High input costs, unstable genetics and a steep learning curve impacted most new hemp farmers in the first legal farming season after legalization of hemp as a commodity crop. But small farmers especially are seeing high barriers to entry within the nascent industry, according to farmer advocates. Steep licensing fees and minimum plant numbers were […]
(Editor’s note: This story has been updated with additional industry responses.) High input costs, unstable genetics and a steep learning curve impacted most new hemp farmers in the first legal farming season after legalization of hemp as a commodity crop. But small farmers especially are seeing high barriers to entry within the nascent industry, according […]
Agriculture officials in Florida are now tracking and regulating CBD and hemp products, a change prompted by a state law that took effect Jan. 1. Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried and the state Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services oversee products containing hemp and CBD ingredients that are consumed by humans and animals. They also […]
Prosecutors in Braunschweig, Germany, are seeking prison time against the operators of a retail shop that sold hemp teas. The public prosecutor’s office says the sale of hemp tea is illegal, regardless how low the THC content. The operators of the Hanfbar retail store – Marcel Kaine and Bardia Hatefi – face sentences of three years and 2½ […]
There are benchmarks and standards for nearly everything when it comes to agricultural production, but not everyone is always using the same methods or using them in the same tactical way – especially in a nascent industry such as hemp. That’s why a new task force commissioned by the Hemp Industries Association (HIA) is aiming […]
Pet treats and animal food containing hemp derivatives, including CBD, are still not allowed under federal law, and South Carolina agriculture officials say they will start cracking down on companies selling them this month. The South Carolina Department of Agriculture (SCDA) plans to notify consumers and animal feed manufacturers that hemp and CBD are not […]
In agriculture, it’s rare that a new commodity presents such new opportunities for farmers and businesses in the way hemp has. And the nascent industry has experienced its share of growing pains since the 2014 Farm Bill established a pilot research program for the crop in the United States and the 2018 Farm Bill made […]
A Florida truck driver who was stopped twice last month driving hemp from California to New York is now considering a lawsuit against Texas authorities who jailed him and charged him with felony possession of marijuana. Aneudy Gonzales was stopped for a traffic violation near Conway, Texas, on Dec. 5. Texas Highway Patrol seized roughly 3,350 […]
Cannabis products seized in December in Wellford, South Carolina (Photo courtesy of Wellford Police Department) Police in South Carolina are saying suspicious behavior by drivers, unprofessional shipping practices and unsatisfactory paperwork caused them to seize a 183-pound shipment of hemp in December that they thought was marijuana. But the Texas hemp distributor who bought the […]
A Minnesota hemp farmer facing felony drug charges over a 2018 crop that went hot still has the right to challenge the loss of his hemp license, a federal judge ruled Thursday. Luis Hummel, who owns 5th Sun Gardens in Lanesboro, grew roughly 2,000 pounds of hemp that passed state THC tests before harvest. But […]
