industrial hemp

Lincoln University in Missouri is heading a USDA-funded project researching the commodity, but its prohibition created high hurdles for getting the crop off the ground.

Fewer farmers are planting hemp across the Midwest and Great Plains. The decline is most acute in hemp grown for its oils, like CBD, but experts say there’s greater opportunity in industrial hemp.

Senate Bill 1422 creates a group to study industrial hemp, and the measure sailed through Oklahoma’s Senate Agriculture Committee on Monday.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced last month that it will not apply dietary supplement regulations to the hemp product CBD. The announcement has been frustrating for hemp farmers who have been waiting years for regulation.

Delta-8 is a hemp product designed to get users high, but misleading labels or added chemicals have caused people to get sick. And a lack of federal regulation or guidance has states stepping in.

Researchers at Kansas State University said hemp could be a natural way to decrease stress-related respiratory infections and other ailments when cattle are being transported or weaned off their mothers.

There’s a glaring disparity issue in industrial hemp production — just 6% of producers are Black. A couple in Missouri hopes to create the state’s first Black-owned hemp processing site.

For the first time, the USDA reported nation-wide numbers on hemp production. Industry experts hope it will bring new investments into processing centers to support Midwestern farmers.

This summer marks the third year that Kansans have grown hemp for industrial uses. It's been more difficult than some expected, and growers would like a little more help from the government.

The most recent Farm Bill legalized hemp production nationwide, but left individual states in charge of the oversight. As the crop continues to roll out…