WASHINGTON — The Hemp Industries Association (HIA) and Vote Hemp have announced the dates for the 9th annual Hemp History Week, to be held June 4-10, 2018. During 2017, over 25,000 acres were planted and harvested in the U.S.—a record number since the passage of the 2014 Farm Bill. Over half of all U.S. states have lifted the ban on industrial hemp farming at the state level, however federal law still prohibits commercial industrial hemp cultivation due to outdated and inaccurate drug policy. With momentum building across the country, and increasing consumer awareness about the health benefits, economic opportunities, technological innovation and sustainability advantages of industrial hemp, advocates and organizers are eager to see 2018 be the year industrial hemp farming expands across the American agriculture landscape and sets deep roots in American soil once again.
To help inform Americans about the agricultural sustainability of industrial hemp, the Hemp History Week campaign has released a new short video, Deep Roots, titled after the 9th annual campaign’s educational theme. Filmed at the Rodale Institute Experimental Farm in Pennsylvania, Deep Rootsdocuments the research of Rodale Institute agronomists on cultivating hemp within a regenerative organic no-till agriculture model. Specifically, the video presents the researchers’ insight on hemp’s role in sustainable agriculture, soil health, mitigating climate change, and incorporating hemp into crop rotations and weed management methods. An interview with Rodale Institute farm manager Ross Duffield emphasizes how industrial hemp could play a key role in rejuvenating the soil and economic health of American farmlands, and research technician Tara Caton discusses the attraction pollinators demonstrate toward hemp. To view the new video for the 9th annual campaign, visit: https://youtu.be/
Health Benefits of Hemp
Among the fastest-growing categories in the natural foods industry, hemp seed is a rich source of Omega-3 and Omega-6 essential fatty acids (EFAs), providing both SDA and GLA, highly-digestible protein, and naturally-occurring vitamins and minerals, such as vitamin E and iron. The natural products industry has witnessed robust growth in sales of cannabidiol or CBD products, as consumers become increasingly aware of the health benefits of CBD dietary supplements. An excellent source of dietary fiber, hemp seed is also a complete protein—meaning it contains all ten essential amino acids, with no enzyme inhibitors, making it more digestible by the human body. Hemp seed, milk, ice cream, oil, cereals and snacks, as well as hemp protein powder, and hemp-derived CBD dietary supplements are increasingly popular and widely available at conventional and natural grocers everywhere, as consumers become turned on to the nourishing health benefits of hemp nutrition.
Innovative Hemp Technology
Advancements in hemp research and manufacturing demonstrate the remarkable versatility and product-potential for hemp. Hemp bast fiber has shown promising potential to replace graphene in supercapacitor batteries, which could then be used to power electric cars and handheld electric devices and tools. Hemp fiber can also be used to create environmentally friendly packaging materials, and hard bio-plastics for use in everything from airplanes to car parts. Hemp homes are also on the rise, as hempcrete has many advantages to non-sustainable materials, like lumber and concrete. Hempcrete is energy-efficient, non-toxic, resistant to mold, insects and fire, and is much more sustainable and renewable.
Hemp for Sustainable Agriculture
Hemp is a renewable resource that can help reduce market dependency on wood, oil, and other non-sustainable industrial agriculture practices, thereby contributing to environmentally responsible food and fiber production, forest conservation, reduction in agriculture pesticide use, and soil remediation. As one of the fastest growing plants, hemp has significant potential to sequester carbon from the atmosphere and lock it in the soil through regenerative agricultural techniques such as no-till cover cropping and biomass composting, mitigating the rising rate of CO2 levels responsible for climate change. Furthermore, pollinators thrive on the proliferous pollen created by hemp plants.
Celebrity Endorsements
Hemp History Week is endorsed by celebrities and high-profile wellness experts, including Dr. Andrew Weil, Alicia Silverstone, Phil Lempert, Ashley Koff R.D., Brendan Brazier, Elizabeth Kucinich, Ziggy Marley, Alexandra Jamieson, Jason Mraz, Dar Williams, Michael Franti, John Salley, Doug Fine, and Grammy award-winning band Ozomatli.
Grassroots Engagement
Over 250 grassroots events will take place nationwide, including a restaurant program, film screenings, community outreach at farmers’ markets, state lobbying days, a letter writing campaign, spring plantings, and other exciting engagement opportunities. Specific details for these Hemp History Week events will be listed on the campaign website beginning in early April.
United in the Effort to Legalize Hemp Farming
Now in its ninth year, Hemp History Week is an industry-wide effort made possible by the support of the leading natural product brands known for manufacturing the highest quality hemp products. These HIA members and sponsor brands include Dr. Bronner’s, Manitoba Harvest, Nature’s Path Organic, Nutiva, Pacific Foods and Plus+ CBD Oil.
Legislative Challenges and Opportunities in 2018
When the 2013 Farm Bill was signed into law in February of 2014, it allowed for states that have legalized the crop to cultivate hemp within the parameters of state agriculture departments and research institutions. Read the full text of the Legitimacy of Industrial Hemp Research amendment on the Vote Hemp website: http://www.votehemp.com/PDF/
Despite federal progress toward commercial hemp farming since 2014, the hemp industry faces a number of challenges and barriers to full scale farming of industrial hemp, including: inability of hemp farmers to obtain crop insurance and financing, difficulties involved with sourcing certified hemp seed, lack of adequate processing infrastructure in the U.S. for raw hemp materials, illegal government interference with interstate commerce of U.S. grown and manufactured hemp products, and the mis-regulation of CBD products.
The 34 states that have legalized industrial hemp farming, per provision Sec. 7606 of the farm bill, include: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
–Hemp Industries Association
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