All hemp products are dependent on one thing: the ability to grow a reliable and quality crop. Growers need to pick plants that will deliver the characteristics they need and provide inputs that support the end goals. But where to begin? In this report, some of the industry’s most experienced and innovative cultivators share their… Continue reading From the Roots Up: A Guide for Hemp Cultivators
Category: Hemp Cultivation, Processing & Extraction News
Santa Fe Farms buys High Grade Hemp Seed to acquire its genetics portfolio
Santa Fe Farms of New Mexico has bought a Colorado hemp-genetics firm to establish a line of propietary genetics. High Grade Hemp Seed of Longmont, Colorado, will retain its name and location but will become a subsidiary of Santa Fe Farms, which grows hemp on about 200 acres but does not have its own line… Continue reading Santa Fe Farms buys High Grade Hemp Seed to acquire its genetics portfolio
Hemp in the Time of COVID-19: Executives reflect on pandemic’s anniversary
No part of the global economy has escaped the COVID-19 pandemic, which has claimed more than 2.5 million lives around the world and sickened countless more. But few industries were in the kind of infancy the hemp industry was in when the World Health Organization declared the virus a global pandemic on March 11, 2020.… Continue reading Hemp in the Time of COVID-19: Executives reflect on pandemic’s anniversary
How to prepare outdoor hemp and marijuana fields for growing season
(This is the first of a series focused on planning for best cultivation practices for hemp and marijuana growers. Look for additional stories on handling young plants, stocking up on supplies, fertigation and other topics throughout the year.) Outdoor hemp and marijuana growers are getting ready to get their crops in the ground in the… Continue reading How to prepare outdoor hemp and marijuana fields for growing season
New US economic stimulus bill allocates $4 billion in debt relief for farmers of color
Socially disadvantaged farmers including those in the hemp industry are in line for new debt-relief funds in the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan of 2021. The legislation, which passed in the U.S. Senate Saturday and awaits changes and a final vote in the House, directs the U.S. Department of Agriculture to make payments to Black… Continue reading New US economic stimulus bill allocates $4 billion in debt relief for farmers of color
Oregon hemp grower loses search-warrant challenge
An Oregon hemp producer seeking $2.5 million in damages after its warehouse was raided by authorities looking for illegal marijuana suffered a big setback in federal court. U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark Clarke ruled that the search warrant used when authorities raided Oregonized Hemp Co., a farm and farm service contracting business, was valid. The Grants… Continue reading Oregon hemp grower loses search-warrant challenge
Chart: US hemp legalization hasn’t cooled imports
Hemp imports were cited as a main driver for Congress voting in 2014 to authorize limited experimentation with the crop after decades of head-scratching policies allowing hemp to be bought and sold in the United States — as long as it was grown somewhere else. But hemp exports have grown dramatically ever since. Hemp imports… Continue reading Chart: US hemp legalization hasn’t cooled imports
New USDA confirms looming nationwide hemp rules
The nationwide hemp rules are taking effect March 22 as planned, with no additional delay or review because of the changed administration at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The USDA gave notice Monday that the rules have been reviewed and are cleared to take effect as planned. The USDA was giving the hemp plan a… Continue reading New USDA confirms looming nationwide hemp rules
3 strategies to combat smokable-hemp bans
(Editor’s note: This column is part of a recurring series of commentaries from professionals connected to the hemp industry. Andrew M. Rosner and Kaelan Castetter are vice presidents of the New York State Cannabis Growers and Processors Association.) Government officials nationwide are talking about banning the sale of hemp flower in the name of public… Continue reading 3 strategies to combat smokable-hemp bans
Texas hemp farmers mostly spared from winter storm as other ag segments suffered
Hemp farmers are gearing up to plant their fields only two weeks after Texas froze over during Winter Storm Uri – a freak snow and ice storm that caused more than $600 million in damages to the state’s agricultural economy. According to early data from the Texas A&M Extension Service, other industries such as citrus,… Continue reading Texas hemp farmers mostly spared from winter storm as other ag segments suffered
CBD giant Charlotte’s Web positions to enter THC market
Hemp-derived CBD giant Charlotte’s Web Holdings is positioning itself to enter THC and marijuana markets. The Boulder, Colorado, company says it has signed a five-year, $8 million purchase agreement option with a marijuana company started by its founders, Stanley Brothers USA Holdings Inc. The deal allows Charlotte’s Web to take over the marijuana business after… Continue reading CBD giant Charlotte’s Web positions to enter THC market
Alberta fiber processor resumes expansion after COVID-19 delay
Canadian Rockies Hemp Corp., a decorticator and processor near Edmonton, Alberta, says its expansion plans to become the largest hemp processing facility in North America are back on track after a $14 million (CAD$18 million) infusion from Merida Capital Holdings, a private equity cannabis investment fund. The loan will be used to help the processor… Continue reading Alberta fiber processor resumes expansion after COVID-19 delay
Canadian biotech firm forms JV with Australis Capital to expand capabilities in U.S.
An expanding tissue-culture laboratory with locations in Washington and Canada has entered into a joint venture with Australis Capital, a U.S. spinoff of Canadian marijuana producer Aurora Cannabis. 3 Rivers Biotech Inc., an agricultural technology company that specializes in commercial-scale micropropagation for marijuana, hemp and traditional crops including vegetables and fruit, will own 85% of… Continue reading Canadian biotech firm forms JV with Australis Capital to expand capabilities in U.S.
Chart: Despite buzz around delta-8 THC, cannabinoid cultivation dominated by CBD, CBG
The entire cannabis industry is buzzing about delta-8 THC and other cannabinoids found rarely in the plant but gaining favor among growers and consumers. Indeed, there has been a noticeable shift toward so-called novel cannabinoids among hemp producers surveyed by Hemp Industry Daily. But CBD still rules the roost. Cannabidiol, by far, continues to be… Continue reading Chart: Despite buzz around delta-8 THC, cannabinoid cultivation dominated by CBD, CBG
State ag departments join call for 1% THC in hemp
The nation’s state agriculture departments have joined the call for raising the THC limit in hemp from 0.3% to a full 1%. But the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture did not say in its policy statement how states propose making that change. The platform was adopted Thursday during the group’s winter meeting. The… Continue reading State ag departments join call for 1% THC in hemp
USDA wants new hemp production data from farmers
Federal agriculture officials plan to collect hemp acreage and production data from thousands of U.S. farmers in the coming months. The U.S. Department of Agriculture published a notice in the Federal Register late last month, requesting permission to gather data about hemp production from the White House. Though the type of data USDA is after… Continue reading USDA wants new hemp production data from farmers
Minor cannabinoids are a ‘new frontier’ in wellness: Q&A with Jonathan Vaught, CEO of Front Range Biosciences
Minor cannabinoids have been gathering interest among growers and extractors over the past year, with research on CBG, CBN, CBC and THC-V showing unique health benefits for consumers. But are consumers even aware of these molecules and is there demand in the marketplace? And are there genetics available that can yield enough of these minor… Continue reading Minor cannabinoids are a ‘new frontier’ in wellness: Q&A with Jonathan Vaught, CEO of Front Range Biosciences
MJBizCon announces return to Las Vegas Oct. 20-22
MJBizCon will return as a live, in-person event in Las Vegas this October, barring any unforeseen developments related to the coronavirus pandemic, Marijuana Business Daily announced Monday. The 10th annual cannabis trade show, the largest in the industry, is scheduled to be held at the Las Vegas Convention Center and will include an online component… Continue reading MJBizCon announces return to Las Vegas Oct. 20-22
‘People expected me to fail’: Black female hemp farmers discuss disparity in the industry
Jillian Hishaw (Editor’s note: This story is part of a recurring series of commentaries from professionals connected to the hemp industry. Jillian Hishaw is an agricultural strategist and former U.S. Department of Agriculture Adjudicator of the Office to the Assistant Secretary of Civil Rights. She’s now Founder & CEO of Family Agriculture Resource Management Services… Continue reading ‘People expected me to fail’: Black female hemp farmers discuss disparity in the industry
Hemp producers: USDA preparing for 2022 Census of Agriculture with sample content tests
Hemp farmers may have seen something new in their mailboxes this winter, as federal agriculture officials prepare for the 2022 Census of Agriculture, which will include hemp farmers for the first time. Over the last two months, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service sent “content tests” to a sample of 36,000 producers… Continue reading Hemp producers: USDA preparing for 2022 Census of Agriculture with sample content tests
Customs and Border Protection accused of wrongly blocking trimmer components
A Canadian manufacturing company that makes agricultural equipment for the marijuana and hemp industries is accusing U.S. Customs and Border Protection of wrongly blocking imports needed by its Washington state subsidiary to build a hemp-trimming machine. Keirton USA says that Customs agents seized last month in Blaine, Washington, calling the equipment “drug paraphernalia.” The seizure… Continue reading Customs and Border Protection accused of wrongly blocking trimmer components
Federal judge hands Indiana producers a setback on smokable-hemp challenge
A federal judge in Indiana is reversing course on a state law banning smokable hemp, handing growers and processors another defeat as they seek to find a path to market for the most profitable part of the plant. U.S. District Judge Sarah Evans Barker told the Midwest Hemp Council and several hemp businesses challenging Indiana’s… Continue reading Federal judge hands Indiana producers a setback on smokable-hemp challenge
Tom Vilsack confirmed in Senate as new US Secretary of Agriculture
Three weeks after clearing his Senate agriculture committee hearing, the full Senate voted 92-7 Tuesday to confirm Tom Vilsack as the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture. Vilsack, an Iowan, served in the same role for all eight years of the Obama administration, and oversaw the USDA during passage and implementation of the 2014 Farm Bill, which… Continue reading Tom Vilsack confirmed in Senate as new US Secretary of Agriculture
Study: Most high-CBD hemp plants are 90% marijuana, genetically
High-CBD plants inherit approximately 90% of their genes from marijuana, according to a new cannabis genomics study by the University of Minnesota and hemp breeding company Sunrise Genetics. The collaborators assembled a complete genome from a new cannabis variety and also examined several different cannabis varieties. They found that by breeding high-THC marijuana plants with… Continue reading Study: Most high-CBD hemp plants are 90% marijuana, genetically
Hemp in US animal feed is one step closer to fruition
In the United States currently, humans can eat foods made from hemp – yet we can’t legally eat meat or eggs from animals that have eaten hemp. But with recent action by the Hemp Feed Coalition (HFC), a Fort Collins, Colorado-based nonprofit seeking to gain federal approval for hemp and its byproducts as a source… Continue reading Hemp in US animal feed is one step closer to fruition
One third of Southwestern Oregon hemp farms violated state water laws in 2020
Oregon has uncovered water violations by 33% of hemp growers last year in an audit reviewing operations in the southwestern region of the state. The state’s Water Resources Department reviewed 187 of the 1,000 hemp farms in the region, which represents about half of the hemp operations in the state, the Capital Press reported. But… Continue reading One third of Southwestern Oregon hemp farms violated state water laws in 2020
Indiana House signs off on smokable hemp
The Indiana state House has overwhelmingly voted to reverse a smokable hemp ban being challenged in federal court. A bill approved 69-28 last week would remove references to “smokable hemp” from the state’s 2019 law setting up hemp regulations. Those regulations banned the production and sale of hemp flower products. The bill also repeals a… Continue reading Indiana House signs off on smokable hemp
Editor’s Notebook: Make the press your secret branding weapon
(This opinion column appears in the February issue of Marijuana Business Magazine.) Everyone in the hemp industry knows the story of Charlotte’s Web: A group of well-meaning brothers working under Colorado’s medical marijuana system developed a cannabis strain that worked miracles on a sick little girl named Charlotte. Word spread about the awe-inspiring results of… Continue reading Editor’s Notebook: Make the press your secret branding weapon
Montana lawmakers mull plan to separate hemp, marijuana production
Montana is considering a new requirement that medical marijuana growers keep their operations confined to indoor environments, leaving the outdoors for hemp production only. A state Senate committee Thursday heard from hemp and marijuana growers on the bill that aims to prevent cross-pollination between hemp and marijuana, the (Helena) Independent Record reported. The bill would… Continue reading Montana lawmakers mull plan to separate hemp, marijuana production
California hemp producer sues Santa Cruz County for incorrect hemp sampling, leading to crop loss
Sungrown Organic Hemp, a hemp producer California, says the county owes it $9.6 million for incorrectly sampling its 2019 hemp crop, which led to a false determination that the crop was marijuana. The Watsonville farm filed the lawsuit on Tuesday in county court, claiming that the Santa Cruz County Department of Agriculture used faulty sampling… Continue reading California hemp producer sues Santa Cruz County for incorrect hemp sampling, leading to crop loss