The industrial hemp bill has passed the South Dakota House and is now headed to the Senate. The House passed HB 1008 in a 54-12 vote on Tuesday. The bill needs a two-thirds majority vote to pass because it includes an emergency clause that would put the bill into effect immediately upon being signed into […]
Industrial hemp
A bill to legalize hemp in Idaho is coming back in 2020
Before long, Ryan Shore hopes to be in Idaho talking to hemp farmers about buying some of his company’s crop. It may seem like an optimistic stance to take for the CEO of Big Sky Scientific, the cannabidiol, or CBD, company whose 6,701-pound shipment of hemp ignited a political firestorm in Idaho after being confiscated […]
New hemp market taking shape in rural Minnesota
Seventy-five years ago, a May newspaper article reported 5,000 tons of hemp were stacked at the site of the Hutchinson hemp plant — where 3M now stands — with 2,000 more yet to be hauled there. Another article in October reports the Hutchinson plant is one of 11 to be closed in Minnesota following the […]
Maine hemp farmers fear proposed rule change could cost them their crop
Maine is proposing new hemp farming rules that would change the way it calculates how much THC is allowed in state-licensed plants, effectively reducing the already small amount of psychoactive element allowed in this cash crop to prepare farmers for demanding new federal limitations. Using the proposed potency formula, 27 percent of the farmers growing […]
Virginia legal landscape shifts as cannabis support grows
RICHMOND, Va. — “We do grams, eighths, quarters, half ounces, pounds, wholesale pounds — however you want it,” Jacob Stretch said, standing between crates of dried hemp in his living room that doubles as his hemp processing and drying facility. Stretch, owner of Chesapeake Blue, just finished his first season growing industrial hemp as a […]
In their first year, U.S. hemp farmers struggle with bad weather, mold, inexperience
Ajit Singh strode across his 16-acre hemp field toward a broken-down harvester. He’d been hoping all day that the mechanic now crouched beside the machine could get it back up and running. It was late October and Singh still had thousands of stinky green and purple cannabis plants across 425 acres to pick, dry and […]
California Industrial Hemp Measure Becomes Law
Senator Scott Wilk, representing the 21st Senate District, announces Governor Gavin Newsom has signed Senate Bill 153 (SB 153) into law. SB 153 ensures California law is in full compliance with changes to federal law regarding the cultivation of industrial hemp. SB 153 requires the Secretary of the California Department of Food & Agriculture (CDFA), in consultation […]
The new weed on the block: hemp
In 2014, Kentucky farmer Brian Furnish was looking for ways to diversify his crops. His family had been growing tobacco for eight generations, but the market was withering. If he wanted to keep his farm profitable, he needed something new to grow. So he helped pioneer Kentucky’s hemp industry, a new crop the state was […]
The Criminal Hemp Processing Case That Could Have A Profound Effect On The Oregon Hemp Industry
There’s a battle brewing in Oregon state court that may have a serious impact on Oregon’s industrial hemp industry. We’re writing to clarify the issues and provide additional context for this highly controversial case. What’s happening? Key Compounds (“Key”), an Oregon Department of Agriculture (“ODA”)-registered industrial hemp handler (i.e., processor) in Albany, Oregon, and its […]
Virginia’s Cannabis Industry: A 2019 Legislative Session Rundown
Bipartisan support for Medical Cannabis and Hemp legislation likely to spur growth In Virginia’s 2019 General Assembly (GA) Session, five of six proposed cannabis-related bills passed and will soon reach the desk of the Governor, ushering in some significant changes to the Commonwealth’s medical cannabis program. Among them, allowing full therapeutic-strength medical cannabis preparations, and […]
Federal Courts Are Split on the Legality of Transporting Hemp and CBD in Interstate Commerce
By Ian Stewart When the 2018 Farm Bill was signed by President Trump on December 20, 2018, there was widespread optimism that hemp and hemp-derived products, including cannabidiol (CBD), soon would be freely moving in interstate commerce without interference by state and local authorities. That optimism may have been premature. State and local governments across […]
The 2018 Farm Bill – What it Means for Hemp Farmers’ Tax Bill
CPA Covers The Income Tax Implications for Hemp Farms after the new 2018 Farm Bill The Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (the 2018 Farm Bill) has officially been signed into law. One of the major components of this legislation of industrial hemp. This blog post will mainly focus on what the tax implications of this legalization and […]
McConnell Says Industrial Hemp Will Be In Farm Bill
Farm bill negotiators in Congress have struggled to resolve differences over work requirements for food stamp recipients, but the Senate’s top Republican guarantees the final version will include legalization of hemp. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Friday that completing work on a new farm bill looms as one of his top priorities when Congress […]
Amendment X: Why an ‘industrial hemp’ question on Colorado’s ballot is important to a fledgling agricultural industry
Imagine if Colorado, a pioneer in the nation for legalized marijuana, ended up locked out of a competitive advantage if the federal government relaxes its own rules for growing hemp. You can almost hear Alanis Morissette adding a verse to her famous song. But that could happen, say those in Colorado’s hemp industry who are counting […]
California Passes Industrial Hemp Legislation
We’ve been closely following the trajectory of SB 1409 and on September 30, 2018, Governor Brown signed the bill which will go into effect on January 1, 2019. This legislation is a huge step for California cannabis, in that it will add an industrial hemp pilot program to the California Department of Food and Agriculture’s […]
How legalization of hemp can help New York industry
Trees with fading leaves of early fall surrounded a wide field near Livingston at Old Mud Creek Farm, the home of Hudson Hemp. The site is one of the few legal hemp farms in the state, and may be a harbinger of what could become an agricultural economic driver in New York. “Hemp has tremendous […]
Florida Hemp Program Greenlit and Gearing for Growth
The fledgling pilot project led by University of Florida scientists to explore the potential of producing industrial hemp across the state is getting wings thanks to initial funding from a private partner. Green Roads Inc. has reportedly invested $1.3 million to sponsor the first phase of the UF/IFAS research program. The funds will go to support field trials currently […]
Colorado Loosens Hemp Testing Restrictions
A trio of state health and regulatory agencies have come to an agreement on how to test industrial hemp products in Colorado. In a joint bulletin issued Friday, September 21, the Colorado departments of Public Health and Environment, Agriculture and Revenue announced looser restrictions for licensed marijuana testing labs that wish to test industrial hemp and hemp-derived CBD products. Previously, […]
