Why industrial hemp?

Hemp has one of the highest natural fiber tensile strengths (TS) and is the highest yielding and most durable natural fiber.

What are natural fibers?

Natural fibers are an annually harvested crop, which produce thread like industrial grade fibers.There are three outputs after harvesting and processing natural fiber stalks.The three outputs are as follows:Bast Fiber – Fiber produced around the stalk.Hurd (Core) – Stalk of the crop.Dust – Dust created from processing the material.

Does the United States have a suitable climate to grow industrial hemp?

Yes, hemp can be grown in the United States from the South and Northeast to the West Coast. Sandy loam soils are ideal for hemp.

Hemp requires similar growing conditions to corn in the fertilization, irrigation and soil types required, although hemp can survive lighter spring frosts and more intense fall frosts than corn.

Hemp requires a steady amount of moisture, more particularly in the beginning of the growing season. It can however easily become over saturated if the soil is flooded or experiences long periods of moisture during the seedling stage, a term commonly known as “wet feet,” which can kill a crop.

Hemp should only be planted on well-drained soils, not on flat, heavy, impervious soils, in order to ensure a balance in irrigation efforts and rainfall. Farmers should also ensure a pH of below 6.5 is avoided.

Hemp is as much a part of US history as it is of the United State's future. George Washington once stated, "Make the most of the Indian Hemp Seed and sow it everywhere!" During the pre-industrialization era, it seems more appealing to plant a crop, so it can produce the fibrous material sought after for paper and rope production, instead of spending time sawing trees down by hand.

Hemp and Marijuana

​• Comes from the Cannabis genus, but contains less than 0.3% or is exempt of THC, in accordance with International Law.

• Hemp overtakes marijuana and is a risk to marijuana farmers.

• The hemp pollen from the male hemp plants is what ruins a marijuana crop, which is all female plants.

• Hemp pollen can be carried (through streams, wind, clothes, etc.) as far as 4-5+ miles from a field.

• Processed hemp is legal to import into the U.S. from almost every other industrialized nation, but was federally illegal to grow beyond pilot scale in the U.S. until the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill. Previously the language in the 2014 Farm Bill allowed states to cultivate hemp for research purposes, where state law permitted industrial hemp cultivation (see below excerpt). 

The passage of Section 7606 of the 2014 Farm Bill allows industrial hemp to be, "grown or cultivated for purposes of research conducted under an agricultural pilot program or other agricultural or academic research; and the growing or cultivating of industrial hemp is allowed under the laws of the State in which such institution of higher education or State department of agriculture is located and such research occurs." 

• The following is a direct quotation from the Hemp Industries Association's (HIA) website relating to the HIA vs. DEA court case, which helped legalize the importation of processed industrial hemp into the United States in the early 2000's, 

"On February 6, 2004 the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a unanimous decision in favor of the HIA in which Judge Betty Fletcher wrote, "[T]hey (DEA) cannot regulate naturally-occurring THC not contained within or derived from marijuana-i.e. non-psychoactive hemp is not included in Schedule I. The DEA has no authority to regulate drugs that are not scheduled, and it has not followed procedures required to schedule a substance. The DEA's definition of "THC" contravenes the unambiguously expressed intent of Congress in the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) and cannot be upheld". On September 28, 2004 the HIA claimed victory after DEA declined to appeal to the Supreme Court of the United States the ruling from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals protecting the sale of hemp-containing foods. Industrial hemp remains legal for import and sale in the U.S., but U.S. farmers still are not permitted to grow it."

What Can I Do?

• Become informed.

• Buy hemp products, Click Here or visit our Products Page. Support your local companies whether in NC or SC, or CA to NY.

• If you want to become more involved in the hemp movement, but are unfamiliar with what is going on in your state's legislation, Click Here.

• Watch or host a screening of, Bringing It Home.

• Tell your friends and family about hemp. If they tell you reasons why hemp is unacceptable, then extend the debate by doing more research and presenting it to them. Do not give up!

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