Hemp program under creation

Mar 25, 2019

Famers in Iowa may be allowed to plant up to 40 acres of hemp

By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com

Farmers in a Midwestern state could be allowed to plant a new crop legalized for cultivation by the 2018 Farm Bill.

Lawmakers are considering the Iowa Hemp Act in the state legislature.

The law sets out regulations on potential hemp production in the state. The Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, for example, would issue licenses to farmers wishing to produce hemp. And producers would be limited to growing only 40 acres of the crop.

The USDA must ultimately approve the plan. But the hemp bill’s 36 sponsors are confident the crop can fit into Iowa’s crop rotation.

“I think there’s potential for an alternative crop for Iowa farmers,” Tim Kapucian, a Republican state senator, farmer from Keystone, Iowa, and bill sponsor, told the Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier.

Producers agree.

Sales of hemp products are estimated to each US$1.9 billion by 2022, Hemp Business Journal reports.

Entering the hemp market while it’s still relatively young would benefit farmers, said Bill Shipley, a soybean producer from Nodaway, Iowa, and president of the Iowa Soybean Association.

“I would be interested in producing hemp. As a matter of fact, my son and I were just discussing it the other day,” he told Farms.com. “The crop can be used in so many ways, so there wouldn’t be an issue finding a market for it.

“The challenge now, in addition to the lawmaking side of it, is finding hemp processors. Once all the infrastructure is in place it will run much smoother, but it could also be more competitive for farmers.”

Supporters are confident they can present a bill to Gov. Kim Reynolds before this year’s legislative session ends.

“I hope (the bill) passes and I hope it opens up new markets,” Kevin Kinney, a Democratic senator and farmer from Oxford, Iowa, told the Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier. “One of the things I’ve been looking at is trying to find things to stimulate economic growth in rural areas. I’m optimistic with how this is proceeding at this point.”

Iowa is among the last remaining U.S. states that doesn’t allow any hemp cultivation.

Idaho, South Dakota, Ohio, Connecticut, Georgia, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas are the others.

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.