GENERATIONS OF GROWERS
ADOPTION OF INDUSTRIAL HEMP
"The adoption of industrial hemp will do many great things for America's economy as well as its ecology. Rarely do we find a plant that not only has 50,000 practical uses but is a flower, a weed, a protector, and an elixir of life. Industrial hemp can do more to positively impact society than virtually anything else available. For this reason, my team and I have shifted all of our focus towards the adoption of industrial hemp in the US as a primary natural resource,” says Veteran Hemp Farmer, Clint Boone who collaborated in the writing and development of the 2018 US Farm Bill.
A NEW GENERATION OF FARMERS
Generations of farmers who have struggled over the last 50 years see the possibility of a new and vibrant crop - hemp. Recognizing that hemp has up to 50,000 different usages, many farmers are changing their focus from corn, beans and tobacco to hemp. "What many people do not realize yet is that hemp is a huge agricultural play and will change the nutrition and pharma industries forever, not to mention countless other industries like food, plastics, housing and beverage, apparel and natural medicine. Hemp is also a major energy play and can help reduce deforestation in the U.S. That’s because Hemp is estimated to save 3 trees for every 1 plant grown," according to the Guardian newspaper.
ONE PLANT, MANY USES
With so many uses associated with one plant, many farmers who have struggled with a continual decrease in crop prices are betting on hemp to save their farms, families and livelihoods. To date, forty-one states have enacted legislation to establish industrial hemp cultivation and production programs, including 19 that grew hemp in 2017 under special pilot and research programs and four that started in 2018, according to the “U.S. Hemp Crop Report” from the advocacy organization Vote Hemp.
FAMILY MICRO FARMS
Micro farms could be the new model for the next generation of farmers cultivating cannabis and hemp for multiple uses. These micro farms would encourage families to own their land, build their home out of sustainable building products like hempcrete, grow their own food for optimum health and wellness and utilize the fiber for clothing, textiles, soaps, lotions, etc. Hemp’s economic value for individual entrepreneurial uses is endless.
COLLABORATION IS KING
Micro farms can collaborate and cooperate, which offers farmers the opportunity to crowd source knowledge and capital.
“Sharing something that has not been shared before, or in a new way, is the surest way to increase its value.”
- The Inevitable by Kevin Kelly
No one is as smart as everyone! There are thousands of different ways to use this plant and multiple ways to fund each of them. Micro farmers can pool resources and knowledge to attract investors or secure better wholesale prices for themselves.
Micro farms and their innovative farmers can take charge of their crops and are compensated each time their innovations are utilized in manufacturing, medicine, science and technology.
