Enhancing federal oversight of hemp and addressing key concerns within the marijuana industry will now be more feasible after hemp receives dedicated recognition in the US Department of Agriculture’s (“USDA”) Census of Agriculture, according to industry stakeholders.
Joshua Bates, a statistician at USDA, highlighted the significance of hemp being included in the 2022 Ag Census, which was released recently. He emphasized the extensive scope of the census, which offers county-level information on hemp production, a feature not included in the yearly National Hemp Report.
The census provides a thorough overview of many farming-related topics, allowing for in-depth examination and additional research into the health of the sector. It classifies nursery and field crop data in addition to data unique to states and counties.
The census recorded the following for field crops in 2022:
- 215 farms cultivating hemp fiber, covering 5,841 acres and yielding 11.1 million pounds
- 1,893 farms growing floral hemp, spanning 10,557 acres and producing 11 million pounds
- 70 farms focused on hemp grain, with 3,164 acres and a yield of 886,702 pounds
- 125 farms designated for other hemp cultivation, covering 196 acres and producing 215,744 pounds
Meanwhile, nursery crop data showed:
- 252 farms producing transplants or clones, covering 1.4 million square feet
- 673 farms engaged in complete grows, spanning 3.5 million square feet
- 97 farms dedicated to seed production, with 553,975 square feet
Jonathan Miller, general counsel of the United States Hemp Roundtable, voiced worries about the slowdown in hemp growth, which he mostly linked to the lack of federal oversight for products derived from hemp. He noted, however, that there are continued campaigns for regulatory monitoring being carried out by different groups, including the Hemp Roundtable.
The decrease in hemp cultivation also affects hemp flower (66% decline), which was once the main product of hemp but is now significantly less common.
National Hemp Association chair Geoff Whaling hopes that classifying hemp production in the Ag Census will help in the advocacy of rules that are specific to the various sectors of the industry. He highlighted the necessity of removing obstacles that hemp farmers face, especially concerning rules that are different from those governing more conventional crops such as soybeans and corn.
Further, Hometown Hero CBD cofounder Lukas Gilkey noted the plant’s ability to stimulate economic growth, especially in regions such as Texas that are leaders in the production of hemp fiber. The state has 20 farms cultivating hemp fiber.
Missouri has the most acres planted for hemp fiber with 1,302 acres, while North Dakota led in hemp grain with more than 214,000 acres. South Dakota has the largest number of hemp grain farms, with 1,449. In regard to cannabinoids such as CBD, Oregon was home to 233 of the 1,893 farms that produced flower hemp in 2022. However, California grew more than 6.2 million pounds of hemp in 2022, producing the most cannabinoids.
As the industry gains traction over the coming years, enterprises such as Software Effective Solutions Corp. (d/b/a MedCana) (OTC: SFWJ) are likely to attract a lot more attention, particularly for the software solutions that they avail to aid operators in the entire value chain of hemp and cannabis.
NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to Software Effective Solutions Corp. (d/b/a MedCana) (OTC: SFWJ) are available in the company’s newsroom at https://ibn.fm/SFWJ
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