Hemp for Farmers
Easy to grow, versatile
Before prohibited for its kinship with marijuana in 1937, hemp was a thriving part of the American agriculture community. As with any crop, optimum hemp production requires good fertile soil. However, it may be successfully cultivated even in marginal soils in harsh conditions. Its strong roots control erosion. Hemp's rapid growth suppresses weeds such as thistle and Johnson grass and its resistance to insects and fungal diseases eliminates the need for pesticides. A 120-day maturity cycle means that in many parts of the country, farmers could harvest two or more yearly crops.
Industrial hemp produces three main raw materials: bast fiber, hurds, and seeds. The stalk of the plant is called "straw," and is separated (decorticated) into two components -- the long strands from the outer stalk is the fiber and the inner part is the hurd. Farmers market certified hemp seed for planting and/or seed (grain) for hemp oil and meal. Highly absorbent hemp hurd is ideal for animal bedding.
Switching to hemp production would not require that farmers invest in expensive new equipment. Hemp serves as a low-maintenance, high volume rotation crop. And when other crops are rotated on acreage that has grown industrial hemp in the previous year, crop yield for the next crop can increase by 10 to 20%.
A recent Wall Street Journal article reported that the demand for industrial hemp worldwide would increase from $75 million in 1997 to $250 million in 1999. In 1998, the total amount of industrial hemp imported to the United States was over 546 tons. While history has shown wide application for all parts of hemp, modern technology promises an even greater utilization of this natural cornucopia. The fledgling U. S. hemp industry has begun to attract significant investment interest.
Responding to pressure from farmers, legislators in North Dakota, Minnesota, Hawaii, and Maryland have recently passed laws encouraging the cultivation of industrial hemp. Virginia and Montana have petitioned the federal government to end the ban. State legislation authorizing study of hemp has passed or is pending in New Mexico, New Hampshire, Montana, Vermont, Iowa, Maryland, Wisconsin, California, Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois, Oregon, and Arkansas.
The board of the North American Industrial Hemp Council (NAIHC) includes leaders from agriculture, manufacturing, ag research, conservation, and politics. NAIHC receives support from a wide assortment of interests, including the Wallace Genetic Foundation, which sees hemp as a vital component of sustainable farming.
When delegates for the American Farm Bureau met in January 1999 for their annual convention at Albuquerque, New Mexico, they dropped their opposition to hemp farming because "farmers are in need of alternative crops."
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