National Hemp Association

1 week ago

"PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - Hemp growers and entrepreneurs who were joyous a year ago after U.S. lawmakers reclassified the plant as a legal agricultural crop now are worried their businesses could be crippled if federal policymakers move ahead with draft regulations.

Licenses for hemp cultivation topped a half-million acres (200,000 hectares) last year, more than 450% above 2018 levels, so there's intense interest in the rules the U.S. government is creating. Critical comments on the draft have poured in from hemp farmers, processors, retailers and state governments.

Growers are concerned the government wants to use a heavy hand that could result in many crops failing required tests and being destroyed. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, the agency writing the rules, estimates 20% of hemp lots would fail under the proposed regulations.

“Their business is to support farmers - and not punish farmers - and the rules as they're written right now punish farmers,” said Dove Oldham, who last year grew an acre (0.40 hectares) of hemp on her family farm in Grants Pass. “There's just a lot of confusion, and people are just looking for leadership.”

The USDA did not respond to the criticism but has taken the unusual step of extending the public comment period by a month, until Jan. 29. The agency told The Associated Press it will analyze information from this year's growing season before releasing its final rules, which would take effect in 2021.

Agricultural officials in states that run pilot hemp cultivation programs under an earlier federal provision are weighing in with formal letters to the USDA.

“There are 46 states where hemp is legal, and I’m going to say that every single state has raised concerns to us about something within the rule. They might be coming from different perspectives, but every state has raised concerns,” said Aline DeLucia, director of public policy for the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture."

www.wfmj.com/story/41557739/high-anxiety-proposed-us-hemp-rules-worry-industry ... See MoreSee Less

High anxiety: Proposed US hemp rules worry industry

Hemp growers and entrepreneurs who were joyous a year ago after U.S. lawmakers reclassified the plant as a legal agricultural crop now are worried their businesses could be crippled if federal...

National Hemp Association

2 weeks ago

"Leading global equipment manufacturer New Holland has partnered with the National Hemp Association (NHA), the nation’s leading non-partisan hemp advocacy group. The partnership, announced today at the Pennsylvania Farm Show, plans to accelerate the return of hemp commodity crops on farms across North America, under the banner “Pushing Progress Together.”

The National Hemp Association will participate alongside New Holland at 16 national farm shows throughout North America, delivering educational sessions and panel discussions, as well as exhibiting the variety of products produced from hemp.

The alliance will also work toward solving the industry’s biggest challenge: the absence of commercial scale harvesting and decortication equipment needed to meet demand. In order to begin laying the foundation of an integrated North American hemp supply chain, the alliance will call on other industry partners to join a “Hemp Pledge” and commit to purchasing hemp grown and processed in the U.S. by U.S. farmers.

“We see this exclusive partnership as a way to bring the nation’s leading hemp advocates and educators to events where they can respond to the issues of most concern to farmers, manufacturers, processors and the general public”, says Brett Davis, vice president, New Holland, North America. “It will also provide New Holland with the opportunity to hear from our dealer network, our customers and the more than 115,000 farmers who are looking to New Holland to bring forward supply chain solutions.”

The National Hemp Association has also committed to creating and funding a new “Hemp Farmer Educational Fund” to assist farmers with agricultural, regulatory and production issues related to converting to hemp production.

“We know that the biggest challenge facing this crop and restricting its return is commercial scale harvesting and decortication equipment,” says NHA chair and PAHIC president Geoff Whaling. “Without that solution, all of the promise for hemp – for the food, feed, construction, automotive, energy and textile industry – will not be realized. Our partnership with New Holland Agriculture will be the beginning steps towards that end.”

“This Pennsylvania-rooted partnership is very big step to building the national supply chain,” says U.S. Sen. Judy Schwank of Pennsylvania, the leading proponent of industrial hemp legislation in the Pennsylvania Senate. “Together we need to provide any legislative fixes that are necessary as well as ensure the resources and tools are available to assist and help the industry move forward.”

agfax.com/2020/01/08/new-holland-announces-partnership-with-national-hemp-association/ ... See MoreSee Less

New Holland Announces Partnership with National Hemp Association

Leading global equipment manufacturer New Holland has partnered with the National Hemp Association (NHA), the nation’s leading non-partisan hemp advocacy group. The partnership, announced today at the Pennsylvania Farm Show,

National Hemp Association

1 month ago

NHA has been working with the developers of this product all year and are proud to announce that the pilot program has been approved and hemp crop insurance will be available in select counties of 21 states in 2020!!

USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) today announced a new crop insurance option for hemp growers in select counties of 21 states in 2020. The pilot insurance program will provide Actual Production History (APH) coverage under 508(h) Multi-Peril Crop Insurance (MPCI) for eligible producers in certain counties in Alabama, California, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and Wisconsin. The MPCI coverage is for hemp grown for fiber, grain or CBD oil for the 2020 crop year. It is in addition to the Whole-Farm Revenue Protection coverage available to hemp growers announced earlier this year. Read more.


www.rma.usda.gov/en/News-Room/Press/Press-Releases/2019-News/USDA-Announces-Pilot-Insurance-Cover... ... See MoreSee Less

USDA Announces Pilot Insurance Coverage for Hemp Growers | RMA

WASHINGTON, D.C., Dec. 23, 2019 – USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) today announced a new crop insurance option for hemp growers in select counties of 21 states in 2020.  The pilot insurance program will provide Actual Production History (APH) coverage under 508(h) Multi-Peril Crop Insurance ...