As we celebrate the inclusion of legal hemp cultivation in passage of the 2019 Farm Bill here in the U.S., I wonder how many people are affected by this legislation? @memberdirectory, what does the Farm Bill mean for you and your business?
9 Likes
It means the race is on…the race to see which state will embrace hemp as the latest “cash crop” added to other large scale agriculture crops in their respective states.
My primary occupation is a cannabis consultant for American Cannabis Company in Denver however I still farm in Arkansas with my family over 7,000 acres of rice, corn, soybeans and wheat. Now that we have hemp added to our list of crops to grow, it will open new doors for us and other farmers as well.
There are several states that could eventually be the hemp capital of the U.S. It will be determined on availability of rich soil combined with ideal climate and adequate rainfall but more than anything it will be the PROCESSING that will drive large scale hemp farming in the same manner as other crops in the U.S.
HISTORY 101…Within 100 miles of where I live in Arkansas, we grow 52% of the rice in the U.S…this is a perfect example of what could happen to hemp. Back in the early 1900’s investors in the Stuttgart, Arkansas area (now known as rice and duck capital of the world) put their money where their mouth was and built Riceland Foods and later Producers Rice Mills which provided ample processing capacity within a reasonable distance from the farms. This was the beginning of our dominance in the rice market and I think this will parallel what will happen in the next 5 - 10 years now that hemp is once again legal to grow.
Now Donald, sign that Farm Bill!
11 Likes
As of right now it looks like it could potentially mean $10–15M in hemp clone production in 2019 alone.
Very exciting to help America’s farmers great again.
10 Likes
We attended a show in Little Rock AR last week. Overall attendance was down considerable, but the largest new group were farmers interested in hemp. I agree with jonw. Hemp will have a major impact on the southern farmer.
Now we just need to get it listed on the Chicago Commodity Exchange.
Samj
6 Likes
My company was also at the show in Arkansas and you are correct…attendance was pretty low but I think that is a product of how Arkansas has handled the roll out of their MMJ program. It has gone as far as the state supreme court and now over 2 years AFTER voters approved the measure, we should have product available in the Spring of '19.
4 Likes
This also happening in New York
From: Governor Andrew M. Cuomo
Date: Mon, Dec 17, 2018 at 5:15 PM
Subject: The first 100 days of 2019
To: ;mike.c@enssecurity.com>
Governor Cuomo’s agenda for the first 100 days of 2019.
This morning I laid out my agenda for the first 100 days of the 2019 legislative session.
As the federal government seeks to undo generations of progress, New York must lead and there’s no time to wait. With the new Democratic majority in our State Senate we have the opportunity to pass this ambitious plan to ensure the promise of full, true, justice for all.
This 2019 we will:
- Ensure a Progressive Tax System
- Cut Middle Class Taxes While Fighting to Repeal SALT
- Protect Quality, Affordable Health Care
- Codify Reproductive Rights
- Enshrine Gender Equality into Law
- Combat Gun Violence
- Launch a $150 Billion Infrastructure Plan
- Fund and Restructure the MTA While Easing Traffic in New York City’s Business District
- Ensure Education Equity
- Pass the Dream Act
- Launch the Green New Deal
- Ensure Clean, Safe Drinking Water for All
- Improve Our Democracy
- Increase Trust in the Democratic System
- Protect Public Sector Unions
- Keep Housing Affordable for New Yorkers
- Pass the Child Victims Act
- Protect LGBTQ Rights
-
_**
**_Legalize Adult Use of Recreational Marijuana_****_ ; and - Ensure Fairness in the Criminal Justice System
As New Yorkers, we declare independence from the federal government’s repugnant policies. We reject the nationalism, racism, misogyny and discrimination coming from Washington.
Help us pass our progressive agenda and together New York will restore true democracy, fairness and progress.
Now is the time for New York to stand up and deliver on the promise of progressive government. There’s no time to wait.
Ever upward,
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo
4 Likes
Jon,
I too have been watching the process of this “new” crop.
I have many years of experience in building processing equipment for the seed industries, mainly with seed corn and other related grains. Being around the process side, I would agree 100% that this could be a booming industry once again. Growing it is one thing, but processing the hemp fiber it is going to be huge. I have been in contact with a couple of Ag engineering groups that would be very interested in gearing up for this type of project.
Thanks,
Tom
3 Likes
@jonw, we had similar issues in Arizona with our rollout of our MMJ program. Between 2010 and when dispensary doors finally opened in 2013, it was a bit of a free-for-all. Now the market has settled down somewhat and stabilized and we are looking froward to an adult-use rec vote in 2020.
Hopefully the Farm Bill will offer some serious market stabilization. I agree with you @jonw: the name of the game will be the industrialization and automation of processing. Very interesting parallels between what happened in Arkansas with rice and what could potentially happen with hemp.
3 Likes
I have an ideal location…land is cheap, the county wants and needs economic development, there is a river port that can export down the Arkansas river to Miss River and on to the Gulf of Mexico and anywhere in the world. There is already some old infrastructure that could be used…contact me privately if you want to discuss further.
4 Likes
Hahaha is there room for 4 Labrador Retrievers and an old Airstream trailer? 
5 Likes
For me as a pharmacist, I need to wait until the state boards of pharmacy make statements. Until then, help CBD is still schedule I to them and I risk my license acting before they make official statements. After that, things could get interesting.
Ethan
4 Likes
Here in South Carolina, only 20 experimental hemp farming permits were given last year (out of 131 applicants) – in conjunction with a few universities. SC’s ag department will expand the program in its second and third years to 40 farmers growing 40 acres each. After that, research will determine the number of growers and acreage. That was the original plan, but with the 2019 Farm bill, I hope hemp becomes one of the major cash crops in South Carolina. I am affected because a group of people I’m investing with plan to start a CBD company. They plan to grow and process their products, that I will help to sell when I open a medical cannabis dispensary. I am a Master Gardener, and they also want me to help with growing advice, and finding other qualified gardeners to manage the grow site. As you all know, South Carolina hasn’t legalized medical cannabis yet, but there is talk here and in North Carolina. I’m not sure if I can post a link, but here is one with more SC hemp info: https://upstatebusinessjournal.com/82981-2/
3 Likes
I hear it will impact anyone with a prior felony conviction and those who do have one will not be allowed to cultivate. Is this correct? This would exclude a lot of people with priors that are trying to break into the market without growing cannabis.
2 Likes
The most interesting will the old Hemp centers will be the new Hemp centers.
All the states touching Missouri have great Hemp areas.
I find the 1945 Hemp fiber and oil report. We will not likely reach those numbers in the first few years.
We produced insane numbers during the Hemp for victory.
St. Louis had the biggest rope spinning mills in the country for the naval rope. They could spin a 6 inch rope upto a mile long. There are picture on the web of the rope spinning operation. Scary places.
From the voices in my head
Ethan.
2 Likes
I too was at the show in Arkansas last week. It was very slow as far as foot traffic goes. I met more people from Missouri than Arkansas and only a few from Texas or Louisiana. Hemp was a big topic of discussion. But it was also very big topic at MJBiz this year.
However, I will caution everyone not to move to fast. In fact, I had a client call me earlier today asking … now that the farm bill is passed and hemp is legal will my insurance cost go down? Some States, like Michigan for example still have laws on the books that classify CBD the same as THC. Now whether you agree with it or not, it is what it is and until the State laws are changed to a line with the Federal laws , we are still going to be in for some very confusing times.
Speaking for confusing times… if you smell hemp flower and marijuana flower, can you tell the difference? just asking … do you think that law enforcement will be able to tell the difference?
3 Likes
Great question! I also wonder about this…
2 Likes
As a boy growing up in Missouri.
There is no difference in flowering hemp growing all over the state and the beautiful little gems that we called ditch weed.
The ditch weed was definitely a child of WW2 hemp. I can give you the commercial hemp verities grown by region of the state. But, the show me state was number one in tons of hemp for victory in WW2. You can see for yourself. Get the Katy train line map from 1946. Walk any spur of the Katy line built between 1941 and finished by 1946 and you will find beautiful hemp. They stand a good 10 to 18 feet tale depending one the verity. You still see more female plants to males about 8 females for every male. These are the children of our seed hemp.
If you find the male to female ratio closer to 1:1 these are older verities of oil hemp. The used the fibber in rope and thevhemp seed oil was popular on farms as a grease.
In with the WW2 hemp you will see what we called shorties or hobbit. The just look stunted but they come in big groups in the hemp. I think of dog wood wild most are white, but you do find pink ones and pink ones are always in clusters of pink ones.
Same is true with ditch weed or skunk. For what ever reason these plants have what I have used to think was nice THC levels. But, not today.
The plants generally look the same just size is the biggest indicator.
Plus every single country in Missouri you can find hemp. The state used to keep track of hemp pollin in Missouri air number. The Cannabis we like blooms a weeks to ten days later then the other hemp verities. They are all the same plants but THC seems to slow flowering. They are also more cold tolerant then hemp.
Put, this way there are more acre of wild hemp in Missouri then of poison ivy and kudzu combined.
Happy hunting. You sometimes can find intact flower heads on hemp at this time of year in Missouri
2 Likes
Then, there’s the other issues like standard access to open markets, ability to advertise more freely …and Oh Yeah, banking issues will now finally be able to get resolved. Dare to dream; right?
So what else does it mean to YOU?
David Gawitt
Gadco Agriculture, LLC
3 Likes
Jon,
How does Hemp get dried, do they use mechanical means?
2 Likes
For Cannabisbuyer.com we are in the planning stages to build a platform for this market. We have 10 years of traffic on the web.
It will be B2B marketplace. We are very excited to be of assistance to the industry in anyway we can.
Namaste,
Angela
Cannabisbuyer.com
3 Likes