This Year’s Farm Bill Could Deliver A New-Yet-Old Crop To American Agriculture: Hemp

There’s a long-forbidden crop on the verge of legalization, one that’s versatile and could open up new markets for farmers: hemp.

“I believe, honestly, that [hemp] is the only thing that’s really gonna bring agriculture out of the rut that it’s been in for the last 30 years,” hemp farmer Ryan Loflin said.

He lives in Colorado, one of at least 35 states that can grow hemp mainly through research pilot programs. That was a provision championed by U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell in the 2014 farm bill.

This year, the Kentucky Republican is calling for complete federal legalization of hemp in the Senate’s version of the farm bill, which funds safety net programs for farmers and major food assistance programs. Doing so would remove the crop from the list of controlled substances, where currently it’s lumped in alongside drugs like heroin. Unlike its close cousin, marijuana, hemp contains very little THC — and it has lots of industrial applications, from textiles to construction materials and livestock feed.

McConnell has said hemp has the attention of younger farmers in his state, once a leader in hemp production before the plant was made illegal in 1941. Some of that might be because of drought and plunging commodity prices for corn and soybeans, which are in the crosshairs of an impending trade war.

Either way, the enthusiasm isn’t just in Kentucky, though some industry leaders warn farmers to be cautious.

What farmers are waiting for?

Loflin drives his white pickup to a field near Colorado Springs, where he first planted hemp in 2015 — a year before hemp cultivation was legalized in the state. The land is dry and blanketed in blond prairie grass. Earlier this summer, this region was declared a natural disaster zone by the U.S. Department of Agriculture due to “exceptional” drought.

Loflin says his hemp grows just fine, and uses half as much water as his other crops. It isn’t clear whether that’s the case for all hemp growers.

Hemp brought Loflin, a fourth-generation farmer, back to the industry at the age of 40. He felt he couldn’t make a living growing traditional commodity crops, like wheat and corn, so he began a career in construction.

“The profitability is tough for a small-time farmer. Really, if you’re not farming multiple thousands of acres, it’s hard,” he said.

When Colorado voters passed Amendment 64 that legalized marijuana and hemp on state level, Loflin saw opportunity. And it’s been an increasingly lucrative one.

The plant itself is worth very little, but Loflin said hemp flowers can sell far as much as $100 a pound. No other crop is fetching such a price, he said, joking, except “opium maybe.”

This season, Loflin will grow 280 acres of hemp. The flowers will be harvested to make CBD oil, or cannabidiol: a tincture that’s become increasingly popular for its medical properties, though the efficacy has been debated.

Hemp Farming is Growing Among North Dakota Farmers

North Dakota has had a law on the books to support producing industrial hemp since 1997, but it wasn’t until the 2014 Farm Bill, that states were allowed to begin growing.

Renée Cooper spoke with one of the first four growers in our state.

Clarence Laub added growing hemp to his farming resume in Elgin as early as 2016.

The Farmer/Rancher explains, “It is a pilot program, so we are doing research with it. We are also marketing it and stuff like that, making money off of it. But the main purpose of the program is research, so we’re looking at adapting it into our farm and our farming practices.”

Laub says hemp is a very versatile crop.

He adds, “The seeds are very healthy for you: they can crush them for the oil, and also for the protein powders and stuff like that. And then the entire plant is useful too, the fiber and different things you can get from the plant, you can use hand-in-hand for paper products. So anything that’s made out of paper, you can make out of hemp.”

But because it looks very similar to it’s cousin, marijuana, hemp is highly regulated.

The Federal Controlled Substances Act prohibits the cultivation, processing, distribution and even the possession of industrial hemp, except when used for research purposes.

And the Agriculture Commissioner must oversee the process.

As the law stands, before hemp can be sold, the seed has to be devitalized and the plant tested for THC content.

Kentucky growers cashing in on hemp byproduct as crop makes huge comeback in state

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) –Hemp is making a huge comeback in Kentucky.

Federal and state legislation passed in 2014 says hemp can be grown and marketed in states with pilot programs. Four years later growers in the state are seeing big profits from extracting something found in the plant and turning it into a highly sought offer oil that some claim holds real health value. The sale of what is known as CBD oil is estimated to explode by 2020.

Inside one Lexington business is something many are learning is the key to their health and feeling better.

“People come in here for a variety of reasons,” said Adriane Polyniak, owner of Bluegrass Hemp Oil.

Business is booming at Bluegrass Hemp Oil, a company born out of necessity for owner Adriane Polyniak after her son was diagnosed with epilepsy and debilitating seizures in 2009.

“We went through this pharmaceutical roulette where we tried to get him regulated on those different pharmaceuticals and had him dealing with a wide array of side effects,” said Polyniak.

She found relief for her son in a product derived from hemp, CBD oil. People have found relief from a number of ailments by using it.

Polyniak believed in it so strongly that she and her husband quit their jobs and in 2014 invested in growing hemp and now processing the oil.

The Polyniaks own and operate Bluegrass Hemp Oil in Lexington.

Polyniak took advantage of the state legislation that set up a pilot program for hemp crops in the state, and then in 2014 the federal Farm Bill opened the door for the legalized cultivation of hemp in states with those pilot programs.

Her customers are now proof that CBD is changing lives.

“I think the most we’ve seen of daily pharmaceuticals that they have been able to reduce was ten, so it is definitely making a difference in people’s lives,” said Polyniak.

There is still a misconception between hemp and marijuana. Hemp grown in Kentucky is under strict guidelines that the THC level (what can make you high) must be under .3%, and if not, it is destroyed. Marijuana carries a 20-30% THC level.

CBD oil is made from extracting one of several cannabinoids from the plant.

In Harrison County if you take a walk in one of Brian Furnish’s fields you will find a crop of hemp recently planted that will be harvested in September for the use high end clothing.

Willie Nelson to launch new line of cannabis products, starting with coffee

Country music legend Willie Nelson got into the cannabis business in 2015 with a proprietary strain of marijuana. Now, Texas’ favorite stoner is expanding his brand to include several CBD products.

Monday, Nelson announced Willie’s Remedy, a line that includes several items rich in cannabidiol (CBD). CBD is a derivative of hemp, and unlike the tetrahydrocannabinol compound found in marijuana, it won’t get it you high. CBD has, however, been lauded for its health benefits.

Willie’s Remedy will debut with a CBD-infused coffee, which is expected to be available in Colorado in September. According to a statement, the whole beans include CBD sourced from organically grown, American hemp. Drinkers get 5 milligrams of CBD in each 8-ounce cup of coffee.

Willie’s Remedy is a counterpart to Willie’s Reserve, a strain of marijuana the singer launched in 2015. Both are owned by GCH, Inc., a Nelson-founded company that also recently partnered with New Belgium Brewing Co. to promote a beer called The Hemporer, which is made with hemp hearts. (P.S. It smells just like weed.) $1 from every beer sold supports the Hemp 4 Victory campaign, which aims to reform regulation to include industrial hemp as a leading agricultural crop and dismantle the taboo surrounding it.

‘It’s not the boogeyman’: Advocates push to legalize hemp farming in Texas

Texas hemp advocates want to see fields of green on farms across the state — and they’re rallying lawmakers to make it happen.

A group of hemp advocates testified Tuesday before the Texas House Agriculture and Livestock Committee about the jobs and economic opportunities that are possible if the state allows Texas farmers to grow the crop. Hemp is a variety of the cannabis plant but has low or untraceable amounts of tetrahydrocannabinol or THC, the psychoactive compound that gives marijuana users a high.

Hemp products have become a staple at smoothie shops, wellness stores and many nationwide grocery chains. Austin-based Whole Foods carries hemp protein powders and body care items, such as lotions. The lightweight and fibrous crop has been used by home builders, clothing companies and automakers, including BMW. And hemp seeds have even been used as a garnish on cocktails and entrees.

But federal law tossed hemp into the same category as its famous cousin, marijuana, and its connection with the controlled substance spooked some lawmakers.

“Everybody is starting to figure out this is actually a good thing, and it’s not the boogeyman,” said Jim Reaves, the state legislative director of the Texas Farm Bureau.

In his testimony, he said the crop would give farmers another option, especially during tough years for corn, cotton or other Texas crops. The net income that Texas farmers and ranchers receive from commodities has dropped more than 50 percent in the last four years, he said.

The debate over hemp is another example of how lawmakers and industry leaders are trying to reconcile harsh federal drug laws with a growing demand for cannabis-related products — including the ones that don’t give consumers a high. Texas has held the line, even as other states have approved pilot programs to farm industrial hemp. Some states, like Colorado and Maine, have gone further by legalizing recreational use of marijuana.

Minnesota farmers hope for hemp in 2018 Farm Bill

(KMSP) – As the 2018 Farm Bill makes its way through Congress, some Minnesota farmers are eyeing a measure that would legalize industrial hemp.

Often called “marijuana’s kissing cousin,” the plant won’t get you high. Right now, however, it is still a controlled substance, only grown legally in the US through experimental research.

At a hemp field off the interstate in Woodbury, the ancient plant is in bloom once again.

“This is our third growing year. We were the first growers in the state of Minnesota,” said John Strohfus, Founder and CEO of Minnesota Hemp Farms.

Growing hemp without a special permit is illegal. So, Strohfus and other farmers plant and harvest it through a pilot program with the Minnesota Department of Agriculture.

“There is really no difference genetically between hemp and marijuana except for the varieties, which have low THC,” Strohfus said. “Literally, you could smoke a field of this and you’ll just get a headache.”

An entrepreneur at heart, Strohfus saw the crop as a business opportunity. After harvest, the hemp is processed and used in products like clothing, rope, oils and food.

“Hemp is not a new crop, but there’s a renaissance in growing hemp in the United States, and I knew that with that would come a lot of opportunity to be one of the early adopters,” Strohfus said.

Now Strohfus and other Minnesota hemp farmers are looking to congress to pass the recent Farm Bill. Both the House and Senate have passed their own versions, and the Senate’s bill includes full legalization of industrial hemp. If passed, it would remove hemp from the federal list of controlled substances, allowing farmers to apply for crop insurance and federally funded programs.

“The United States is the number one importer of hemp in the world. And so for us not to be able to grow it is quite silly,” Strohfus said.

“It grows very well here. We also got in pretty early on the ground floor,” said Andrea Vaubel, Assistant Commissioner at the Minnesota Department of Agriculture. “There are now 39 states that have these pilot programs, but we are certainly one of the leaders amongst others like Colorado and Kentucky. So we’re really proud of that and we feel like we can continue to be a leader, particularly if this becomes law.”

“I think it would be a relief that we don’t have to constantly address the issue of is it legal or not,” Strohfus said.

Because the plants look so similar there have been concerns from law enforcement on how they would be able to tell a legal hemp field from a field of marijuana.

At the University of Minnesota’s St. Paul campus, scientists are working to resolve that very problem.

“We’ve been working on cannabis genetics in my laboratory for the last 15 years, including both hemp and marijuana. Our work started with an effort to understand how hemp and marijuana are different. We know that now,” said Dr. George Weiblen, University of Minnesota Professor in the Department of Plant and Microbial Biology.

In the lab, Weiblen and his team dissect hemp seeds down to their DNA.

CA Dept. of Public Health issues misguided statement on “hemp foods”

As you may know, California’s Department of Public Health (“CDPH”) issued a misguided FAQ stating that hemp derived CBD and extracts are prohibited food additives in the state, echoing the FDA’s position. It should be noted that CDPH’s policy in this area is in conflict with many other states that have authorized the cultivation of industrial hemp and its use as a food, food additive and food supplement. Vote Hemp believes the FAQ is fundamentally flawed and in conflict with state law.

Proposition 64 authorized the cultivation of industrial hemp, independent from cannabis, and in doing so approved the use of any part of the plant. – California Health and Safety Code § 11018.5.
CBD in and of itself is not scheduled under the federal Controlled Substances Act. Rather, it is a controlled substance when it is sourced from marijuana, but not from industrial hemp.
The arbitrary prohibition of industrial hemp derived CBD in food products will have a chilling effect on the hemp cultivation industry at the very moment the industry is beginning its launch in California.
Industrial Hemp is treated as an agricultural product in California and, as such, is regulated by the California Department of Food and Agriculture.

Vote Hemp and other stakeholders sent a coalition letter to CDPH in strong opposition to the FAQ.

For over a decade, Vote Hemp has worked in California to pass hemp legislation. These efforts continue this year through Vote Hemp’s sponsorship of SB 1409 that will improve the existing state hemp statute. SB 1409 accomplishes several objectives, including:

authorizing the California Department of Food and Agriculture to run a pilot program under Sec. 7606 of the Farm Bill to ensure the registration program is compliant with federal law;
removing a number unnecessary law enforcement-minded provisions to help streamline production
other technical amendments needed to align existing state law with language that was passed by voters in Proposition 64

SB 1409 passed out of the Senate and Assembly and is now sitting on the Governor’s desk.

Vote Hemp continues to look for opportunities to further advance the industry and legislation in the area of hemp processing and registration will most likely be brought forward in a subsequent session.

ODA: ‘Right to farm’ law protects hemp growers

KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. — Oregon’s Douglas County attempted to restrict hemp production under rules for growing marijuana before being warned the policy violated the state’s “right to farm” law.

Hemp is considered a crop under Oregon’s land use law, which means it can be grown outright in farm zones.

Medical and recreational marijuana, meanwhile, can be subject to reasonable “time, place and manner” regulations by local governments.

Before planting hemp, farmers must first obtain a permit from the Oregon Department of Agriculture.

As part of its hemp policy, Douglas County requested that ODA not approve hemp licenses unless county officials issued a “land use compatibility statement” to the growers.

The ODA refused because such regulation of hemp would violate Oregon’s “right to farm” law, which prohibits local ordinances restricting common farming practices as nuisance or trespass activities.

Douglas County and ODA have now agreed that hemp production isn’t subject to restrictions, though county officials can still ask to inspect a grower’s state hemp license, said Jim Johnson, ODA’s land use specialist, during a Sept. 19 meeting of the Oregon Board of Agriculture in Klamath Falls.

However, Johnson said other counties — including Jackson, Josephine and Clackamas — may be considering similar regulatory approaches to hemp as had Douglas County.

“All these counties have vocal rural residential populations that don’t like cannabis,” he said.

While hemp doesn’t contain enough of a psychoactive substance to cause similar mind-altering effects as marijuana, some residents nonetheless worry about strong odors and potential “criminal elements,” he said.

New Belgium Brewing, Willie Nelson’s Cannabis Company, and Vote Hemp Team Up to Form the ‘American Hemp Campaign’; Effort to Promote U.S. Hemp Independence to Launch on Fourth of July

The nation’s leading grassroots hemp advocacy organization, Vote Hemp, is teaming up with craft brewer New Belgium Brewing and GCH, the company behind Willie Nelson’s cannabis brands, to form the American Hemp Campaign. The effort, which is aimed at promoting the benefits of allowing commercial hemp production in the United States, will be launched on the Fourth of July.

The American Hemp Campaign will work to build support for changing laws to allow commercial hemp farming. Hemp production is still heavily restricted in the U.S., despite recent policy advancements at the state and federal levels. According to a Congressional Research Service report released last month, “[T]he U.S. market is largely dependent on imports, both as finished hemp-containing products and as ingredients for use in further processing (mostly from Canada and China).”

“Since the first time we met, and each time we talk, Willie is outspoken about the importance of industrial hemp to help farmers, the environment and society as a whole,” said Andrew Davison, CEO of GCH. “We’re an American cannabis company, working to build his vision across all sectors of cannabis. We want to see hemp agriculture flourish in the U.S. again.”

The campaign will focus on educating lawmakers, opinion leaders, and the public about the economic benefits of domestic hemp production. Hemp is an agricultural commodity with a wide variety of uses, and the Hemp Business Journal estimates at least $820 million in hemp products were sold in the U.S. in 2017. That number is expected to reach $1.9 billion by 2022. Forcing American businesses to import hemp denies a highly profitable crop to U.S. farmers and countless agricultural and manufacturing jobs to U.S. workers.

“At New Belgium we launched a hemp-based beer, The Hemperor HPA, this spring and the regulatory hurdles to get to market just seemed outrageously outdated and onerous,” said New Belgium CEO Steve Fechheimer. “Beer is an agricultural product and we see hemp as a potentially game-changing ingredient in brewing, so we are proud to take a stand along with Willie and the Vote Hemp folks to get these laws updated to benefit beer drinkers and farmers across the country.”

The American Hemp Campaign is a coalition-based effort, and Vote Hemp, GCH, and New Belgium will be seeking the involvement of other organizations and companies who are interested in seeing a vibrant U.S. hemp industry. They have retained VS Strategies, a public affairs firm whose principals have collectively spent decades enacting and shaping cannabis-related policies and influencing public opinion. They will also receive assistance from Vicente Sederberg LLC, a national leader on hemp law and policy.

“Vote Hemp has been working for many years to bring back hemp farming in America,” said Eric Steenstra, president and co-founder of Vote Hemp. “We are excited to partner with New Belgium and GCH to raise awareness about the economic benefits of allowing commercial hemp farming in the United States. Lifting our nation’s outdated restrictions on domestic hemp production will fuel job creation across several business sectors and provide family farmers with a valuable new crop.”

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2017 Annual Retail Sales for Hemp Products Estimated at $820 Million

WASHINGTON, DC – Vote Hemp, the nation’s leading grassroots hemp advocacy organization working to change state and federal laws to allow commercial hemp farming, has released final estimates of the size of the 2017 U.S. retail market for hemp products. Data from market research by Hemp Business Journal supports an estimate of total retail sales of hemp food, supplements and body care products in the United States at $553 million. Sales of popular hemp items like non-dairy milk, shelled seed, soaps and lotions have continued to increase, complemented by successful hemp cultivation pilot programs in several states, and increasing grassroots pressure to allow hemp to be grown domestically on a commercial scale once again for U.S. processors and manufacturers. Hemp Business Journal has also reviewed sales of clothing, auto parts, building materials and various other products, and estimates the total retail value of hemp products sold in the U.S. in 2017 to be at least $820 million.

Of this $820 million hemp market, Hemp Business Journal estimates that hemp foods constituted 17% ($137 million); personal care products constituted 22% ($181 million); textiles constituted 13% ($105 million); supplements constituted 5% ($45 million); hemp derived cannabidiol or CBD products constituted 23% ($190 million), and consumer textiles constituted 13% ($105 million); industrial applications such as car parts constituted 18% ($144 million); and other consumer products such as paper and construction materials accounted for the remaining 2% ($16 million) of the market.

Data was gathered and analyzed by the Hemp Business Journal, the leading provider of market intelligence to the hemp industry (www.HempBizJournal.com). In addition to this information on the 2017 hemp market in the U.S., Hemp Business Journal has further produced estimates on the growth of the hemp market, which it expects to reach $1.9 billion in the U.S. by 2022.

“As the U.S. hemp market continues to grow at a double digit pace annually, American consumers continue to demonstrate their strong interest in hemp products,” said Eric Steenstra, President of Vote Hemp. “We expect the rate of growth of the market to increase, as Congress has indicated its intention to finally lift federal prohibition on industrial hemp farming. Few other industries can so clearly prove the market demand for their products, whereas the hemp market has essentially tripled in the last 5 years as hemp farming advocates have made advancements in legalizing the crop at the state and federal levels,” he continued.

On April 12, 2018, Senate Leader Mitch MConnell (R-KY) with strong bi-partisan support from Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR), and further support from Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), introduced The Hemp Farming Act of 2018. If passed, the bill would place federal regulatory authority of hemp solely with USDA and require State departments of agriculture to file their hemp program plans with USDA but allow them to regulate hemp cultivation per their State specific programs. In addition to defining hemp as cannabis that contains no more than 0.3% THC by dry weight, the bill asserts a ‘whole plant’ definition of hemp, including plant extracts; and would remove roadblocks to the rapidly growing hemp industry in the U.S., notably by authorizing and encouraging access to federal research funding for hemp, and remove restrictions on banking, water rights, and other regulatory roadblocks the hemp industry currently faces. The bill would also explicitly authorize crop insurance for hemp.

Furthermore, per Vote Hemp advocacy on the issue, The Hemp Farming Act of 2018 expands federally legal commercial hemp cultivation to tribal lands, reservations and U.S. territories—lands that had previously been omitted in Sec. 7606 of the Farm Bill, which allowed only for hemp farming programs in ‘States.’

The full text of the bill may be found at: The Hemp Farming Act

Vote Hemp has calculated that approximately 25,712 acres of hemp crops were planted in 19 states during 2017 in the U.S., 32 universities conducted research on hemp cultivation, and 1,456 State hemp licenses were issued across the country. This hemp cultivation is legal in 39 states, which have lifted restrictions on hemp farming and may license farmers to grow hemp in accordance with Sec. 7606 of the Farm Bill, the Legitimacy of Industrial Hemp Research amendment. To view the Vote Hemp 2017 Crop Report, which gives a state-by-state breakdown of hemp acreage grown in 2017, please visit:

2017 Vote Hemp Crop Report

To date, forty states have defined industrial hemp as distinct and removed barriers to its production. These states are able to take immediate advantage of the industrial hemp research and pilot program provision, Section 7606 of the Farm Bill: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia and Wyoming.

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Vote Hemp is a national non-profit organization dedicated to the acceptance of and a free market for industrial hemp and to changes in current law to allow U.S. farmers to once again grow hemp commercially.

This Year’s Farm Bill Could Deliver A New-Yet-Old Crop To American Agriculture: Hemp

Hemp Farming is Growing Among North Dakota Farmers

Kentucky growers cashing in on hemp byproduct as crop makes huge comeback in state

Willie Nelson to launch new line of cannabis products, starting with coffee

‘It’s not the boogeyman’: Advocates push to legalize hemp farming in Texas

Minnesota farmers hope for hemp in 2018 Farm Bill

CA Dept. of Public Health issues misguided statement on “hemp foods”

ODA: ‘Right to farm’ law protects hemp growers

New Belgium Brewing, Willie Nelson’s Cannabis Company, and Vote Hemp Team Up to Form the ‘American Hemp Campaign’; Effort to Promote U.S. Hemp Independence to Launch on Fourth of July

2017 Annual Retail Sales for Hemp Products Estimated at $820 Million

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