Jeff Kostuik of Verve Seeds, left, and Clarence Shwaluk of Manitoba Harvest speak at a southwestern Manitoba field day near Melita in July.  |  Gord Leathers photo

Hemp sector pins hopes on improved genetics

Seed, food companies say there is a market for the crop, but the varieties Prairie farmers are growing require fine tuning

Glacier FarmMedia – Hemp has had its ups and downs on the Prairies. Jeff Kostuik of Verve Seeds would like to see it get a better foothold, and he thinks new genetics, better tailored for western Canadian conditions and western Canadian markets, can help make that happen. “We’re a very small, yet mighty company … […] Read more

A field of hemp plants.

U.S. hemp industry hopes for better times ahead

More serious players are looking at the food and fibre markets now that the CBD oil craze seems to have run its course

From about 2017 to 2020, thousands of new players entered the hemp business in America, hoping to capitalize on claims that growing, processing and selling hemp CBD would become a massive industry.