The Canadian Industrial Hemp Promotion Research Agency will work to promote the crop and spearhead research priorities
Glacier FarmMedia – The Canadian hemp sector has a new champion to expand its reach. The Canadian Industrial Hemp Promotion Research Agency has been in the works for years, with a vision to create an organization to spearhead public outreach, bolster hemp’s image and consumer recognition and be a hub for research. “I think it […] Read moreTag Archives hemp
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
Hemp sector disappointed new report ignored deregulation
WINNIPEG — Leaders in Canada’s hemp industry were hoping that an expert committee would recommend significant changes to hemp regulations so it could be treated the same as wheat, canola and other crops. That didn’t happen. Instead, the committee of experts reviewing the Cannabis Act barely mentioned hemp in its 91 page report published March […] Read more
Status quo likely for hemp acres
WINNIPEG — In theory, Canadian acres of industrial hemp should increase in 2024. Canola prices have dropped this winter to around $13 per bushel, so there could be opportunity for an alternative crop like hemp to grab some acres. Related story: Hemp sector sees success in hybrid varieties During the winter, production contracts were around […] Read more
Hemp proponents optimistic crop will rebound
The economics have become more promising as buyers offer production contracts of 70 to 75 cents per pound this winter
BRANDON — The last few years have been challenging for Canada’s hemp industry. When canola is priced at $18 to $20 per bushel, it’s difficult to convince farmers to grow alternative crops such as hempseed. In 2019, Canadian farmers planted about 91,000 acres of hemp, using Health Canada statistics on licenses to grow industrial hemp. […] Read more
Researchers push the prairie crop comfort zone
Rice in Manitoba was a disaster. In 2012, in the Banana Belt region of the province near Melita, the staff at the Westman Agricultural Diversification Organization (WADO) seeded a plot of dry rice to see if they could bring it to harvest. The project fit with their role in Manitoba’s agricultural sphere: risk the wreck […] Read more
Advocacy group promotes fibre
Saskatchewan produces plenty of different fibres, including fibre from sheep, alpaca, flax and hemp. Yet the market for locally grown natural fibres has remained small. Now, the Prairie Fibreshed Network wants to change that by connecting producers and consumers and spreading the news about locally made fibres, said Sonja Welford, Prairie Fibreshed’s treasurer and a […] Read more
Pooled resources benefit specialty crop research
The Diverse Field Crops Cluster works with camelina, carinata, canaryseed, flax, hemp, mustard, quinoa and sunflowers
After five years of research through a time that included a drought and a pandemic, the Diverse Field Crops Cluster has issued a report on its achievements. Carol Ann Patterson, DFCC project manager, said researchers showed their resourcefulness in keeping projects going despite health restrictions. “People were shut down for a year sometimes or with […] Read more
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.
U.S. hemp acre crash blamed on CBD bubble
American farmers harvested approximately 20,000 acres of hemp in 2022. That’s not a big number and it’s a massive decline from 2019, when there were 511,000 acres of hemp licenses in America, according to data from Vote Hemp, a lobby group. The U.S. Department of Agriculture will release official hemp statistics in February, but it’s […] Read more
