December 2019 - HempWire

MondayDec 30, 2019 4:00 pm

Colorado Department of Agriculture Approves Four Additional Hemp Varieties

Last December, the Farm Bill released hemp from decades of classification as a controlled substance. The legislation classified cannabis with less than 0.3% THC content as industrial hemp and gave farmers in all states the green light to farm the crop under state and tribal hemp programs. This was on the condition that they complied with federal regulations, especially THC level requirements. Shortly after the Farm Bill was passed, the demand for hemp-derived CBD exploded and exponentially increased the demand for hemp by extension. To pass the Farm Bill's THC level requirements, farmers would require hemp strains with minuscule levels…

MondayDec 30, 2019 9:00 am

Kentucky Hemp Conference Underscores Current Industry Risks

On Thursday last week, an association representing Kentucky's hemp industry held a conference in Murray. The gathering involved hemp farmers, processors, and regulators, and it highlighted the continuing regulatory uncertainty that's been facing the hemp industry. Hemp became legal after the 2018 Farm Bill distinguished cannabis with minuscule levels of THC, less than 0.3%, giving farmers the green light to farm it under state and tribal programs. However, most states have different laws concerning hemp and its extracts. Some allow it, some don't, while some don't even have hemp programs. This patchwork of legislation was one of the main issues…

FridayDec 27, 2019 4:00 pm

US Hemp Farmers Join Forces and Launch National Association

Last week, an announcement for the launch of a national hemp trade association for hemp farmers in Indianapolis was made. The trade association is referred to as United States Hemp Growers Association (USHGA). A diverse group of leaders founded the association. The purpose of the association is to provide farmers with world-class education, resources for market development, and research. It would also provide them with networking opportunities while uniting farmers to ensure that they are actively involved in significant advocacy efforts. The USHGA founding partners include U.S. Hemp Farming Alliance, First Crop, Hilo Seed, GenCanna, International Hemp Solutions, and Farm…

FridayDec 27, 2019 9:00 am

USDA Extends Hemp Rules Comment Period By 30 Days

Players in the hemp sector could finally heave a sigh of relief after the U.S. Department of Agriculture released the much-awaited interim final rule on hemp this October. Published in the Federal Register on October 31, the rule established a domestic hemp production program authorized by the Agricultural Improvement Act of 2018, also known as the Farm Bill. When the 2018 Farm Bill legalized industrial hemp and its extracts last year, the market for hemp and hemp-derived CBD exploded. By the end of 2018, the CBD market was worth at least $8 billion, and it's expected to hit $20 billion…

ThursdayDec 26, 2019 4:00 pm

Lawmakers Write Multiple Letters Asking the USDA to Modify Hemp Rules

Last week, lawmakers from Virginia and Maine sent letters to the head of the USDA requesting the agency to make sure that it includes feedback from stakeholders in the changes to be made to the proposed hemp regulations. The hemp industry has grown tremendously since hemp production was federally legalized under the 2018 Farm Bill; however, the provisions in the USDA interim final rules will place a substantial burden on the growers, wrote Sens. Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Mark Warner (D-VA). The regulations’ amendments will be finalized after the public comments period comes to an end, after it was extended…

ThursdayDec 26, 2019 12:22 pm

USA CBD Expo 2020 to Warm Winter Weather in Vegas

The nation’s most popular CBD/hemp trade show is back with a bang. February 13-15, 2020, the USA CBD Expo kicks off at the Las Vegas Convention Center, opening its doors once again to thousands of growers, retailers, buyers and enthusiasts. No one will be left out in the cold – or in the dark, for that matter. Last year, the inaugural convention, held in August at the Miami Beach Convention Center, drew more than 13,000 attendees from all corners of the cannabis world. This year will be no different. A Vegas calling card always trumps. The show will highlight the…

ThursdayDec 26, 2019 9:00 am

Producers Turn to Congress and State Regulators for Help in Convincing the USDA to Change Hemp Rules

For many U.S. farmers, the 2018 Farm Bill was a godsend. The legislation made cultivating industrial hemp legal after more than sixty years of prohibition, finally giving them the green light to grow the profitable crop. Extremely versatile in application, the market boom that soon followed the legislation was almost a guarantee. Hemp extract cannabidiol (CBD) accounted for a large percentage of hemp's massive popularity. The compound is a potent medicine, able to work against a variety of ailments including anxiety, chronic pain and high blood pressure. There's even an FDA approved drug made from CBD that's used to treat…

MondayDec 23, 2019 4:00 pm

EPA Gives the Nod to 10 Pesticides for Use on Hemp

Federal regulators have approved the use of ten pesticides on hemp crops giving hemp farmers a chance to control pests during the 2020 planting season. Hemp cultivation was legalized under the 2018 Farm Bill, and in October, the USDA released guidelines which give farmers across the nation a chance to grow the crop. On Thursday, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it has approved 10 pesticides to be used on industrial hemp to control insects and pests. The ten pesticides include nine biopesticides and one conventional pesticide. Most of the pesticide products help in controlling insects, bacteria, fungi, and…

MondayDec 23, 2019 11:24 am

MCTC Holdings Inc. (MCTC) CEO Praises Cannabis Infusion Technology Company’s Direction in Year-End Shareholder Letter

MCTC Holdings Inc. is raising a toast to its advances and plans for 2020 in a year-end letter to shareholders that recaps the company’s management restructuring and change in strategy during the past year MCTC has filed for a fifth patent for its Hemp You Can Feel product line as it continues developing mechanisms for using microparticle and nanoparticle technology to make cannabinoid compound delivery to the bloodstream more effective The company is preparing to change its company identity to Cannabis Global, Inc., and to introduce several new direct product offerings based on its IP technologies, including glycosides and nanoparticles…

MondayDec 23, 2019 9:00 am

University of Wisconsin Starts Hemp Research

The 2018 Farm Bill was a game-changer for the country's agricultural sector. Tucked away among the pages of the bill was the Hemp Farming Act, legislation that classified cannabis with less than 0.3% THC levels as industrial hemp. The bill gave farmers in all states and tribes the green light to grow hemp under state and tribal programs, and grow they did. Hemp is insanely versatile, some say with more than 2,000 uses. Apart from its industrial uses such as making bioplastics and fabrics, hemp is quite known for the cannabinoids it produces. The most known ones are THC (delta-9…