Source: hpj.com
Yes, we can use every colorful and humorous metaphor that can be imagined to describe the cannabis plant which was criminalized to reduce drug abuse but also denied to farmers as a fiber producing crop. Now that states are legalizing marijuana, the prohibition of hemp as an industrial crop seems a little ridiculous. What lies ahead for legal cultivation? The seeds are being sown, but what commercial agriculture may reap is still unknown.
At this time, there are 19 states eligible to do research on industrial hemp. In Illinois, the law says state institutions with four-year agriculture degrees may cultivate hemp under the auspices of the State Department of Agriculture. Several states that have “ditch weed” growing wild are not on the list, notably Oklahoma and Kansas. So keep in mind that in Kansas there is no special protection for hemp farmers (or anyone else for that matter). Nebraska, however, is on the “grow” list, South Dakota on the “no grow” list and North Dakota “OK to grow.”
The last time hemp could be cultivated legally was during World War II. Supply lines to tropical countries were cut by conflict so the U.S. lost its source of sisal, used for making rope. Even though federal marijuana laws had been passed in the 1930s, the government needed hemp fiber to make industrial materials, so the ban was waived. Farmers indicated it was easy to grow but required a lot of labor to harvest and transport. Once the war was over, legal cultivation stopped but the plant can still be identified alongside country roads in many states.
The promise of hemp is probably overstated by health food enthusiasts, but its potential to be used for products ranging from paper, to carpeting, to clothing looks promising. Hemp may also be used as a biofuel and could have benefits in crop rotation and in improving water quality.
The question that has to be asked is whether a market exists for hemp or can one be created. It is known the fiber is superior to some others used in clothing, but if we can’t make cotton shirts or pants competitively in the U.S., how can we expect to be price competitive with hemp for utilitarian clothing? Will we export it as a cheap commodity and then buy back the finished products at a higher price?
A research project that is being developed at Bradley University, in Indiana, combines hemp fiber, sawdust and cotton, bonded with a recyclable solvent to replace polypropylene, a plastic that is widely used to make car parts. Luke Haverhals, assistant professor of chemistry and biochemistry at Bradley, is working with Brent Tiserat, a researcher at the USDA, to find natural ways to make building materials. Imagine land that now grows pine trees for pulp wood being converted to growing hemp.
One of the arguments against hemp has been it could be grown as a cover for an illegal marijuana growing operation. Changes in state laws that allow production of medical or recreational marijuana for legal sale have pretty much negated that argument, but I suspect there will be pushback from the Drug Enforcement Agency to protect jobs more than to protect the public.
As a farmer, what if you could rotate hemp into your production system? Would it pay its way? Would waterways planted to hemp be unwieldy or would hemp do a better job of filtering outflow to streams? Hemp is known to grow well on rough land but would planting it as an annual crop break the USDA Sodbuster provisions and cause denial of farm program benefits?
Kentucky may be the state to watch as there has been an aggressive effort to do hemp studies there for years. David Williams, professor of agriculture at the University of Kentucky, said studies are being focused on finding the best variety to grow in the local climate. He says hemp is in sync with the schools agricultural mission. It seems likely taxpayer money is going to be invested in research projects in most hemp legal states. It seems logical they will yield some pathways toward commercialization of the crop, but its acreage would remain limited unless there is a breakout technology for competitive food, feed or fiber production.
Findings from university research may set the stage for private industry to genetically modify the plant for expanded uses. Millions of Americans believe it has medicinal purposes in its current form. Who knows?—Pot stores may have to mark their products “GMO Free” to please their patrons.
Certainly there are some students at our major universities who could step forward with knowledge of small scale production of the crop. The question is whether they would be more interested in the resin than in the fiber. I hope we can get those jokes behind us as hemp gets a fair chance to prove its worth.
Editor’s note: Ken Root has been an agricultural reporter for 40 years. Root now does daily radio and television programming and is a columnist. He can be reached at kenroot@gmail.com, or send mail for him to High Plains Journal.
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