Fuel Crisis? What Fuel Crisis? Part 3
What happens when a fuel system already existed, already worked, and already reached market scale, but disappeared before it ever became normal?
This is the final part of a three-part investigation. It brings the threads together, tracing how the story resolves in the present, what has been recovered, and what questions still remain unanswered, including how you can benefit from generating your own fuel, what that looks like in practice, and what it means for anyone considering a return to small-scale, independent energy production.
Historical records compiled by Les Stark note that more than 100 water-powered mills operated along Lancaster County’s waterways before 1870, processing hemp fibre. The crop was also grown at sites such as the Ephrata Cloisters, Wright’s Ferry Mansion and Rockford Plantation. Its applications were broad: rope, sailcloth, lamp fuel, and paper.
Even the word “canvas” traces its origin back to the word cannabis. It originates from the Greek kannabis (κάνναβις), meaning “hemp”. It was then adopted into Latin as cannabis and later Vulgar Latin as the adjective cannapaceus, literally meaning “made of hemp”. It then entered Old French as canevas or chanevaz in the 13th century. And was finally borrowed into English around the mid-14th century to describe a “sturdy cloth made from hemp or flax”. This reflects how embedded the plant once was in everyday production.
When hemp was effectively removed from commercial use under the 1937 legislation, the Amish lost access to a crop their communities had cultivated for over 200 years. Their response was adaptation. Tobacco, dairy, corn, and soy replaced it within their agricultural system. But the underlying knowledge of hemp didn’t disappear, it remained part of a quieter form of transmission, carried through family instruction, informal teaching, and lived memory. One thing that became clear through this research is that they are a patient community.
While much of the broader agricultural culture moved away from it, the Amish preserved the practical understanding of the plant without formal documentation. They didn’t discard it. They stored it. Over time, they remained largely unchanged by external agricultural trends and state-led programmes. When hemp was reintroduced into legal cultivation through the 2018 Farm Bill, Amish farmers in Lancaster were among those able to pivot and act quickly.
Their methods rely on minimal external inputs. Cultivation is often carried out without synthetic fertilisers or pesticides. Harvesting frequently uses manual labour and horse-drawn equipment. Processing requires no reliance on electrical systems.
The Amish didn’t need a government program or a university pilot study to tell them what this plant could do. They already knew. They had known for 300 years.
How Can You Benefit During This Fuel Crisis?
What’s already possible on a standard property is far more direct than most people assume. Any diesel-powered machine you own, whether a truck, tractor, generator, or water pump, can be run on biodiesel produced from hemp seed oil.
Here’s what you can do:
