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
Category: Hemp Fiber and Grain News
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
Solar-powered car made with hemp components to begin production by year’s end
Solar-powered vehicles built from hemp are being reserved from an automaker in San Diego, which expects to go into production by the end of 2021. Aptera Motors, a startup, high-efficiency vehicle manufacturer, has developed a three-wheeled vehicle that can transport two people, and uses a solar array that can be supplemented with more solar panels… Continue reading Solar-powered car made with hemp components to begin production by year’s end
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
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
Levi’s teams with Danish fashion brand to roll out hemp denim
Levi’s is teaming with a Danish fashion brand GANNI to offer denim jeans, jackets, dresses and tops made of cottonized hemp. The collection promotes the items as more sustainable than cotton-based denim. “The hemp used to make the fabric is all rain-fed with a proven lower footprint than conventional denim, traditionally made from cotton,” Ditte… Continue reading Levi’s teams with Danish fashion brand to roll out hemp denim
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
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
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
H&M-owned clothing company debuts hemp denim
A denim maker owned by the H&M Group has debuted a line of hemp denim dyed with avocados and red onions. Weekday, a sustainable fashion brand based in Sweden, highlighted its first items made from hemp textiles at Stockholm Fashion Week last week, Sourcing Journal reported. The garments are dyed with food waste including avocados… Continue reading H&M-owned clothing company debuts hemp denim
Pennsylvania awarding grants to promote hemp sales, exports
Pennsylvania is awarding $253,000 to organizations with projects designed to increase sales and exports of hemp products. Pennsylvania’s Department of Agriculture is accepting applications for the grants until March 5, PennWatch reported. Projects aimed at promoting consumer awareness are also eligible. “Hemp has presented a unique opportunity to build an industry from the ground up,… Continue reading Pennsylvania awarding grants to promote hemp sales, exports
How to head off partnership disputes before they happen
(This story appears in the February issue of Marijuana Business Magazine.) Partnership disputes — whether between business partners or owners and investors — continue to be an ugly feature of the marijuana and hemp industries. Such conflicts can be costly and time-consuming; plus, they can sink a cannabis company. But there are steps companies can… Continue reading How to head off partnership disputes before they happen
DEA asking applicants about hemp use before legalization
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration is asking job applicants whether they’ve used hemp before it was legalized in 2018, saying current and past drug use is taken into account in the hiring process. The DEA posted the updated questionnaire for applicants this month, asking prospective employees to “Please include any Hemp or Cannabidiol (CBD) use,… Continue reading DEA asking applicants about hemp use before legalization
USDA creating hemp germplasm collection, funding lab to study plant breeding
Dionne Toombs Researchers at the U.S. Department of Agriculture say they’re studying ways to boost hemp production and profitability for growers, and are collecting the first national statistics on domestic hemp production to be ready by next year. But Dionne Toombs, director for USDA’s Office of the Chief Scientist, gave no indication this week at… Continue reading USDA creating hemp germplasm collection, funding lab to study plant breeding
3M eyes hemp for adhesives, packaging replacements — even growing new organs
3M’s Don Davidson uses everyday sticky notes to demostrate how hemp could become part of tomorrow’s adhesives (photo via National Hemp Symposium) Industrial conglomerate 3M Co. thinks hemp can be part of the sustainability “megatrend” and is looking at hemp components to do everything from strengthening packaging tape to helping grow human tissue and organs.… Continue reading 3M eyes hemp for adhesives, packaging replacements — even growing new organs
Hemp operators interested in federal checkoff program, survey shows
A clear majority of hemp farmers and processors support establishing a federal program to promote the crop, according to a survey by two industry groups, but not everyone supports paying for it. The National Industrial Hemp Council and the Hemp Industries Association polled their members late last year on the question of having a checkoff… Continue reading Hemp operators interested in federal checkoff program, survey shows
Vancouver company locks down water rights for hemp construction plans in Colorado
A Canadian hemp producer says it has acquired the water rights necessary to pursue its plan to grow hemp in northwestern Colorado and process the hemp into construction components for affordable homes on the same land. Global Hemp Group says it has acquired control of Western Sierra Resource Corp. of Steamboat Springs, Colorado, and its… Continue reading Vancouver company locks down water rights for hemp construction plans in Colorado
Time to invest in cannabis in Mexico is now, attorneys say
Mexico is moving ahead on medical marijuana regulation — and all hemp and marijuana companies that envision doing business there in the future should start preparing now, lawyers say. The Mexican government has begun setting a regulatory structure for medical cannabis in the country, making it possible for companies to start applying for research licenses… Continue reading Time to invest in cannabis in Mexico is now, attorneys say
New USDA hemp rules: Find out what you need to know to succeed
The U.S. Department of Agriculture kicked off 2021 with the release of federal regulations that will govern hemp production going forward. Find out the key elements of the new rules with a free webinar with leading industry professionals who will provide an overview of what hemp operators need to succeed. There is still time to… Continue reading New USDA hemp rules: Find out what you need to know to succeed
Chart: Making sense of USDA’s new rules for disposing of hot hemp
(Editor’s note: This comes from Hemp Industry Daily‘s free updated USDA Final Hemp Rule report, available for download here.) The mishmash of U.S. hemp rules is on its way out. More than two years after Congress made hemp a legal agricultural commodity, farmers finally have one national set of rules for growing it – instead of a confusing,… Continue reading Chart: Making sense of USDA’s new rules for disposing of hot hemp
Thailand legalizes hemp production for all uses
Thailand’s public health minister has approved regulations legalizing hemp production beginning Friday. The new rules allows hemp cultivation for commercial, medicinal, and research purposes, the Bangkok Post reported. Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul approved the rules Thursday. The regulations will allow both exports and imports and the plant can be cultivated for extracts, beverages, cosmetics,… Continue reading Thailand legalizes hemp production for all uses
Biden moves on climate change have hemp industry seeing opportunity
Hemp advocates say the plant’s carbon-gobbling properties position the crop to play an important role in plans outlined by President Joe Biden to tackle the climate crisis. Biden created the White House Office of Domestic Climate Policy Wednesday and signed a series of executive orders aimed at tackling the climate crisis. After signing an order… Continue reading Biden moves on climate change have hemp industry seeing opportunity
Reports: French energy startup nets €18.8 million to launch hemp-fueled plant
Qairos Energies, a startup with aspirations of using agricultural biomass to produce methane and hydrogen in northwestern France, has raised nearly €18.8 million ($23 million) to build and launch a facility that will use local hemp to make fuel for buses, trains and France’s chief natural gas distributor. The eight-figure support for the project, reported… Continue reading Reports: French energy startup nets €18.8 million to launch hemp-fueled plant
Hemp industry advocates dish reactions on USDA final hemp rules
Federal agriculture rulemakers at the U.S. Department of Agriculture released final hemp production rules on Friday, in the final days of the Trump Administration. Changes to the final rule were based on public comments from farmers and industry members about interim hemp rules released in 2019 and are set to take effect on March 22.… Continue reading Hemp industry advocates dish reactions on USDA final hemp rules
Illinois sees more hemp processors but fewer acres as industry matures in agricultural powerhouse
Hemp plants in Groveland, Illinois. Photo courtesy Simple Livin’ Farms. The number of hemp processors in Illinois doubled over the last year as the new industry tries to establish itself in a state that’s already an agricultural powerhouse. Row crops are nothing new to growers in Illinois – one of the top corn-producing states in… Continue reading Illinois sees more hemp processors but fewer acres as industry matures in agricultural powerhouse
Hemp licenses up, but acreage down in 2020 – yet industry is optimistic for growth
For all the growth that the hemp and CBD industry has seen as a nascent industry in recent years, last year farmers took a step back and devoted fewer resources to the crop – the enthusiasm of previous years tempered by oversupply, supply-chain issues and a lack of infrastructure. Licensed hemp acreage decreased in 2020… Continue reading Hemp licenses up, but acreage down in 2020 – yet industry is optimistic for growth
Vermont to conduct ‘contactless’ inspections of hemp operators during COVID
Vermont will be conducting contactless inspections of hemp operators to limit person-to-person contact during the pandemic. The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets says the inspections will begin with a phone call, followed by an email and an online form to gather information about number of harvested lots, yields, and results of contaminant testing,… Continue reading Vermont to conduct ‘contactless’ inspections of hemp operators during COVID
Global efforts to reduce plastics pollution make way for alternatives like hemp
Hemp entrepreneurs are starting the new year looking to play a role in global efforts to reduce plastic pollution. Canada has rolled out a list of single-use plastics that will be banned in the country by the end of 2021. Restrictions on single-use plastics include straws, coffee stirrers, drink rings, plastic cutlery, take-out food containers… Continue reading Global efforts to reduce plastics pollution make way for alternatives like hemp
Hemp baby greens may be the next salad superfood, researchers say
Could hemp baby greens be the next must-have superfood heading for consumers’ salad bowls? Researchers around the country are studying the viability of another potential revenue stream for producers, beyond the grain, fiber and flower crops for which the hemp plant has become most closely associated. Hemp baby greens are being grown and taste-tested as… Continue reading Hemp baby greens may be the next salad superfood, researchers say
Alabama hemp company launches new fiber processing plant
BastCore, an Alabama-based hemp fiber company, has turned a former steam plant outside the capital of Montgomery into a processing facility, one of the first in the United States to offer a key link in the supply chain between Alabama’s farmers and hemp-derived product makers. Final electrical work was underway inside the processing facility last… Continue reading Alabama hemp company launches new fiber processing plant