NewsRoom Articles - Page 89 of 251

ThursdayNov 07, 2019 4:00 pm

USDA Suggests Hemp Farmers Pay Promotions Fee

On Monday, a top official working for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Heather Pichelman, while addressing the growers for the first time since the unveiling of the national regulations said that the hemp industry is interested in paying fees to promote the crop. She further said the idea of the promotional fees is to ensure that the industry is not left behind as various opportunities arise. Although Pichelman did not comment on any rule changes being considered by the USDA, she urged farmers to review the interim final rules published the previous week by the agency. She also said that…

ThursdayNov 07, 2019 9:00 am

Federal Hemp Rules Scare Vermont Farmers

Last week the federal government proposed new hemp regulations where the amount of THC in hemp will be strictly regulated, causing Vermont hemp farmers to panic. THC is the psychoactive compound found in hemp and its cousin marijuana. On Thursday, the Department of Agriculture released the rules that state that farmers whose hemp has a THC concentration that exceeds 0.3% would be barred from harvesting the crop. Current Vermont law allows farmers to grow hemp with a THC concentration of up to 1%. The state regulators, processors, and farmers are worried that the stringent THC measures could end up hurting…

WednesdayNov 06, 2019 4:00 pm

Highlights of USDA Programs Hemp Farmers Can Benefit From

Although the Farm Bill of 2018 legalized the cultivation of industrial hemp, farmers who planted the cash crop found themselves between a rock and a hard place. While technically, growing hemp was allowed by federal law, the industry was largely unregulated, and hemp farmers were locked out of most of the USDA’s programs. Last week, the USDA passed its much awaited interim final rule on the hemp industry, finally allowing hemp farmers access to its agricultural programs. The new nationwide hemp production rules took effect last Thursday, and starting from the 2020 planting season, growers licensed under federally approved programs…

WednesdayNov 06, 2019 9:00 am

USDA Starts Accepting Public Comments on Hemp Production Rules

On Thursday, the USDA started accepting public comments on hemp production regulations. The process which will be carried out the whole month of December presents the citizens with an opportunity to voice their opinions regarding the interim final rule that was released on Tuesday by the Department of Agriculture. After the legalization of hemp and its derivatives under the 2018 Farm Bill, the USDA wrote a document, which is 43-pages long, covering issues such as places for growing the crop, THC concentration requirement, licensing, and process of destroying hemp that exceeds the required level of THC. The people have to…

TuesdayNov 05, 2019 4:00 pm

Fears of Oversupply Intensify After Huge Hemp Harvest

The hemp industry's rapid growth just might prove to be its undoing. Primarily carried by cannabidiol's (CBD) popularity as a natural alternative medicine, the industry has grown in leaps and bounds, especially since last year's Farm Bill made cultivating hemp legal. As farmers all over the country harvest their crop, it is becoming apparent that there may be a surplus in supply. According to a report released by advocacy group Vote Hemp, the amount of land on which U.S. farmers are licensed to grow hemp quadrupled from 2018 to 2019. Farmers were authorized to produce 511,442 acres of hemp in…

TuesdayNov 05, 2019 9:00 am

First Hemp Processing Plant in Virginia Set to Be Launched

Virginia's first commercial hemp fiber processing plant, Vitality Farms, LLC, will soon be launched in Wythe County according to an announcement Governor Ralph Northam. The facility, currently operating as Appalachian Biomass Processing, plans on investing $894,000 and creating 13 jobs. The plant intends to purchase at least 6,000 tons of industrial hemp valued at $1 million or more from farmers in Virginia in the following three years. In March, Governor Northam aligned Virginia’s hemp law to the 2018 Farm Bill by signing the bill legalizing commercial farming and processing of industrial hemp. The announcement was marked as the first economic…

MondayNov 04, 2019 4:00 pm

Farmers Express Concerns About Newly Released Hemp Regulations

Players in the hemp and cannabidiol (CBD) industry could finally rest easy after the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) finally released its proposed regulations on the CBD industry last week. The Farm Bill passed in December 2018 made the cultivation of industrial hemp legal. Still, the industry remained unregulated, and institutions that offered vital services such as insurance companies and banks avoided working with hemp farmers. Last week's news ought to have been a reprieve, finally allowing them access to essential services. However, farmers have come out saying that the long-awaited final interim rule is not the savior they thought…

MondayNov 04, 2019 9:00 am

Utah Farmers Report Successes and Challenges in First Hemp Season

Jud Haward is a hemp farmer from Utah whose crop is now drying in his barn after harvesting. He has used the hanging method to dry his plants and the drying hemp is filling the air with a heavenly cannabis aroma. He is proud of the hemp yields from his 10-acres despite having sold only a part of the crop. Haward was among the first farmers in Utah to grow industrial hemp. Thus, he relied mainly on his instinct and little guidance from an expert to nurture his crop to maturity. The most nerve-wracking thing is, he was never sure…

FridayNov 01, 2019 4:00 pm

North Carolina Farmers Fear Smokable Hemp Ban Will Drive Them Out of Business

As farmers all over the country celebrate the USDA's release of its final interim rule on hemp, those in the state of North Carolina are worried that the plant might quickly become unprofitable for them. As the farmers work on last season's harvest, pending legislation on the legality of smokable hemp hangs over them like Damocles’ sword. The ban on smokable hemp, which would take effect on June 1, 2020, has farmers very worried. Zach Mountford is a hemp farmer in Dublin County. He says that although he's happy with this last season's harvest, he fears that it might be…

FridayNov 01, 2019 9:00 am

Cannabis and Hemp Jobs Expand Despite Regulatory Uncertainties

In the 2019 Hemp and CBD Industry Factbook, Kristen Nichols writes that hemp is new, popular and has immense potential, but the course the hemp industry is taking is not yet clear. She likens the industry to a runner with brand new shoes and full of energy with no idea of the course. The hemp industry has captured the interested of many. A recent sales report shows that in 2019, CBD sales are expected to exceed $1 billion, which denotes a 133% increase above 2018 sales. By 2024, sales are forecasted to be $10 billion or more. The supply chain…