South Dakota is closer to submitting a final proposal to regulate hemp to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, but it’s likely a framework won’t be in place for this growing season. South Dakota officials sent a draft plan Thursday for the USDA’s review before a final submission, KELOLAND News reported. State Department of Agriculture spokeswoman […]
The Good Ole Hemp farm in St. Cloud, Minnesota. (Photo courtesy of Josh Helberg, owner of Good Ole Hemp) Federal agriculture officials with the U.S. Department of Agriculture signed off on hemp production plans for two states and a U.S. territory this week. Minnesota, which has been a hemp state for six years under the […]
The Hemp Industries Association is closing its 13 affiliates nationwide and forming a group to recommend a new structure for the nonprofit advocacy organization. The HIA board’s decision announced Thursday comes during a time of great tumult for the organization, with departures from high-profile leaders over the last year and some member chapters saying the […]
A Massachusetts investment fund is suing a Florida hemp company, saying investors were scammed of $350,000. Auctus Fund is accusing Hemp Naturals Inc. of: breach of contract. unjust enrichment. fraud and deceit. negligent representation. The Auctus lawsuit filed Monday in Massachusetts federal court says Hemp Naturals has failed to issue shares of its common stock […]
National hemp groups are organizing a campaign to establish a checkoff program – a sometimes-acrimonious system designed to raise money for industry research and promotion by taxing those who profit from the plant. Checkoffs exist for nearly a dozen U.S. commodities, and in the case of the dairy industry, the money it raised helped launch […]
The University of Illinois and the University of Wisconsin are recruiting Midwestern farmers to plant and test different varieties of hemp this year in exchange for discounted cannabinoid sampling. Project participants must agree to at least two sampling dates per plant variety for collection into the Midwestern Hemp Database. The University of Illinois Extension says […]
Neptune Wellness Solutions, a Laval, Quebec-based CBD extractor and manufacturer, has named former Clorox product development lead Eric Gharakhanian as the director of product development for its Health & Wellness Innovations division. Gharakhanian will lead the development of Neptune’s portfolio of health and wellness products across the personal care and homecare sectors, focusing on sustainable […]
(Editor’s note: This story is part of a recurring series of commentaries from professionals connected to the hemp industry. Andrea Steel is co-chairwoman of the Cannabis Business Law Group at Coats Rose, a Houston law firm.) By deeming hemp an agricultural commodity and removing it from the definition of a controlled substance, the 2018 Farm […]
The Michigan Legislature has passed a bill to largely align the state’s hemp industry with federal standards, including total THC testing. The measure also raises licensing fees more than 10 times. The bill has been waiting on action from Gov. Gretchen Whitmer since July 2, according to the Grand Rapids Business Journal. Michigan hemp farmers […]
One of the last hemp holdout states, Mississippi, is directing farmers interested in growing the crop to apply for an individual producer license through the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The state passed the Mississippi Hemp Cultivation Act into law late last month, legalizing hemp cultivation and directing the Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce to create […]
