born and raised on a family farm in Robeson County that grew tobacco, cotton, corn, soybeans, and small grains. We also had a beef cattle and swine operation. I was involved in the family farm until I graduated from college. I attended North Carolina State University where I received a BS in Technical and Biological Engineering. My first job after graduating from N.C. State was to teach Vocational Agriculture at Bear Grass High School in Martin County, NC. I later accepted a job with the U. S. Department of Agriculture. While working with USDA I also farmed part time. I have retired from USDA and currently live in Yadkinville where I own and operate a poultry farm. I also grow industrial hemp in Yadkin and Robeson counties. I have been growing hemp for both CBD and fiber since it was first legalized in the 2018.
I spent a week in Colorado studying growing techniques and visiting farms and processors. In 2019, I lobbied the North Carolina General Assembly on behalf of the hemp industry. We were able to protect the hemp industry from legislation that would have severely handicapped the industry in North Carolina. I have traveled across the state promoting Industrial Hemp and talking with hemp farmers. I work with the North Carolina State University Extension Service researching hemp varieties, planting methods, and cultivating practices that will improve the production of hemp in North Carolina. I am also a member of the North Carolina Farm Bureau State Hemp Advisory Committee.
COMMUNITY/SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS
- Member of the Gamma Sigma Delta Honor Society for Agriculture
- Current member of the Farm Bureau State Hemp Advisory Committee
- Current member of the North Carolina Agriculture Foundation Board
- Current member and Past President of the N.C. State College of Agriculture Alumni Board
- Current member of the Yadkin County Extension Advisory Committee
- Current member of the Yadkin Voluntary Agriculture District Board
- Current member of the Green Rural Redevelopment Organization Board of Directors
- Past member of the Horne Creek Living Historical Farm Board of Directors
- Past member of the Northwest Piedmont Council of Government
- Past candidate for North Carolina Commissioner of Agriculture