FUTURE OF HEMP

1. Farmer’s Markets If you sell at one or more farmer’s markets, start a conversation with your market’s organizers. Bring all of your paperwork (hemp license, pre-harvest inspection, lab results showing that it’s below the legal limit for THC, your Fit For Commerce, etc.). Sell simple hemp salves and lotions, and even bulk hemp if you can. Have handouts about the various cultivars you grow, as well as telling your own personal story. Listen as well as speak.

Hemp is legal.

2. Christmas Trees Grow hemp trees in five gallon pots pruned like you would a Christmas tree. Market them as a fun and renewable alternative to traditional wood trees. Include a handout with care instructions, as well as how to compost your hemp tree. Encourage people to take selfies for their holiday cards showing off their new holiday tradition. Consider a simple cardboard tree ornament with your logo and social media contacts.

HEMP ACTIVISTS have toiled for years to liberate hemp. In the old days hemp was touted as a sustainable source of food, fuel and fiber. Hemp as medicine grabbed the spotlight after Sanjay Gupta introduced the world to Charlotte’s Web. Have we all forgotten what else hemp can do in the midst of the current Green Rush?

It all begins with the plant and farmers are the ones who grow hemp. We need them to guide hemp into the mainstream marketplace. I’m sorry, but their job doesn’t end when the crop comes in. Hemp farmers need to become hemp activists too.

Farmers can integrate hemp into things they already do, though that won’t be easy. Sometimes it will require educating those unfamiliar with hemp, being politely persistent in the face of resistance. Be ready to persevere when you hear “no” yet again.

There’s a lot to be said for buying local, supporting small family farms and insisting on sustainable organic practices. Hemp farmers, if you’re really committed to making hemp work, try creative ways to bring your crop to the market. Remember: It all begins with the plant and no, hemp isn’t a fad. Farmers, we’re behind you! What’s next? THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT HEMP IS LEGAL, FINALLY. THE NOT SO GOOD NEWS IS THAT MOST OF THE HEMP BEING GROWN IS FOR CBD EXTRACTION. IN THE SUMMER OF 2019, 85% OF WHAT FARMERS GREW WAS FOR CBD - THE MARKET GOT SATURATED, PRICES CRASHED AND NOW NO ONE KNOWS WHAT WILL HAPPEN NEXT. 3. U-pick hemp farms with hemp mazes Farm stands are a popular weekend excursion from late summer through the holiday season. Introduce shoppers to your new crop. Offer fresh or dried hemp along with products you make, including simple lotions and salves. Want publicity for your hemp maze? Post drone video flying over a maze like no other. Visitors will be overwhelmed - not just by the sight but the smell as well. Hang a banner above a scarecrow and invite people to take photos of themselves. It might be wise to notify local law enforcement to avoid misunderstandings. 4. Florists Befriend a florist and provide them with fresh hemp leaves and flowers to incorporate into bouquets, centerpieces and other custom arrangements. Then alert local wedding planners. Provide small place cards so guests know who you are and how to contact you. 5. Hemp at the State Fair Farmers grow crops. Those crops are featured at state fairs. Shouldn’t your favorite state fair have a hemp category too? Approach other hemp farmers and join in talking with them well in advance. It’s a legal agricultural crop grown by local farmers. The worse they can say is “no” - and either way you get to engage in an educational conversation that just might open some minds. You won’t be the first - Oregon had Cannabis entries at their state fair. 6. Tours, Terroir & Appellations Think like a winery. Are you in a unique location with its own weather and soil that makes your farm stand out? Is your farm close to wineries? And if so, are they part of an established appellation? Market your hemp as something intimately tied to your terroir. If there are other hemp farms near you, consider working together to co-market your hemp appellation. It may be a strong brand-building exercise for everyone.