With the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill, legalizing hemp is going to take some time for states to adjust.
The 2014 farm bill allowed states to create industrial hemp pilot programs which North Dakota took advantage of but they will delay licensing and halt the program as the state legislature looks to change the state definition to match the federal definition of hemp along with changes in requirements for inspection funding.
Wyoming legalized hemp two years ago and has a state program for managing industrial hemp but lack of funding has slowed it down. One of the requirements in Wyoming is to keep the THC concentration in hemp under 0.3 percent.
In Montana’s Bitteroot Valley, hemp growers have formed a co-op. Montana has only had the pilot program for one year but saw growth from 525 acres to nearly 25,000 acres.
South Dakota used to grow industrial hemp in the 1940’s, during World War II, to make rope and canvas but South Dakota legislature says it is illegal to have products with CBD oil in it, which is one of the many uses for hemp.
Other factors will also play into the future of hemp, like insurance and bank loans and where to deliver the potentially new cash crop.
###
Sources: Northern Ag Network
Red River Farm Network
Wyoming Livestock Roundup
The Missoulian
