NewsRoom Articles - Page 104 of 251

WednesdayAug 07, 2019 4:00 pm

Wyoming Governor Confirms the State is Working to Get Hemp Program Underway

Gov. Mark Gordon of Wyoming has reiterated that the state government is doing everything in its power to kick-start the hemp industry. He revealed that the state is now waiting for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to approve the plan that the state sent regarding how the state-level program will be run. Gordon made these comments in a press release that was issued by his office on Tuesday as he responded to the growing complaints about the delay of the state to release its draft regulations for the industry. When Congress passed the 2018 Farm Act, the legislature debated…

WednesdayAug 07, 2019 9:00 am

Hemp Theft Continues, Even if the Crop Won’t Get People High

When industrial hemp was legalized, many farmers quickly took to the crop because of its numerous uses, including CBD extraction, textile or rope making, biofuel making and animal feed, among others. However, a raft of hemp thefts have been reported in different parts of the country and law enforcement officers believe those who steal the crop want to smoke it in order to get high. The police forces in the affected areas believe that those who are stealing hemp plants are unlikely to be individuals who want to process hemp into its different end-products since such an undertaking requires sophisticated…

TuesdayAug 06, 2019 4:00 pm

West Virginia Announces Hemp Cultivation Application Window

Officials in West Virginia have announced the timeline within which farmers who intend to grow industrial hemp during the 2020 seasons can apply to be licensed. The application period will start on September 1 and end on September 30. Those who wish to apply during this window should expect a bit of a queue since the number of growers is expected to rise significantly. For example, in 2017 when the pilot program was still running, only 24 farmers grew hemp. However, that number rose to 170 in 2019 and is likely to rise much higher in 2020. In order to…

TuesdayAug 06, 2019 9:00 am

Kentucky Hemp Industry Registers Major Investments

Officials in Kentucky say they want to make the state a “hemp epicenter” and the recent investment activity in this industry could get them underway to attaining that lofty goal. So far, 1,000 farmers have obtained licenses to grow hemp on a combined area that is in excess of 50,000 acres. This cultivation capacity is a huge jump from the 6,700 acres cultivated last year (for which Kentucky was the third largest grower of hemp in the country). The 2018 Farm Act could be credited for this jump in production. The processing/manufacturing side has also seen major activity with 110…

MondayAug 05, 2019 4:00 pm

Legal Roadblocks Still Stand in the Way of Using Hemp as Animal Feed

While many farmers and other hemp value chain actors have the CBD market on their mind as they consider entering the hemp space, there is a lot of untapped potential in using hemp as animal feed. However, a number of legal issues may delay those who wish to tap the potential of hemp as an animal feed product or ingredient. Why Hemp as Animal Feed? Hempseed products have been documented to contain high amounts of fatty acids and protein. They also contain many minerals essential to the health of animals. These include boron, copper, zinc, manganese and iron. Using hemp…

MondayAug 05, 2019 9:00 am

US Hemp Authority Invites Public Comments on Certification Program

The idea of forming a self-regulating organization (SRO) for the hemp industry was born in 2016 when the leadership of the Kentucky Hemp Industry Coalition-KHIC, realized that for the industry to thrive, there was need for a strong certification entity to be created in order to ensure that high standards, best practices and self-regulation were enforced. This would ensure that the plant’s association with marijuana doesn’t stifle the growth of the hemp industry. The U.S. Hemp Authority has since been formed and certifications have been issued under Guidance Plan 1.0. In July this year, the authority released Guidance Plan 2.0…

FridayAug 02, 2019 4:00 pm

Privacy Law Worries Michigan Hemp Farmers

While the 2018 Farm Act stipulated that any farmer who applied for a license to grow industrial hemp had to disclose their GPS coordinates, the Attorney General’s office in Michigan was of the view that the information about hemp license holders was exempted from public release, and the resultant hemp law passed by the state reflected this position in order to protect the farmers and their crops. However, some farmers in this fledgling industry are concerned that the failure to disclose their GPS coordinates could be counterproductive for the nascent hemp industry. One of the potential problems has to do…

FridayAug 02, 2019 12:11 pm

BMW Group (BMWYY) Pioneering Natural Solutions, Such as Hemp Biocomposites, as Emphasis on Environmental Friendliness Increases

BMW is among the leaders in the automotive industry in its efforts to improve environmental sustainability through the use of natural, biodegradable products and electrical power systems that eliminate carbon emissions The company’s BMW i sub-brand utilizes natural hemp fibers in strong biocomposites for vehicle bodies that provide environmentally friendly appeal while maintaining physical integrity BMW’s i3 was the among the top-three best-selling all-electric vehicles for three years in a row, demonstrating the market demand for BMW’s vision of earth-friendly production Pioneers crossing the North American Great Plains during the 19th Century used hemp canvas to outfit their covered wagons…

FridayAug 02, 2019 9:00 am

Hemp Legalization in Texas Puts DAs at Odds With Each Other

Early this year, Texas enacted a law that legalized industrial hemp in this conservative state where all attempts to legalize marijuana have failed. However, the legalization of hemp has made the prosecution of marijuana cases more complex, and many District Attorneys have elected to stop prosecuting marijuana possession cases in their jurisdictions. A clear divide has emerged between the prosecutors in urban counties, such as Dallas, and those from rural areas, such as Yoakum County. Those in urban areas have generally elected to stop prosecuting marijuana possession cases while those in counties located far from large urban centers have vowed…

ThursdayAug 01, 2019 4:00 pm

Oregon Farmer Experiments Using Straw Instead of Plastic to Mulch Hemp Fields

Straw could soon be a mulching material of choice for hemp farmers in Oregon and beyond if the experiment being done by a farmer in Southern Oregon bears positive results. Concerns have been raised about the effect of disposable plastic mulch on the environment, and Scott Diesel wants to offer a sustainable alternative to this eyesore. Last week, Scott Diesel used a giant blower to spread straw over nearly an acre of land before planting industrial hemp. The blower he used looks like an agricultural cannon. Some hemp growers had started using straw as a mulching material in the place…