Imagine if Trump made hemp and pot legal, ditch weed for the massed free of charge as the money is in the tall plants.
You got stoned and you missed it?
After a century of prohibition, hemp is once again taking root in American soil. With the passing of the 2014 federal farm bill (section 7606), farmers in states with industrial hemp legislation are allowed to grow and harvest hemp in conjunction with their state departments of agriculture for research through pilot programs
And meanwhile in Canada...
Hemp acres could drop sharply on the Prairies in 2016 because Manitoba Harvest, the largest hemp seed processor in Canada, is not offering production contracts.
A Manitoba Harvest representative told growers at a Dec. 15 meeting in Bow Island, Alta, that there’s a glut of hemp seed in storage on farms in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
Consequently, Manitoba Harvest doesn’t need additional hemp grain in 2016 because the existing supply will last well into 2017.
Manitoba Harvest operates a processing plant in Winnipeg, where it produces hemp protein, hemp oil, hemp granola bars and hemp milk.
Ric Luimes, who manages hemp production for Quattro Farms in Bow Island, said the news was not a shock.
“We kind of new there were some issues,” he said.
“There’s inventory buildup in a lot of producers’ bins in the area.”
Rod Lanier, who grows hemp south of Lethbridge, had heard that hemp processors were struggling to use the existing supply.
“I’m not surprised (by the Manitoba Harvest move) with how far behind most companies are with taking their 2014 crop. I’ve heard lots of rumours from farmers that they haven’t moved very much of their 2014 crop, let alone last year’s crop.”
Manitoba Harvest spokesperson Kelly Saunderson said the production “pause” applies to all of Western Canada. Higher than expected yields are the primary reason for the oversupply.
“In the past we’ve had our production contracts averaging yields of 500 pounds per acre,” he said.
“The last two or three years, we’re seeing average yields of 750, 1,000 and 1,200, depending on growing zone.”
Industry estimates indicate 85,000 acres of hemp seed in Western Canada in 2015.
Hemp processor won’t sign hemp contracts next year - The Western Producer
