In Colorado, local farms allow you to pick your own apples, peaches and pumpkins. And one on the Western Slope even permits you to pick your own hemp plant.

From Sept. 15 to 17, Typhoon Farma will open the gates at its 186-acre hemp farm in Montrose to the general public for its third annual pick-your-own weekend. The event, which serves as a kickoff to the fall harvest season, enables visitors to stroll through the rows of mature plants and choose one to take home, much like they would a Christmas tree.

Ryan Eakes, chief operating officer, began hosting these open house-style events in 2021 as a way to educate locals about hemp and demystify the plant, which he said struggles from a perception problem.

Hemp looks identical to marijuana, its not-so-distant-cousin, and often people believe it produces the same high. But the plant  actually contains very little THC, the psychoactive compound that produces the high. Instead, it is rich in other cannabinoids that are said to have therapeutic effects, such as cannabidiol (CBD) and cannabigerol (CBG).

“We just want people to understand there’s nothing to be scared of this plant and it’s got a lot of benefits beyond medicinal,” like creating building materials and making bioplastics, Eakes said.

Opened in 2019, Typhoon Farma sells its hemp to manufacturers, who turn it into oils, tinctures, edibles and other products. This year, farmers planted a total of 70 acres while they let soil on the remaining acreage rest.

There’s no cost to stop by the open house, which runs 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday through Sunday, and no obligation to buy anything. Last year, about 150 people stopped by the farm, Eakes said.

Folks who come to pick their own plant have the choice of four strains: Sour Lifter (CBD), Lifter (CBD), Stem Cell CBG, and White CBG. Hemp plants cost $40 each and everyone who purchases one will receive instructions on how to cure and trim it. Each plant is expected to yield about two to three pounds of hemp, Eakes said.