Source: dailyjournal.net


This Sept. 23, 2014 file photo shows a close-up view of a hemp plant cut down at a University of Kentucky farm near Lexington, Ky. North Dakota's Agriculture Department is launching a research program to help determine whether industrial hemp can be a viable commodity in the state. (AP Photo/Dylan Lovan, File)

BISMARCK, North Dakota — North Dakota's agriculture department is launching a research program to help determine whether industrial hemp can be a viable commodity in the state.

Eight years ago, the department issued the nation's first hemp-growing licenses to two farmers, one of whom was a state lawmaker. But efforts to further the industry were hampered by federal drug law, which doesn't differentiate between marijuana and its cousin, hemp, which can be used for a variety of products, including rope, paper, lotion and cooking oil.

FILE - This Sept. 23, 2014 file photo shows a close-up view of a hemp plant cut down at a University of Kentucky farm near Lexington, Ky. North Dakota's Agriculture Department is launching a research program to help determine whether industrial hemp can be a viable commodity in the state. (AP Photo/Dylan Lovan, File)

A provision in the 2014 federal farm bill changed things, allowing for universities and state agriculture departments to research hemp in states that permit its cultivation. North Dakota State Universityalready has started hemp research at its center in Langdon.

Applications from people and groups who want to participate in the state's hemp program are due Jan. 1, after which Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring will appoint a committee to review the proposals and approve participants — perhaps as many as 10.

"It will be a pretty progressive timeline," said Rachel Seifert-Spilde, a plant protection specialist for the agency. "The department is in a rush to get the paperwork completed because we need as much time as possible to secure the hemp seed. Imports need to be approved by the DEA, and that can be a time-consuming process."

Hemp seed is not readily available in the U.S., but other countries already have established industries; NDSU imported seed from Canada, France and Australia for its trials. The federal Drug Enforcement Administration registered North Dakota's Agriculture Department as a seed importer in August, but the state agency still must get approval for actual imports.

Participants in the state program will bear the cost of importing the seed, growing it and marketing the crop, and also must obtain a state hemp permit. The fee for the permit is $5 per acre with a minimum of $150, along with $42.75 to cover the cost of a background check.

"The department will act essentially as a middleman," Seifert-Spilde said. "It's not a guaranteed money-making venture" for participants. The goal, she added, is "to determine whether or not industrial hemp is really a workable alternative commodity for North Dakota farmers."

Preliminary results from NDSU show promise, especially for the hemp seeds brought in from Canada, where the crop has been grown for nearly two decades, according to research agronomist Bryan Hanson.

"We're so close to Canada, one would expect North Dakota would be adapted to the growing of industrial hemp, but we have to do research on it down here, too," he said. "There are a lot of production practices that need to be figured out. It's not going to be a speedy process. It's going to take time."

Hemp backers to start trade journal

by dennis darrow
Source: chieftain.com

Monthly publication to keep tabs on burgeoning industry 



Pueblo isn’t alone in seeing big potential for the state’s emerging hemp industry. 

Next month, Sean Murphy, a Northern Colorado hemp investor and media entrepreneur, plans to launch Hemp Business Journal, a monthly publication that will offer readers in-depth reporting and analysis on the U.S. hemp industry.

“I believe hemp has the potential to improve so much about the footprint we leave on Earth, as well as to build new enterprises and create jobs,” Murphy said in a statement announcing the Boulder-based publication.

“From green building materials to food to medical applications to textiles to bio-plastics, hemp has solutions. So as an impact investor, it attracted me immensely.

Industrial hemp production moving to states?

Source: deltafarmpress.com

A conversation with Harrison Pittman, National Ag Law Center

David Bennett | Delta Farm Press

Produced in some 30 countries, industrial hemp is estimated to be a $500 million market in the United States. Those touting the crop often point to the myriad products it can be used for: carpets, particle board, paper, food, drinks, fabrics, on and on.

However, until lawmakers shoehorned a provision into the last farm bill, industrial hemp has been illegal – under the Controlled Substances Act of 1970, enforced by the DEA -- to grow in the United States for decades. Despite the 2014 farm bill’s “Legitimacy of industrial hemp research” title, which allows states to grow hemp under strict circumstances, the agency still views hemp the same as many street drugs. Regardless, around 30 states are now allowing, or moving to allow, commercial and/or research cultivation of hemp.

In Mid-October, the National Ag Law Center – located at the University of Arkansas -- held a webinar on industrial hemp. Director Harrison Pittman spoke with Delta Farm Press shortly after. Among his comments:

How are the Southern states typically approaching this?

“Kentucky and Tennessee are moving ahead with industrial hemp. Georgia has a state bill proposed as have both Carolinas. As of a couple of days ago, actually, North Carolina was waiting for their governor to sign (a bill).

“Kentucky is the state that’s really at the forefront of activity. At both the state and federal levels they’ve had political support to do a pretty expansive industrial hemp law. They’ve gone as far as any state in the country as far as getting a legal framework in place.”

America’s hemp epicenter: Kentucky ag commissioner excites enthusiasts

Is the thinking there that hemp could partially fill the hole left by tobacco?

“I think that was part of the equation. Kentucky has a history of hemp production. When tobacco cratered, the policy arguments and proponents of industrial hemp had additional strength.”

Allaying fears?

If Kentucky is the bell-cow how did they allay the fears of the DEA and regulators? Or have they?

“Oh, no, anyone moving in the hemp direction is going to have significant interaction with the DEA.

“Kentucky, at one point, filed a lawsuit against the federal government. When they wanted to plant their first crop, they were importing seed from Italy. They hadn’t gone through the DEA import requirements – basically permits that were needed. Well, that seed shipment was embargoed and not allowed into the country.

“Since then, the state and the DEA have worked together to resolve the situation. There are letters, for example, from Sen. Mitch McConnell and Sen. Rand Paul strongly encouraging the DEA to not be in the way of hemp production. They’ve also been very involved in FY 2015 appropriations language that would prohibit the use of funds to prosecute anything related to the 2014 farm bill provision (that opened the door to industrial hemp).”

Where are the big court battles going to come from regarding industrial hemp?

“Remember, it’s technically not illegal to produce industrial hemp. And that’s a plant with a low THC content, non-recreational use, non-psychotropic impact that can be used for industrial products. There are a wide variety of products that can be made with hemp.

“So, it’s not technically illegal to plant hemp – even without the new farm bill language. However, you must have a permit from DEA to plant. And the agency has been loath to grant those.

“The DEA has worked with states – Indiana is a good example – in terms of implementing the research component under the farm bill. So, there is some movement there.

“Long-term, though, the broader tension will mean either the Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2015, or something similar, will be enacted that would, through an act of Congress, amend the Controlled Substances Act by statute. That would define industrial hemp in a way that would remove it from the DEA interpretation of marijuana as a Schedule One Narcotic, which includes all varieties of cannabis sativa. That’s where the real fight will be.

“I haven’t got a sense, honestly, about what the DEA really thinks about all this. Are they being cooperative? Uncooperative? I really don’t know.”

Mid-South

How is Arkansas approaching this?

“In the Arkansas state legislature requested that research be done. There’s actually an economic study available that was done in the early 2000s. Like other studies on this, the conclusions are mixed.

“A key question that people want answered is: is there profit to be had with hemp? There isn’t much data to go on. Stepping back from the legal part of it, consider the structure. It’s one thing to plant it, grow it and harvest it. After that, though, there has to be a spot where you can take it. You have to have a price, a contract, someone to buy it, to process it. That marketplace just isn’t in place.

“In general, I think we’re a long ways off from hemp being a major industry that really takes off. Even for the states that have jumped forward, hemp is still in its infancy.

“The range of estimates for industrial hemp planted around the world typically land around 300,000 acres. Some studies show less than that. Well, for a Mid-South state, that kind of acreage isn’t terribly impressive. We eclipse that in a variety of commodities.”

Mississippi and Louisiana?

“Mississippi doesn’t currently have a hemp law although they do have a proposal in the legislature. They had another proposal in 2014.

“Louisiana doesn’t have a law. I believe they’re one of two states that have never proposed anything regarding industrial hemp.”

An obvious question is if a state votes in recreational use of marijuana would that automatically bring along the legalization of growing industrial hemp?

“Not necessarily. It’s tricky. The DEA interprets the definition of ‘marijuana’ to include allvarieties of cannabis sativa. That includes recreational, industrial hemp and everything else.

“Now, you have Colorado and northwest states passing recreational use marijuana laws. The obvious issue that came up was what will the federal government’s response be? Will they enforce federal drug laws over the state laws?

“Currently, the federal government isn’t shutting them down. There are folks running for President right now that are very open about their intention, if elected, to shut those states down. (New Jersey Governor) Chris Christie has said ‘they may as well make their money now. When I’m President I’ll shut them down on Day One.’

“I’ll repeat: anyone growing industrial hemp without a DEA permit is playing with fire.”

If you do secure a permit and grow hemp do you have to turn over GPS coordinates of fields?

“Some states do require that. Several states want the address, the property description and GPS coordinates. Some even require a minimum acreage be planted. That prevents the issue of ‘small plots’ coming up.

“The DEA permits aren’t easy for producers. A permit may require fencing around the hemp field. It may require concertina wire and video camera coverage. It’s very involved.

“I spoke with someone in Indiana who said the permitting process is extremely time intensive. They said the DEA goes out of its way to ensure it’s hemp being grown. The agency still has in its mind: ‘This is marijuana.’ And they treat it that way.”

Is Hemp the Best Alternative to Synthetic Materials?

Source: leafly.com

In our last article, Hemp vs. Cotton: 3 Reasons Why Cotton is Not King (and Why Hemp Should Be), we focused on industrial hemp’s advantages over cotton, another natural fiber. This time, we'll delve into synthetics, which we believe are inherently worse than any natural fiber.

In the last century, natural fibers have been replaced by synthetics to a great extent. Although attractive because of their low price, mass production, and customization, synthetic fibers are petroleum-based, non-biodegradable, non-renewable, and result in toxic waste products. While they may be cheap to produce, there are hidden costs to both our health and our Earth.

The fastest growing segment of synthetic fiber consumption is polyester, with a recorded demand of 55.2 million tons in 2014. The production and disposal of it contributes to an array of environmental problems. Perhaps worst of all, petrochemical textiles have hurt hard-working American farmers. Unlike natural fibers, synthetics are not grown, they're extracted from deep in the Earth, removing the farmer from the equation.

Conversely, hemp is renewable, biodegradable, and beneficial to the environment. Hemp fibers have some of the strongest mechanical properties of all natural fibers. Additionally, hemp materials can be used in thousands of applications, ranging from incredibly strong ropes to luxuriously comfortable fabrics, from bottles to building materials. Hemp can even be converted into biofuels to power the mills that use it.

With new energy extraction technology such as fracking, the supply of hydrocarbons is considered by some to be infinite. Clearly, that cannot be the case -- sooner or later, oil will become scarce and natural fiber options will be more highly valued. Why not put American farmers to work to grow sustainable natural fiber crops now?

As people turn away from synthetics, their first inclination is to turn to cotton. Although we support all natural fibers over synthetics, we stand by our assertions that hemp is superior to cotton and trust that one day hemp will be the fabric of the future.

Participants sought for N.D. industrial hemp program

By Jonathan Knutson
Source: agweek.com

The U.S. farm bill wants to make it easier for farmers to grow industrial hemp. The North Dakota Department of Agriculture wants that, too.

The state ag deparment announced on Tuesday that it's seeking participants for an industrial hemp pilot program.

“Industrial hemp may only be grown in North Dakota through the North Dakota Department of Agriculture’s pilot program or by institutions of higher education,” state Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring says in a news release.

“We are currently seeking applicants wishing to participate in the department’s pilot program for the purposes of agricultural or academic research," Goehring says.

As the state ag department notes, a provision in the 2014 farm bill gives authority to state departments of agriculture to cultivate industrial hemp for research purposes.

In North Dakota, applicants must submit a project proposal, signed memorandum of understanding and request for seed (if applicable). Proposals will be ranked by a committee appointed by Goehring. Applicants chosen will be required to submit a notarized application, fingerprints and associated fees.

Applications and instructions can be found at www.nd.gov/ndda/program/industrial-hemp.

The deadline for proposals is 5 p.m. CST on Jan 1.

Applicants who need more information should contact Rachel Seifert-Spilde at 701-328-4128orrseifert@nd.gov.

Industrial hemp is controverisal because some people, often ones involved in law enforcement, equate it with marijuna. But industrial hemp supporters say their crop - which has a huge range of uses - can't be used to get high.

Supporters also say that the U.S. already uses imported hemp and should be raising its own hemp instead.

A recent Agweek cover package took a closer look at industrial hemp. Click here to read it:www.agweek.com/crops/3853825-industrial-hemp-gains-ground.

Hemp taking over Kentucky's tobacco resources; 22 companies investing so far

By JANET PATTON
Source: kentucky.com


Steve Bevan of GenCanna, left, and Andy Graves looked at a hemp plant on Graves' farm near Winchester. GenCanna moved from Canada to Kentucky. HERALD-LEADER

Read more here: http://www.kentucky.com/2015/10/25/4104501/hemp-taking-over-kentuckys-tobacco.html#storylink=cpy

WINCHESTER — Tucked away off a narrow country road in Clark County, in the middle of a farm, 27 acres of hemp grew all summer. Now, the plants will be harvested and processed.

Kentucky, hailed as a leader by industrial hemp advocates, has grown the hemp. Now the state is working on growing the industry.

"In two years, we've come a long way," said Agriculture Commissioner James Comer, who is now running for Congress. "We've proven first of all that it's not a drug, which was very important for the opposition to realize. And we've proven it's economically viable, or there wouldn't be 22 companies that have made an investment in the state. ... What we're doing now is working with the companies that want to go to the next step to commercialize the product. "

The plants in Winchester are part of the 100 acres of hemp — high in cannabidiol and low in tetrahydrocannabinol (the high-inducing chemical in marijuana) — grown this year for GenCanna, which moved from Canada to Kentucky to be in the heart of the hemp revolution. It deliberately chose to come to Kentucky over other states, including Colorado, because of the agricultural resources and the climate, both meteorological and political.

"We have been in this industry for many years, and we are setting a new bar in Kentucky," GenCanna CEO Matty Mangone- Miranda said. "Kentucky's kept the focus on industrial hemp" rather than cloud the issue with other forms of cannabis cultivation, as Colorado has permitted.

Mangone-Miranda, who estimates that hemp could become a billion-dollar industry, said his group is in hemp for the long run.

"The industry is likely to have a bubble, then stabilize with a market of diversified products," he said, citing potential uses in sports drinks, nutritional products, supplements and more.

GenCanna has invested more than $5 million in Kentucky, according to company officials, although it has yet to see any revenue. That will come once the company is able to deliver a stable source of low-THC/high-CBD hemp.

"The only way to have hemp become an agricultural commodity is to grow lots of it and see what happens," said Steve Bean, GenCanna's chief operating officer.

Coming to Kentucky had other benefits, too. Many farmers were eager to get into the crop, which decades ago proliferated in the Bluegrass; hundreds applied to be part of pilot projects to grow hemp. The crop still can legally be grown only in affiliation with the state Department of Agriculture and entities that sign detailed memos of understanding.

Kentucky also has resources that in the past were used for tobacco that have converted well to hemp cultivation.

In fact, GenCanna's headquarters is now in part of a former Philip Morris office building stuffed with former labs. The place was practically abandoned as the cigarette maker began retreating from Central Kentucky.

And next door is a processing center in a former tobacco seed plant, where GenCanna built a system to turn the chopped-up hemp plants into a sort of dried powder to sell as a nutritional supplement.

The Shell Farm and Greenhouses in Lancaster is turning its fields away from tobacco, growing 157,000 hemp plants on 40 acres outdoors and 3,500 plants in a greenhouse.

"And we'll be growing it indoors all winter," Giles Shell said. Shell's greenhouses once raised flowers; now he's working on hemp genetics.

"There's no seed crop, so we have to take cuttings to get the plants in the field. So I'm selecting genetics, for a hardier plant — bigger, fuller," Shell said. "We've got a problem with variegation or chimera, so I trying to select away from it."

Next year, Shell intends to grow even more hemp.

"We're going to quit raising our tobacco crop, and if we do any flowers, it will be downsized," Shell said. "Last year, we raised 120 acres of tobacco. This year, we dropped to 80. Next year, we will drop to none. There's not a market any more for tobacco and not enough money once you factor in labor and chemical costs."

Both the offices and the processing center are shared with Atalo Holdings, another hemp entrepreneur company, this one formed by Andy Graves and other Kentuckians working on crushing hemp seed for oil and other fiber production. Graves also grew the 27 acres of hemp for GenCanna.

Other groups, including the Stanley Brothers of Charlotte's Web CBD oil fame, also are pursuing the hemp's potential.

Kentucky could be on the cusp of a green revolution — a hemp boom that could go in myriad directions or spiral into a bubble of speculation.

"It could," Comer acknowledged. But, assuming that sometime in the next two years, Congress makes it legal for anyone to grow hemp, he said Kentucky should be well-positioned, with a jump-start on the infrastructure.

"We get requests every day for companies that want to start processing hemp. I worry that some may not have the credibility of some of the others, and that's why its taking longer to certify, to get more background info," Comer said. "We're not picking winners and losers, but those that have credibility. Our reputations are on the line here, too."

GenCanna has more contracts with farmers than any other company at this point, Comer said. It's the only one in the cannabidiol business with signed contracts with national chains to buy their hemp product, he said.

"GenCanna is the real deal," he said. "And they've given me assurances everyone will be paid, and all the farmers are happy."

The Shell family, which has a three-year contract with GenCanna, certainly is now.

"We were very leery — I was the most reserved in my family of starting to do this," Giles Shell said. "But ... I felt like we were the best route to help commercialize this crop. Demand is really high, and supply isn't there. Basic economics will tell you that's profit.

"We've got a year ahead of everybody else that's going to get into the game."

Hemp Harvest

27 acres of hemp was harvested this week on an Andy Graves farm near Winchester. GenCanna, which moved to Kentucky from Canada to focus on hemp, harvested the 27 acres of hemp grown this year in Winchester and processed it to produce a kind of powder they plan to sell to companies that want to put hemp in nutritional supplements. Photos by Charles Bertram | Staff View Full Gallery HERALD-LEADER 

Read more here: http://www.kentucky.com/2015/10/25/4104501/hemp-taking-over-kentuckys-tobacco.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.kentucky.com/2015/10/25/4104501/hemp-taking-over-kentuckys-tobacco.html#storylink=cpy

Feds Spend Billions to Destroy Marijuana: No Effort to Stop Wall Street Thugs

Source: ringoffireradio.com

On Friday, a group of undercover federal agents entered into Menominee Indian Tribal lands in Wisconsin and proceeded to destroy approximately 30,000 marijuana plants. The Federal Government would rather spend billions in destroying a harmless plant through sweeping, invasive police maneuvers and, yet, Wall Street thugs who do way more damage to people in this country go untouched by the law.

The Menominee Tribal Chairman Gary Besaw issued a statement regarding the raid last week:

There has been disagreement between the Tribe and Acting U.S. Attorney Greg Haanstad as to whether the Tribe’s actions in cultivating its industrial hemp crop was in compliance with the 2014 Farm Bill. The Tribe has worked tirelessly to find a solution to this disagreement, including offering to destroy itself certain strains of the industrial hemp crop that both sides had identified as problematic and offering to file Declaratory Judgment Action in United States District Court of the Eastern District of Wisconsin to allow a federal judge to decide the disputed issues. These offers by the Tribe were rejected in favor of the aggressive unilateral action we saw today.

We need federal efforts pursuing the real problems and threats to the American people, not sovereign tribes growing hemp in their own lands. Wall Street criminals are a much more real and persistent threat than some weed in Wisconsin.

For more on this, read the article from Addicting Info titled: “Federal Agents Raid Native American Lands To Destroy Hemp Crop It Was Legal To Grow (VIDEO).“