Hundreds Attend VSU to Hear Latest on Ever-Changing Industrial Hemp Laws
Dr. Maru Kering of the Agricultural Research Station at VSU talks with attendees about growing industrial hemp.
Since the passing of the 2018 Farm Bill in December that lifted the ban on hemp cultivation, there’s been a lot of excitement around growing the crop. And nowhere was that excitement more evident than at the 2019 Industrial Hemp Field Day held at Virginia State University on July 25.
More than 400 potential growers, researchers, marketing experts and industrial hemp product users gathered to learn the latest on legislation and the future of the crop in Virginia and surrounding states.
“It seems that everything is about hemp right now,” said Dr. Jewel H. Bronaugh, Commissioner of the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS). “Everyone seems interested in hemp and the processing of hemp for new products, and the industry’s moving very quickly.”
In fact, the industry is moving faster than the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) can regulate it, Bronaugh said. She and her counterparts in other states, along with the USDA, for example, are grappling with how to ensure the safety of products containing industrial hemp-derived extracts for human consumption.
In reaction to the speed at which the industry is growing, Virginia decided ahead of the federal government that it will regard industrial hemp intended for human consumption as a dietary supplement, which must adhere to all Food and Drug Administration (FDA) safety regulations.
In June, Gov. Ralph S. Northam signed legislation to help Virginia farmers keep up with the rapid changes. The bill allowed for the cultivation of industrial hemp in Virginia and conformed the state’s definition of industrial hemp to the federal government’s, which defines it as cannabis below 0.3% THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, the compound in marijuana that causes a “high.”
At the field day, Erin Williams, senior policy analyst at VDACS, and Eric Steenstra, co-founder and president of Vote Hemp, a national nonprofit grassroots advocacy organization, gave a state of the union address of sorts on industrial hemp in Virginia and around the country.
Steenstra likened this craze around hemp to the USDA’s 1942 “Hemp for Victory!” campaign that encouraged farmers to grow the indispensable wonder plant that was used heavily by the U.S. military for rope, cordage and cloth. “World War II was the last era for significant hemp cultivation,” Steenstra said. “I like to think of what we have now is a victory for hemp. We’re bringing it back as a crop.”
The 1970 Controlled Substance Act made all hemp illegal in the U.S., but the signing of the 2018 Farm Bill made industrial hemp legal again, with some restrictions.
VSU has been a leader in establishing industrial hemp as a viable industry in the commonwealth, Bronaugh said. The land-grant university was one of three higher learning institutions authorized in 2016 to conduct industrial hemp research in the commonwealth. Researchers have spent the last several years evaluating varieties for seed, oil, fiber and biofuel production adaptable to Virginia’s climate.
This was the third annual field day, which was hosted by the university’s Agricultural Research Station (ARS), part of the university’s College of Agriculture. The field day also included a panel discussion with hemp growers and a trip to Randolph Farm to examine different varieties of hemp planted for research purposes.
Bronaugh said that based on the attendance at the field day and the sharp increase in the number of requests for licenses to grow industrial hemp, it is evident there is vested interest in the crop in Virginia. As of July 19, VDACS had issued 897 industrial hemp grower registrations, 174 industrial processor registrations and 45 industrial hemp dealer registrations, with registered hemp growers planning to plant over 10,000 acres this year, she said. “That is absolutely amazing, so the interest continues to grow.”
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