Insight Into the Future of Hemp & the 2023 Farm Bill from Richard Rose
- OG Razor
- May 15, 2023
- 3 min read
Hemp Today saying aloud what we were all thinking:
“With the hemp industry in a deep trough, the U.S. Farm Bill now before Congress is an opportunity for a desperately needed reset. But if a recent Farm Bill position paper “Endorsed by Industry Leaders” is any indication, they won’t be the ones to lead us out of the ditch.
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But either way, the failure to address this critical issue as a united industry front is irresponsible and shows a lack of concern for public health.
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Yet “Hemp Industry Priorities” is missing any references to: “climate change,” “greenhouse gas,” “CO2,” “carbon dioxide” or any similar terms commonly associated with hemp in the context of the environment, and lacks any discussion or proposals that would capitalize on hemp’s possibilities in carbon trading markets, a potential boon to growers.
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The Farm Bill could also help improve grain producers’ fortunes by steering more funding into promotional activities that could incentivize farmers to grow hempseed food and expand the domestic market, which is now served almost exclusively by imports, and by promoting international trade agreements.
There’s also an argument to be made for seed-based outputs in the context of nutrition, always a key foundational element in the Farm Bill, which funds programs that promote healthy food.
Yet “food” is only mentioned once in the recommendations – in the context of dietary supplements and beverage additives made from . . . CBD.
Hemp’s current troubles cannot be overestimated. With prices for once-lucrative CBD flowers at a fraction of previous highs, and the lingering questions over the safety of end products, hemp has lost its flashy marquee (good riddance). And the knock-on effect has delivered all but a knock-out punch to hemp fiber and grain, both of which contracted significantly in 2022, and can also be considered on the ropes (Fiber income dropped more than 30% and grain dipped 40% in 2022 according to USDA’s year-on-year figures).
Industrial hemp has consistently enjoyed strong bi-partisan support in the U.S. Congress due to the power of farm-state representation. That means hemp provisions in the upcoming Farm Bill can expect little pushback. The door is open to relaunching industrial hemp through a creative, robust vision of a future in which this miraculous crop makes a significant contribution to the global economy and the environment, creates jobs, and improves human health and well-being.
By overemphasizing CBD and giving short shrift to hemp’s other possibilities, “Hemp Industry Priorities for the 2023 Farm Bill” instead clings to the past. Those who compiled it should go back to their keyboards and make another stab at it. Fast.”
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“The decrease in committed field production should come as little surprise as the reality continues to reconcile with the hype,” said Vermont-based consultant Joel Bedard. “This very simple data is directly proportionate to the traditional financial investment as well.”
“The USDA and NASS report clearly shows there is a real hemp war going on in the USA. Many states are enacting very conservative illogical regulations and fees on hemp foods and non-psychoactive hemp CBD products,” said Chris Boucher, CEO at California-based Farmtiva, a hemp ag services company and CBD consultancy. “This discourages new hemp startup companies, which affects farmers and others who may want to enter the hemp marketplace.”
Colorado hemp consultant Richard Rose said food is a more logical play for the future.
“The answer to this debacle is staring us in the face, the one stable, proven, 100% legal segment which also already has the most consumers and retailers, current and potential: food from grain,” said Rose, the founder of the U.S.-based Hemp Food Association. “If we’re serious about making hemp a success, that’s the low-hanging fruit.”
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