Cannabis is cropping up as an agricultural moneymaker, with marijuana sales in Colorado “just shy of a billion dollars in 2015,” says Harvest Public Media. “Cannabis is beginning to look a lot like a commodity crop.” This year’s Governor’s Forum on Agriculture, an annual farm conference, included a panel discussion on cannabis as “an emerging crop of Colorado” that ranged from how to harvest industrial hemp by combine to genetically engineered marijuana. Because it is a new crop, there is a rush to figure out how to boost production and cut costs.
“Some marijuana companies are realizing that to avoid problems in their grow facilities, former traditional farmers might be their best new employees,” says Harvest Public Media. It quotes one business owner as saying, “Farmers understand scale. They understand hardship.” More than 20 states allow cultivation of industrial hemp and medical marijuana. Four states plus DC permit recreational use. A handful of states are expected to legalize marijuana this year, says Harvest.
The National Conference of State Legislatures says 28 states allow industrial hemp in some form. Bills involving legalization were pending in 18 states, it said.