For all the buzz about recently legalized industrial hemp, Agriculture Undersecretary Bill Northey expects a slow shift to the crop. “It will be a long time before it is a third crop in a lot of places,” he told the North American Agricultural Journalists on Monday. “I think we have a lot to learn in growing the crop yet.”
The 2018 farm law legalized cultivation of industrial hemp, prompting predictions of a multibillion-dollar market for hemp fabrics and hemp oil, which can be used in dietary supplements. Adoption of the crop will be constrained by practical matters such as learning how to grow and harvest the crop as well as finding processing plants to handle the plant. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue has said USDA might not issue regulations for commercial hemp farming until the 2020 growing season.
“The interest (in hemp) is in several levels,” said Northey. Farmers are looking for an alternative to widely grown crops such as corn, soybeans, wheat and cotton because of low commodity prices. Processing companies also are gauging the potential market and a reliable supply.