Let's Talk Hemp

Tag: industrial hemp

  • Newsletter August 6, 2020

    Newsletter August 6, 2020

    FEATURE ARTICLE

    My Time with Jack Herer, the “Emperor of Hemp”

    By Andrew DeAngelo
    Industrial hemp was forgotten for decades until Jack Herer wrote his book, The Emperor Wears No Clothes, in 1985. The story of that book being researched and written could fill many volumes. I only got to be with Jack on a small part of that journey when he did volume 2, and it went something like this:
    I graduated college in 1989, in the Los Angeles area, and I needed some weed to sell. Or I had some weed and needed to sell it, one of those two. My older brother, Steve, was a friend of Jack’s and knew he lived nearby. He hooked me up with the “Hemperor,” so I could carry on spreading the seed that would save the planet, a popular phrase of Jack’s in the book. It was how I made a living.
    I remember meeting him for the first time in a parking lot in the Valley. It was a hot, smoggy day that you could cut with a knife.
    read full article here

    Andrew_DeAngelo_Jack_Herer
    Photo: Courtesy of Andrew DeAngelo

    Andrew DeAngelo, like his brother Steve, has been a longtime cannabis and hemp advocate. He is Cofounder of California’s Harborside Health Center, and also served as VP of Ecolution, a hemp clothing company. As a former college professor, he taught theater and film at Chapman University. Andrew and his brother Steve were featured on the Discovery Channel reality TV series, Weed Wars.

    NEWS BRIEFS

    CBD Tincture
    Research Finds CBD Effective in Cannabis Use Disorder
    By The Chicago Tribune
    whitehouse
    By Cannabis Wire
    colorado hemp company
    By MJ Biz Magazine
    Jonathan Cheban
    Social Media Celebrity Foodgod Partners on CBD Snacks, Desserts
    By WBOC TV CBS News

    NEWS ROUNDUP

    UVA Partners to Research Benefits of Cryogenic Freezing on Cannabinoids Found in Industrial Hemp
    By GasWorld
    Hemp Concrete: From Roman Bridges to a Possible Material for the Future
    By Arch Daily
    Can Hemp Oil Naturally Treat Acne?
    By One Green Planet
    Prohibition of Smokable Hemp Products Proves Harmful to Texas Businesses
    By KCBD NewsChannel 11
     
    Kentucky’s Hemp Industry Struggles to Take Off
    By Spectrum News
    Amber LittleJohn, Formerly Advisor to the Minority Cannabis Business Association, Joins Board of U.S. Hemp Authority
    By Cannabis Business Times
    Belgian Hemp Construction Block Maker Raises 7 Million Euro to Boost Production
    By HempToday
    Colorado CBD Maker Inks Deal with Multi-state Golf Course Management Company
    By Troon
    Nominations Sought for Colorado Hemp Advisory Committee
    By The Fence Post
    How Federal Trademark Registration Can Be Crucial to Building National Hemp, CBD Brands
    By Hemp Grower

     

    EVENTS

    Penn State Extension Hemp Webinar Series: Mid-season Q&A, August 10, 2020, Noon – 1:00 pm EDT
    Penn State Extension Hemp Webinar Series: Planning for CBD Harvest, August 24, 2020, Noon – 1:00 pm EDT
    Cannabis Science – Taking Your Career to the Next Level, Webinar Presented by Maryland University of Integrative Health, August 11, 2020, Noon – 1:00 pm EDT
    WAFBA – We Are for Better Alternatives – Virtual Conference & Trade Show, Presented by NoCo Hemp Expo and Let’s Talk Hemp, Nov. 10-12, 2020; Details Coming Soon
    NoCo Hemp Expo – NoCo7, March 25-27, 2021, National Western Complex, Denver, CO

    Southern Hemp Expo, Aug. 20-21, 2021, Nashville, TN, https://southernhempexpo.com

    noco hemp expo 2021

     

    Read the Let’s Talk Hemp Summer Solstice 2020 Digital Magazine

    The hemp industry proves that, even in a world beset by pandemics and racial injustice, human and planetary healing can and will triumph. Read all about it in the Let’s Talk Hemp Summer Solstice 2020 Digital Magazine, produced in conjunction with the Experience Hemp Summer Solstice Virtual Conference & Trade Show, Let’s Talk Hemp Media, and NoCo Hemp Expo, in partnership with Honeysuckle Magazine.

    Featuring testimony from industry experts across diverse disciplines, Let’s Talk Hemp’s Summer Solstice edition dives into the pressing questions of the day. What is the future of hemp in a post-COVID world? What does Black representation in hemp look like, and how can we create opportunities for social equity? How can we take the next steps toward a regenerative society and integrative medicine? The answers may surprise you.

    Read the Let’s Talk Hemp Summer Solstice 2020 Digital Magazine Here.

    Subscribe to the Let’s Talk Hemp YouTube Channel

    #LetsTalkHemp is the ultimate platform that focuses on “Changing the Cannabis Conversation”. We provide news, education, and information about Hemp and Cannabis to our viewers so that they can learn more about the industry and get tips and tricks on the latest technologies. Subscribe to our channel and learn about everything from legal updates, farming, production, and new products entering the Hemp & Cannabis space.

     

     

    Hemp Barons Podcast, Episode 78: Going Virtual – NoCo’s Seamless Transition to Virtual Gatherings
     
    Morris podcastWhen the Covid-19 pandemic hit, it instantly ended all trade shows and conferences. To protect their businesses, event producers were forced to make immediate adjustments. Join Hemp Barons Podcast host Joy Beckerman as she interviews Morris Beegle, Cofounder of We Are for Better Alternatives, parent company of NoCo Hemp Expo, Let’s Talk Hemp Media, Tree Free Hemp Paper and Silver Mountain Hemp Guitars, as they discuss the challenges and opportunities presented by switching from in-person to virtual events in the age of social distancing. 

     

    About Let’s Talk Hemp

    Let’s Talk Hemp is a publication of Colorado Hemp Company (a division of We Are For Better Alternatives) focused specifically on the subject of industrial hemp and cannabis. We present features and curate news from across the globe to share the benefits of cannabis on health, energy, manufacturing and planet (H.E.M.P.). Colorado Hemp Company also is the Producer of NoCo Hemp Expo and Southern Hemp Expo, the nation’s leading hemp conferences and expositions.

    Publisher: Morris Beegle, Elizabeth Knight

    Editor: Steven Hoffman

    Web Developer: Debby West

    Design: Allen Haeger

    Circulation: Evan Tompros

    Contributor: Heather Collins

    Financial Officer: Lori Buderus

    Let’s Talk Hemp Podcast: Morris Beegle

    Send Us Your Hemp News!

    Send press releases and news announcements to news@letstalkhemp.com

  • My Time with Jack Herer, the “Emperor of Hemp”

    My Time with Jack Herer, the “Emperor of Hemp”

    By Andrew DeAngelo

    Industrial hemp was forgotten for decades until Jack Herer wrote his book, The Emperor Wears No Clothes, in 1985. The story of that book being researched and written could fill many volumes. I only got to be with Jack on a small part of that journey when he did volume 2, and it went something like this:

    I graduated college in 1989, in the Los Angeles area, and I needed some weed to sell. Or I had some weed and needed to sell it, one of those two. My older brother, Steve, was a friend of Jack’s and knew he lived nearby. He hooked me up with the “Hemperor,” so I could carry on spreading the seed that would save the planet, a popular phrase of Jack’s in the book. It was how I made a living.

    I remember meeting him for the first time in a parking lot in the Valley. It was a hot, smoggy day that you could cut with a knife. I showed him the weed sample, or he showed it to me, and the discussions of a deal began to unfold. After the terms of the deal and the logistics of the transaction were settled, Jack was hungry and wanted to get a hot dog from a nearby stand.

    He ordered two dogs with everything and two more for me before I could let him know I didn’t eat meat. When Jack made a decision and began to voice it, there was no turning the man back, and it was virtually impossible to say no to him. I was only 21 at the time, Jack was already a legend, and I needed to sell or buy some weed from him.

    I ate the hot dog.

    Before I could finish two bites, he had finished both of his in the most exuberant eating habit I had ever witnessed before or since. Jack didn’t eat his food; he devoured it ravenously. And he talked the entire time he did so. He would spit out rather large pieces of food and get them all over his beard as he talked, or more accurately, preached. Then, without any warning at all, he grabbed one of my hot dogs, engulfed it and continued talking. He did not ask or even gesture if it was okay to eat my hot dog. Before I could protest, the hot dog was gone, and he was making a move for what was left of the one I was eating. Somehow, I fought him off and got the rest of it down my gullet.

    It was at this moment that I knew I was in the presence of a man possessed of divine madness. Jack was stone cold crazy and I damn near freaked out and ran away. The truth was, I was pretty crazy myself and that was what it took to stand by the cannabis plant in 1989, the way Jack and I did. You had to be a little crazy to take those risks and carry that message. There were plenty other ways to make a living, that’s for sure.

    That summer I worked on editing his book and creating the bibliography with him. Jack would insist on large doses of cannabis or other visionary plants as we worked. At the start, I tried to explain to him that this was fairly organizational work and it might be best not to consume those offerings, but that was quickly and ferociously rebuked, and we carried on high as kites.

    It took an enormously long time to finish the edit and bibliography but we eventually did.

    Andrew DeAngelo, like his brother Steve, has been a longtime cannabis and hemp advocate. He is Cofounder of California’s Harborside Health Center, and also served as VP of Ecolution, a hemp clothing company. As a former college professor, he taught theater and film at Chapman University. Andrew and his brother Steve were featured on the Discovery Channel reality TV series, Weed Wars.

  • “Yes, Bob, There Is a Hemp Industry”

    “Yes, Bob, There Is a Hemp Industry”

    “Yes, Bob, There Is a Hemp Industry”

    By Morris Beegle

    In a good-hearted exchange with longtime friend, colleague, collaborator and expert cannabis attorney Bob Hoban, I couldn’t help but challenge a recent article Bob had written in Forbes Magazine where he wondered if we truly have a “hemp industry” in the United States.

    While industrial hemp has been around for millennia, Bob’s point was that hemp should be considered more as an agricultural commodity than its own industry. Further, he wondered if we may have gone wrong in treating hemp as an industry, in that it may have brought on specialized and restrictive hemp-specific regulations. “Wouldn’t it be more advantageous to treat hemp as just another agricultural crop that falls within the existing U.S. agricultural industry? Wouldn’t this truly open up mainstream agriculture to the grand possibilities of the industrial hemp plant?” Bob asked.

    “Put another way, is there a corn industry? A wheat industry? Or just an agriculture industry consisting of corn, wheat, soy, etc.,” Bob asked. “Farmers are farmers — do we really need to specifically classify them as hemp farmers? Extraction processors are processors. Natural products (‘nutraceuticals’) are natural products industry producers; and the list goes on and on down the supply chain,” he wrote.

    To me, the answer is yes, hemp is an emerging agricultural commodity of great potential to multiple industries that can make use of all parts of the plant – but also, yes, hemp is a unique industry in and of its own right, with its own unique history, that needs its own advocacy and representation.

    Hemp is an industry – and a commodity – in a similar way that corn and soy are industries – and commodities. The goal all along has been to get hemp regulated like any agricultural crop, that’s true. But like timber, fossil fuel, corn, soy, dairy and more, all are also considered their own industries.

    Like hemp, corn is used across multiple supply chains including human and animal food, dietary supplements, plastics and biofuels; soy is used in human and animal feed, plastics, industrial solvents, inks and printing, and in other manufacturing. However, corn as an industry in the U.S. has received a total of $113.9 billion in taxpayer supported government subsidies from 1995 to 2019, according to the Environmental Working Group, more than wheat, soybeans and rice combined. The U.S. soybean industry took a hit last year due to the U.S. trade war with China, with American soy producers receiving a big chunk of a $16-billion aid package in July 2019. The “thriving Brazilian soy industry” is reported to be a threat to the country’s rainforests and global climate targets.

    Bob in his article recommends, “It might serve everyone’s interest to attach themselves to pre-existing trade organizations rather than separating themselves from established, standardized industries. For example, a hemp farmer might be better suited attaching himself to a strong farmers trade organization that understands hemp. A cannabinoid ingredient supplier might better attach herself to a natural products or ingredients trade alliance which recognizes the viability of hemp. Do we really need organizations that promote so-called hemp product standards? Or do these standards already exist in more broadly applicable food, supplement, or related regulatory frameworks?”

    I agree and support this recommendation, in that companies selling CBD dietary supplements should consider being a member of the American Herbal Products Association or the Natural Products Association so that they can learn the specific regulations, labeling requirements, GMPs and other practices of that market. Hemp builders can join the U.S. Hemp Building Association. Farmers can affiliate with the U.S. Hemp Growers Association.

    Hemp can serve many industries, and yet, we also should consider it an industry in and of itself. From a lobbying standpoint, we have to collectively promote all aspects of the plant. Yes, CBD will be regulated a little differently from grain and fiber, but as an industry, we have the power to fast forward the development of hemp in the animal feed market, the construction market, the food market, the fashion and fiber market, and more. We’ve got a long way to go to educate the consumer, as well as buyers and sellers in the hemp market. As an industry, together we can make a great impact on why people should be using environmentally friendly hemp products as an alternative to corn, soy, and fossil fuels.

    These hemp sectors are all subsets of larger industries, agreed. And, they are fundamental parts of the overall hemp industry. It’s not either/or. It’s both. Thank you, Bob Hoban, for the lively discussion.

    Let us know what you think: info@letstalkhemp.com.

    # # #

    Cannabis/hemp advocate and entrepreneur Morris Beegle is Co-founder and President of the WAFBA (We Are For Better Alternatives) family of brands, including the NoCo Hemp Expo, the world’s most comprehensive hemp-centric exposition, trade-show and conference, and Let’s Talk Hemp Media. WAFBA also includes Silver Mountain Hemp Guitars, maker of hand-crafted hemp guitars, cabinets and components; the Tree Free Hemp paper and printing company, and more. Spanning education, advocacy and entertainment, Beegle engages audiences around the world through podcasts, digital and print media, radio, television and live events.

  • Experience Counts: Colorado Hemp Industry Challenges CDA’s Selection of MJ Consultancy to Oversee State’s Hemp Center of Excellence

    Experience Counts: Colorado Hemp Industry Challenges CDA’s Selection of MJ Consultancy to Oversee State’s Hemp Center of Excellence

    Fort Collins, CO (July 15, 2020) – In the midst of a pandemic, economic uncertainty and the 2020 growing season for industrial hemp farmers, the Colorado hemp industry has united in protest to challenge the recent contract award to establish the Colorado Department of Agriculture’s (CDA) Hemp Center of Excellence (COE). This is the first time that the Colorado hemp industry and its leaders have come together to speak out against the Colorado Department of Agriculture’s decision to hire the Marijuana Policy Group (aka Marijuana Policy Group Consulting, Denver, CO) to actualize the Hemp Center of Excellence’s five year plan.

    In a letter to Colorado Commissioner of Agriculture Kate Greenberg, hemp industry leaders expressed concerns that the state’s hemp industry “will not accept any marijuana-related group contracted to management, planning, laying out a plan or facilitating stakeholders in the development and/or goals of the Hemp Center of Excellence.”

    In addition, the state of Colorado’s hemp business community is demanding that “the CDA begin/restart the contract process again in accordance with all state laws, rules, and regulations. We request the CDA directly include the Colorado hemp industry’s involvement by setting up a hemp stakeholders committee to establish rules and parameters for the selection criteria, which would be open to the public for full transparency.”

    State and national hemp industry leaders Tim Gordon, Morris Beegle and Veronica Carpio jointly said the issue is “not about creating a division of hemp and marijuana, but rather the concern of a fair process which includes hemp stakeholders, and immediate action by the CDA and Governor Polis.”

    According to the letter submitted on July 10, 2020, to the CDA and Colorado Governor Jared Polis, there are notable conflicts of interest with Ean Seeb (the Governor’s Special Advisor on Cannabis), the Marijuana Policy Group and the CDA that are of concern to the state’s hemp community. “We ask for a fair process and will support the contract being awarded to any group that has actual long-term experience working with hemp farmers and the hemp industry, which is distinctly different from how the marijuana industry conducts business,” said Veronica Carpio, founder of GrowHempColorado.com, author of the “Colorado Hemp Foods Bill,” one the first hemp seed breeders in the U.S., and the first female licensed hemp farmer.

    The Colorado hemp industry protest, prompted by a perceived lack of communication from the CDA about its decision making related to the Hemp Center of Excellence, has caused such concern that Morris Beegle, Co-founder of We Are for Better Alternatives, producer of the NoCo Hemp Expo, has considered moving the internationally recognized event elsewhere. “The Colorado hemp industry has worked hard for years to grow our industry as a national example and provide a proven track record in the development and actualization of economic value, industry integrity and regulatory oversight, with an emphasis on public safety front and center. We’ve worked to keep hemp regulations minimal compared to extensive marijuana rules and regulations through extensive legislative and bi-partisan support,” he said.

    The Colorado hemp industry is also very concerned about perception, Beegle points out. “Perhaps most importantly, we are concerned about how this direct tie to the marijuana industry will look to the USDA, FDA and DEA. Colorado could risk losing its leadership role in the U.S. related to hemp. Colorado’s hemp stakeholders need the USDA and the FDA to support the state’s efforts. This becomes more difficult when the CDA selects a marijuana stakeholder to lead the charge and build Colorado’s flagship institution, the Center of Excellence. In fact, we think decisions of this nature inadvertently support the DEA’s desire to be actively involved in hemp plans at the state and federal levels, which is a giant step back for the hemp industry in Colorado.”

    Hemp industry advocate, business owner, researcher and farmer Tim Gordon said, “We absolutely welcome Marijuana Policy Group to the table for its input, but we are all in unison in the fact that any MJ policy group cannot and should not lead the hemp industry forward in development of the hemp Center of Excellence.

    Centers of Excellence, established by USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture and state Departments of Agriculture, are created for the purposes of carrying out research, extension and education activities related to the food and agricultural sciences.

    In challenging the appointment of the Marijuana Policy Group to manage the state’s COE, Colorado’s hemp industry leaders also emphasized in the letter to CDA their acknowledgement of the support Colorado Governor Jared Polis has shown to the state’s hemp industry. “We recognize the ongoing support and efforts by Governor Polis for industrial hemp on a national level and specifically here in Colorado,” they said. “He has always valued and acted upon our input and what is best for the hemp industry as a whole, and never for a single self-serving interest which is a rare, unique and a highly regarded asset to the Colorado hemp industry.”

    About We Are for Better Alternatives (WAFBA)

    We Are for Better Alternatives, parent to Colorado Hemp Company and producer of the 7th Annual NoCo Hemp Expo (NoCo7), is a leading organization for the advancement and advocacy of hemp farming, processing, production, innovation, education, policy and legalization in the USA. The entire team is committed to researching, developing and reporting on alternatives so that hemp can once again thrive, prosper, and help individuals and communities throughout America and around the globe. Visit www.wafba.org.

    Contact

    Morris Beegle, Colorado Hemp Company, 970.541.0448, mo@cohempco.com

    Veronica Carpio, Grow Hemp Colorado, 720.401.5609, info@growhempcolorado.com

    Tim Gordon, Functional Remedies, 970.238.0969, t.gordon@functionalremedies.com

    # # #

  • Newsletter – July 9, 2020

    Newsletter – July 9, 2020

    Feature Article

    Hemp Industry Call to Action: Vote Hemp Urges Community to Sign Petition Calling for Congress to Allow 1% THC Levels in Hemp

    By Steven Hoffman

    Washington, DC-based advocacy group Vote Hemp is urging the hemp community to take advantage of a narrow window on Capitol Hill to sign and submit a petition telling Congress to change the legal definition of hemp to allow 1% THC. Arbitrarily set by Canadian cannabis researcher Dr. Ernest Small in the 1970s, the currently allowed 0.3% limit has proved to be problematic for growers, producers and manufacturers alike, and Vote Hemp and its supporters feel that action has to be taken now.

    Even Dr. Small agrees, more than four decades later, that “a 0.3% level is very conservative,” he told Cannabis Now in December 2018. He stressed that the allowed 0.3% THC designation for hemp has had negative implications for biodiversity. “0.3% is proving a little problematical for those who wish to produce some cultivars,” he told Cannabis Now. “It’s an especially stringent criterion [for] those who want to produce CBD. Most of the varieties selected for that have in excess of 0.3%, which is kind of inconvenient.”

    “We’ve been trying to think strategically; I don’t want to create false hope given that Congress is going on summer recess in a month, and may not get much done in the last few months of the general election year,” said Eric Steenstra, Executive Director of Vote Hemp. “However, farmers and producers are frustrated, and we need to start making some noise about this. We hope to submit as many signatures as we can in the next 30 days, and encourage all members of the hemp community to sign and share the petition with their friends, colleagues and co-workers.”

    Full article here

    Washington, DC-based advocacy group Vote Hemp is urging the hemp community to sign and submit a petition telling Congress to change the legal definition of hemp to allow 1% THC.

    NEWS BRIEFS

    HEADLINE NEWS

    Canopy Growth Co-founder Raises $150 Million in IPO to Acquire Hemp Companies
    By MarketWatch

    Oneida Nation Eyes Hemp Production as a Way to Diversify, Strengthen Tribal Economy
    By The Green Bay Press Gazette

    Hemp Processors Planting Roots in Southcentral Kentucky
    By Bowling Green Daily News

    Bill to Fully Legalize Hemp Production in Hawaii Advances, But Many Not Happy with Bill’s Final Form
    By The Hawaii Herald-Tribune

    Hemp in South Dakota, A History
    The Sioux Empire Podcast

    Will the Hemp Industry Revive Upstate New York’s Economy?
    By Green Entrepreneur

    After Legalizing Hemp in Texas, Austin Police Will No Longer Cite or Arrest People for Possession of Small Amounts of Marijuana
    By KXXV ABC News, Waco, TX

    FOOD AND BEVERAGE & SUPPLEMENTS

    Historically Black University First to Launch Medical Cannabis Products to Accompany CBD Line
    By Southern University Agricultural Research and Extension Center

    CBD Oil vs. Hemp Oil: What’s the Difference? – A Visual Chart
    By Visual Capitalist

    Can Hemp CBD Help You Quit Smoking Cigarettes?
    By Price Land Hemp Growers

    FASHION, FIBER AND CONSTRUCTION

    EcoFibre Opens $16 Million Facility as Part of Kentucky Dept. of Agriculture’s Hemp Pilot Program
    By WYMT CBS News, Hazard, KY

    Virtual Denim Show Broadcast from New York Highlights Sustainable Benefits of Hemp Fiber
    By Textile World

    Pre-Fabricated, Zero-Carbon Hemp Home Constructed in Just Two Days
    By The National Hemp Service

    Building with Sustainable Hemp for a Resilient Future
    By Innovation News Network

    Veteran-owned Hip to Be Hemp Offers Hemp-based Biodegradable Allergen HVAC Filters
    By Hip to Be Hemp

    FARMING AND AGRICULTURE

    Op Ed: The Farm Bureau Says It Wants to Fight Racism; Here’s Where to Start
    By Civil Eats

    How to Avoid Heavy Metal Accumulation in Your Hemp Crop
    By Hemp Industry Daily

    Hemp Farm Neighbors Complain of Smell, Lights, Use of Water
    By The Navajo Times

    INTERNATIONAL NEWS

    Renowned South African Cannabis Advocate Julian Stobbs Fatally Shot in Armed House Robbery
    By The South African

    French Startup Plans to Make Energy from Hemp Biomass
    By HempToday

    Bombay Hemp Company Seeks to Industrialize India’s Hemp and Cannabis Market
    By Your Story

    EVENTS

    Penn State Extension Hemp Webinar Series: Strategies for Partnering with Others, July 27, 2020, Noon – 1:00 pm EDT

    Hemp Industry Deep Dive Virtual Global Tour, by Cannatech, Aug. 4, 2020, 12:00pm EDT

    RAD: The Retail & Dispensary Expo, Oct. 6-7, 2020, Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, NV

    WAFBA – We Are for Better Alternatives – Virtual Conference & Trade Show, Presented by NoCo Hemp Expo and Let’s Talk Hemp, Nov. 10-12, 2020; Details Coming Soon

    NoCo Hemp Expo – NoCo7, March 25-27, 2021, National Western Complex, Denver, CO

    Southern Hemp Expo, Aug. 20-21, 2021, Nashville, TN

     

    WAFBA VIrtual

    Read the Let’s Talk Hemp Summer Solstice 2020 Digital Magazine

    The hemp industry proves that, even in a world beset by pandemics and racial injustice, human and planetary healing can and will triumph. Read all about it in the Let’s Talk Hemp Summer Solstice 2020 Digital Magazine, produced in conjunction with the Experience Hemp Summer Solstice Virtual Conference & Trade Show, Let’s Talk Hemp Media, and NoCo Hemp Expo, in partnership with Honeysuckle Magazine.

    Featuring testimony from industry experts across diverse disciplines, Let’s Talk Hemp’s Summer Solstice edition dives into the pressing questions of the day. What is the future of hemp in a post-COVID world? What does Black representation in hemp look like, and how can we create opportunities for social equity? How can we take the next steps toward a regenerative society and integrative medicine? The answers may surprise you.

    Read the Let’s Talk Hemp Summer Solstice 2020 Digital Magazine Here.

    Order Your Copy of Doug Fine’s New Book, American Hemp Farmer

    American Hemp Farmer, the sixth book from author Doug Fine, follows the rigors and pleasures of an entire hemp season from soil preparation and genetics acquisition through harvest and regenerative marketing. It’s immersive. It’s wildly funny. The follow up to Doug Fine’s bestselling Hemp Bound, American Hemp Farmer pulls no punches, and because it is written by an actual hemp farmer and entrepreneur, it tells you what you need to know if you want to join the hemp renaissance.

    Order American Hemp Farmer Today

    Available at One Planet Hemp

    Subscribe to the Let’s Talk Hemp YouTube Channel

    #LetsTalkHemp is the ultimate platform that focuses on “Changing the Cannabis Conversation”. We provide news, education, and information about Hemp and Cannabis to our viewers so that they can learn more about the industry and get tips and tricks on the latest technologies. Subscribe to our channel and learn about everything from legal updates, farming, production, and new products entering the Hemp & Cannabis space.

    The Kannaboom Podcast
    Episode 50 – Morris Beegle, Musician and Hemp Entrepreneur

    We’ve known for decades that hemp is a versatile crop, useful for food, and as a textile, building material and biofuel. Yet because it’s related to cannabis, hemp has been shunned, its value denied. As we look for positive ways to recover from the pandemic, in the context of ongoing climate change, are we finally ready to realize the tremendous economic potential of hemp? We asked Morris Beegle, who has launched multiple hemp-based businesses across various industries, for his perspective.

    Listen, and learn:

    • How Morris made the pivot from a career in music into success as a hemp entrepreneur
    • Why hemp, a regenerative, sustainable crop, is a better alternative for the environment and consumers
    • How to succeed in the hemp industry, whether you want to find a job or start a company
    • Why musicians have been closely tied to cannabis / hemp
    • How Morris developed the first high-end hemp guitar
    • Why Morris is excited about the Retail and Dispensary Expo

    LISTEN HERE

    About Colorado Hemp Company
    The Colorado Hemp Company, the producer of the 7th Annual NoCo Hemp Expo (NoCo7), is a leading organization for the advancement and advocacy of hemp farming, processing, production, innovation, education, and legalization in the USA. The entire team is committed to researching and developing alternatives so that hemp can once again thrive and help individuals and communities throughout America and around the globe. The 7th Annual NoCo Hemp Expo will take place August 6-8, 2020, at the National Western Complex in Denver, CO.

    Contact
    Steven Hoffman, Compass Natural, 303.807.1042, steve@compassnaturalmarketing.com
    Morris Beegle, Colorado Hemp Company, 970.541.0448, info@nocohempexpo.com

  • Let’s Talk Hemp Media Leads the Way with Virtual and In-Person Events

    Let’s Talk Hemp Media Leads the Way with Virtual and In-Person Events

    Let’s Talk Hemp Media Leads the Way with Virtual and In-Person Events; Announces New Partnership with RAD Expo, Las Vegas, NV, Las Vegas Convention Center, October 6-7, 2020

    National Media Platform Connects Hemp Community with Fall Trade Shows, Sets Sights on 2021, and Opens Doors to Retail and Dispensary Opportunities Nationwide.

    Denver, CO (July xx, 2020) – Let’s Talk Hemp, a nationally renowned media platform, is excited to announce its latest endeavor to generate new opportunities for the hemp and CBD industries by co-producing the cannabis-themed RAD (Retail and Dispensary) Expo. Now in its fourth year, RAD Expo is a business-to-business cannabis event, taking place this fall at the Las Vegas Convention Center, October 6-7, 2020. Let’s Talk Hemp is partnering with RAD Expo for the first time and intends to bridge hemp, CBD, and cannabis together to market to retail and dispensaries.

    A 100% B2B trade show, the expo will feature more than 300 retail-specific exhibitors and vendors in one setting. “Let’s Talk Hemp is proud to collaborate with RAD Expo. The in-person fall event sets the stage for the future of both industries and is a must-attend for hemp companies looking to expand their footprint in the cannabis market,” says Morris Beegle, Let’s Talk Hemp Media Co-founder and Producer of NoCo Hemp Expo and Southern Hemp Expo.

    Safety First: RAD Social Distancing Measures

    Let’s Talk Hemp, in conjunction with Marijuana Venture and Cannabis & Tech Today, will co-produce the in-person expo and they are working very closely with organizers and production and venue partners to enforce strict social distancing and safety measures for attendees, exhibitors, and vendors.

    “We are taking extended measures to ensure our team, attendees, and community’s safety and wellness during this time. We’re fortunate to be working with some of the most experienced venue and event partners, such as the Las Vegas Convention Center; Freeman Event Management and our hotel partner, Sahara Cares,” said Greg James, founder of RAD Expo and Marijuana Venture.

    The RAD Expo plans to implement the following COVID-19 precautions:

    • SOCIAL DISTANCING: Six-foot markers and spaces will be placed between exhibit booths, and time slots will be put in place at registration to control crowds.
    • PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT: Attendees will be provided with sponsored cloth masks and hand sanitizer for their protection and the protection of those around them.
    • SANITATION: All registration devices and microphones will be wiped down after every use. Hygiene reminders will be placed with signage and notifications on the RAD Expo App. There will be additional designated sanitation sites stocked with hand sanitizer and disposable disinfectant wipes.

    Beyond RAD + Save the Dates

    Beegle and the Let’s Talk Hemp Media team are looking forward to producing more events such as this fall’s RAD Expo, a Virtual conference and trade show in November, NoCo Hemp Expo’s NoCo7 event that will take place March 25-27, 2021 in Denver, CO, and the Southern Hemp Expo, slated for Aug. 20-21 in Nashville, TN.

    “We have already had a powerhouse schedule of virtual events this year, with successful turnouts at both our EARTH WEEK Virtual Conference and Trade Show and our most recent Experience Hemp SUMMER SOLSTICE event. We have our eyes set on charting a successful course to connect our community and industry with in-person events this fall and in 2021,” adds Beegle. “It will be exciting to see familiar and new faces, both in-person and online. We can unify and better serve the community with informative and appealing educational events.”

    Mark your calendar for these upcoming educational events:

    • Third Virtual Event, November 10-12, 2020, hosted by We Are For Better Alternatives (WAFBA), in conjunction with NoCo Hemp Expo and Let’s Talk Hemp Media. Details and registration will open soon.
    • NoCoHemp Expo will now take place March 25-27, 2021. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, organizers had to shift plans from 2020 to 2021.
    • Southern Hemp Expo, Aug. 20-21, 2021, Nashville, TN

    Be RAD, Register Here

    RAD Expo Registration is FREE for qualified industry professionals until July 31, 2020. After July 31st, there will be a 2-day general admission charge of $100.

    Register Here: https://www.theradexpo.com/register.

    Exhibitor Information:

    Interested in exhibiting at RAD Expo? Select your booth at https://www.theradexpo.com/booth-registration. For information on NoCo7, Southern Hemp Expo and other events, visit www.nocohempexpo.com.

    About Let’s Talk Hemp Media

    Let’s Talk Hemp is a leading media platform that focuses on “Changing the Cannabis Conversation.” We curate news, education, and information about hemp and cannabis to our podcast listeners, newsletter subscribers, and digital magazine readers so that they can learn more about the industry and get tips and tricks on the latest technologies. Subscribe to our YouTube channel and learn about everything from legal updates, farming, production, and new products entering the hemp and cannabis space. Let’s Talk Hemp is a publication of the Colorado Hemp Company (a division of We Are For Better Alternatives WAFBA) focused specifically on the subject of industrial hemp and cannabis. Let’s Talk Hemp features news globally and shares the benefits of cannabis on health, energy, manufacturing, and the planet (HEMP). Subscribe to Let’s Talk Hemp’s weekly hemp and cannabis industry newsletter at www.letstalkhemp.com.

    Contact
    Steven Hoffman, Compass Natural, 303.807.1042, steve@compassnaturalmarketing.com
    Morris Beegle, Colorado Hemp Company, 970.541.0448, info@nocohempexpo.com

  • New Dates Announced for NoCo7 Hemp Expo: March 25-27, 2021;

    New Dates Announced for NoCo7 Hemp Expo: March 25-27, 2021;

    New Dates Announced for NoCo7 Hemp Expo: March 25-27, 2021; Show Producers Chart Course for the Future with Expanded Initiatives

    NoCo Hemp Expo Producers Unveil Expanded Multimedia Platforms to Further Educate, Advance and Unite the Industrial Hemp Community, Including a Year in Review Virtual Conference & Trade Show, a Hemp-Themed Digital Magazine, Podcasts, Weekly Newsletter and More.

    Denver, CO (June 24, 2020) – On the heels of this month’s Experience Hemp SUMMER SOLSTICE Virtual Conference & Trade Show, event producers have announced new dates for the NoCoHemp Expo, which will now take place March 25-27, 2021. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, show organizers have had to shift plans in 2020 and remain optimistic in order for the industry and community to flourish. Originally scheduled for March 2020, and then rescheduled for this coming August, organizers made the hard decision to push NoCo7 to 2021, due to guidelines and event regulations set forth by the City of Denver.

    “The decision to reschedule NoCo7 was not easy and it was made over a period of time. The industry and our community’s wellbeing is at the top of mind, and in order to protect the health and safety of everyone, we had to make the decision to move the conference to next year,” said Morris Beegle, Let’s Talk Hemp Media Co-founder and Producer of NoCo Hemp Expo. "We're looking forward to an in-person event, but we will continue to plan virtual events that positively impact our
    industry, including a fall event that will coincide with this year’s harvest. We also plan to expand upon our Let’s Talk Hemp digital magazine, and will create new multimedia platforms to inform, educate and unite the hemp community.”

    NoCo7’s venue will remain the same and will take place at the famed National Western Complex, Denver, Colorado. Stay tuned for additional details on NoCo7 at www.nocohempexpo.com. Recent SUMMER SOLSTICE Conference Highlights Innovation; Call for Unity As the producers of NoCo Hemp Expo have pivoted and found ways to serve the growing hemp community during the coronavirus pandemic, the recently held Experience Hemp SUMMER SOLSTICE was well received. Insightful conversations on industrial uses of the entire hemp plant and technological advancements were primary themes throughout the virtual event that was held June 16-19, 2020.

    Beegle added, "We're committed to helping the hemp industry thrive. The Experience Hemp SUMMER SOLSTICE Virtual Conference & Expo solidified the need for our community to gather and share ideas while navigating these uncertain times." Participants accessed six live webcast Supersessions, which covered important topics relevant to the industrial hemp market today. More than thirty guest speakers, including presenting sponsor PureHemp Technologies, kicked off conversations centered on the evolution of hemp and its potential during these ever-changing times.

    Among the highlights included an earnest discussion on the arbitrary .3% vs. the 1% solution in which hemp advocates declared the current ruling as a roadblock for farmers. "We need to change federal guidelines while working with the USDA. We can do that by telling the stories of the farmers. Their stories will hopefully get us there so we can stop decriminalizing the pioneers of our
    industry. Without the farmers, we have nothing,” says Doug Fine, bestselling author, hemp farmer, and renowned industry advocate.
    Beegle agreed, “There is so much passion in our industry, and this .3% burden should not be on the farmer’s shoulders. Our only option in getting legislation passed is to stand together. We know there is a better solution out there, we need to unite on all fronts." Additionally, panelists discussed hemp’s potential for fiber, textiles, building materials and more, and addressed hemp as a key ingredient for food sovereignty. Participants also heard from investors regarding hemp's economic outlook and viability as a commodity beyond the CBD market.

    Fall Event – WAFBA Virtual Conference and Trade Show
    We Are For Better Alternatives (WAFBA), in conjunction with NoCo Hemp Expo and Let’;s Talk Hemp media are also pleased to announce plans for a third virtual event coming this fall on November 11-13, 2020. Details and registration will open soon.

    About Let’s Talk Hemp Media
    Let's Talk Hemp is a leading media platform that focuses on “Changing the Cannabis Conversation.” We curate news, education, and information about hemp and cannabis to our podcast listeners, newsletter subscribers, and digital magazine readers so that they can learn more about the industry and get tips and tricks on the latest technologies. Subscribe to our YouTube channel and learn about everything from legal updates, farming, production, and new products entering the hemp and cannabis  space. Let’s Talk Hemp is a publication of the Colorado Hemp Company (a division of We Are For Better Alternatives WAFBA) focused specifically on the subject of industrial hemp and cannabis. Let’s Talk Hemp features news globally and shares the benefits of cannabis on health, energy, manufacturing, and the planet (HEMP).

    About Colorado Hemp Company
    The Colorado Hemp Company, the producer of the 7th Annual NoCo Hemp Expo (NoCo7), is a leading organization for the advancement and advocacy of hemp farming, processing, production, innovation, education, and legalization in the USA. The entire team is committed to researching and developing alternatives so that hemp can once again thrive and help individuals and
    communities throughout America and around the globe.

    Contact
    Steven Hoffman, Compass Natural, 303.807.1042, steve@compassnaturalmarketing.com
    Morris Beegle, Colorado Hemp Company, 970.541.0448, info@nocohempexpo.com

  • First Link in a Sustainable Chain: Interview with HempFlax’s Mark Reinders

    First Link in a Sustainable Chain: Interview with HempFlax’s Mark Reinders

    First Link in a Sustainable Chain: Interview with HempFlax’s Mark Reinders

    By Steven Hoffman

    Working with farmers and production facilities in the Netherlands, Germany and Romania, early mover and European leader HempFlax is stretching the boundaries of industrial hemp innovation with sustainable raw materials and semi-finished products for multiple applications

    When HempFlax was founded by trailblazer Ben Dronkers in 1994, the hemp industry was still in its proto-infancy. From having to develop its own custom farm machinery to innovating products that make use of every part of the industrial hemp plant, the Netherlands-based company literally had to invent everything, from the ground up.

    Today, HempFlax has grown into a world leader in hemp production. Working with a group of 70 veteran farmers in the Netherlands, Germany and Romania, the company expects to harvest 2,200 hectares (approximately 5,400 acres) of high grade industrial hemp in 2020.

    In addition, with production facilities in its home town of Oude Pekela, Netherlands, and in Romania, HempFlax manufactures a variety of hemp-derived durable raw materials and semi-finished products including fiber and building materials for construction, animal bedding, car parts, furniture and horticulture applications; nutraceuticals, including CBD and food from hempseed; plant genetics, seed and more.

    In May, HempFlax announced that it had launched a new building supply division through its acquisition of the assets of Thermo-Natur, a German company that makes insulation from natural fibers.

    Let’s Talk Hemp recently “Zoomed” in with HempFlax CEO Mark Reinders to learn more about HempFlax’s “total crop approach,” and the company’s strong belief that, as Reinders noted, “Quality begins in the field and not in the factory.”

    What Is your background with HempFlax?

    I grew up in a farm family and studied agri-business and crop production in college and have a Master’s degree in management. My father was one of the first farmers to grow hemp in the Netherlands in 1995, and my family still farms hemp. I joined HempFlax in 2001 as an intern. In 2008, I was appointed CEO of the HempFlax Group.

    How do you work with farmers?

    We work with about 70 large and small scale farmers, including farmers who are specialized in potatoes; they use hemp as a rotation crop. Our farmers also include flax and winter wheat in their rotations. The hemp crop is less labor intensive for them because we handle the harvest. Hemp doesn’t have many natural enemies and with its high rate of growth, it has weed suppressant capabilities. As such, we do not apply chemical crop protection during the crop. By introducing hemp in your crop rotations, you can improve the sustainability of your farm because you now have one less crop on which you have to apply chemicals. In addition, we do not use synthetic fertilizer on our farms in the Netherlands and Germany – we only apply animal manure, as there is so much available in these countries. In Romania, we are partly using manure, but there’s not enough available; however, we are increasing our use of natural fertilizers there year over year. In addition, we put the bio-waste from our hemp manufacturing back into the field to improve the soil. Also, we are experimenting with 120 certified organic acres in Romania, as there is big demand for certified organic hempseed and hemp food.

    Why do you conduct the harvest?

    While we do not own all the fields, we contract with our farmers to conduct the harvest. For hemp, you need specialized equipment that is often too expensive for one farmer. We can provide that. HempFlax developed in cooperation with John Deere a specialized Double Cut Combine – the upper header takes the flowers and the lower header cuts the stalk, which has improved harvesting efficiency by allowing for one pass. The reason we handle the harvest ourselves is that we can determine the quality in the field. We monitor the retting process – where we leave the stalks in the field for two to three weeks to naturally loosen the fiber from the core. This retting process is so important that we do it ourselves, and then we transport it to the factory for the decortication process.

    How have you diversified your business?

    Our business model is based on three revenue streams being separated in the field: seeds, stalks, and leaves and flower for CBD. We separate the higher quality hempseed for human consumption and the lower quality seed for animal feed. The seeds for oil, we breed ourselves. After retting and drying, the stalks are transported to our factories in Holland and Romania for decortication. In addition, now we own a third factory in Germany to manufacture insulation material. Compared to the total size of the market for insulation material, it’s definitely a niche, but it allows us to use more of the hemp crop and add value. But, as people have seen during the coronavirus crisis how quickly the Earth can regenerate itself, we have an opportunity to build a more sustainable economy than we had before, and hemp will definitely play a role in that. Additionally, animal bedding is doing very well; it sells well in the online consumer market. Hemp fiber for the automotive industry is very quiet, of course, as the auto industry has taken a hit, but we should see a recovery as the market opens up post coronavirus crisis.

    What products do you offer for the nutraceutical market?

    We provide CBD products in bulk and white label. We blend the extracts into different types of premixes. We blend with the hempseed oil we harvest, or if the customer prefers, we can blend with olive oil, MCT oil, sunflower oil and other oil blends. We also process into tinctures and capsules. For food manufacturers, HempFlax provides hempseed oil, protein powder and dehulled hempseed.

    What message can you share with your peers in the hemp industry?

    The main message of a total crop approach is it’s not easy to do because you have to be active in a lot of different markets, from animal feed and bedding to nutraceuticals and building materials, and everything in between. The amount of know-how you need to in all those markets is tremendous, but if you succeed, you will have a profitable hemp operation

    that is totally vertically integrated. We have been fortunate in that our business model has been relatively unaffected by this crisis because of the diversification we have. This is the time to change your business model to a more sustainable one. We have to rebuild our economy and be smart enough not to build it on top of the old polluting economy. We can increase our standard of living by using alternative naturally derived materials that have a lower footprint on the world; why use fiberglass when we can use hemp insulation? My wish for industry colleagues also is to stay focused and stay healthy, and we will survive this crisis.

    # # #

    Steve HoffmanSteven Hoffman is Managing Director of Compass Natural, providing brand marketing, PR, social media, and strategic business development services to natural, organic, sustainable and hemp/CBD products businesses. Compass Natural serves in PR and programming for NoCo Hemp Expo and  Southern Hemp Expo, and Hoffman serves as Editor of the weekly Let’s Talk Hemp Newsletter, published by We are for Better Alternatives. Contact steve@compassnaturalmarketing.com.

  • Newsletter – June 5, 2020

    Newsletter – June 5, 2020

    Feature Article

    Big Ideas Set to Take Off: Industrial Hemp Entrepreneurs Discover Seeds of Innovation as Technology Advances Industry

    By Heather Collins

    Nebraska-based farmer and agricultural leader Andrew Bish’s big idea to grow hemp started way before he even put seeds in the ground. Bish, a third-generation midwestern grain farmer, recalls he was working in a sorghum field near the Kansas-Colorado border when he realized that hemp was more sustainable and viable than other grains.

    Andrew now works with his family’s company, Bish Enterprises, which has been serving the heartland community of Giltner, Nebraska, for 40+ years. Bish Enterprises has been recognized as one of the first innovators to specialize in hemp farming equipment. Today, Andrew Bish is a notable industry expert and combines his passion for hemp farming with innovative technologies and practices that are driving the industrial hemp market.

    Hemp activist and legal advocate Joy Beckerman, from Hempace International, remembers her a-ha hemp moment when she was at a Grateful Dead concert in the 90s. “I was handed a hemp pamphlet and knew immediately that I had to learn more about the many facets of hemp,” said Beckerman. “As soon as I realized it’s potential, I discovered one aspect after another. Ultimately, that educational journey led me to where I am today – working and helping others thrive in the industrial hemp industry.”

    Bish Enterprises

    Many new innovations are emerging that will drive the industrial hemp market in the future, and many are available today that producers can take advantage of in terms of farm and harvesting machinery, drone and data collection technology, extraction and processing equipment, analytics and testing, product development, packaging and more. Register for free for the Experience Hemp SUMMER SOLSTICE Virtual Conference and Trade Show, June 16-19, 2020, to learn more.

    NEWS BRIEFS

    HEADLINE NEWS

    Pro-GMO Consumer Brands Association Forms Board to Oversee CBD Regulation; Industry Is Suspect as Motives Are Unclear
    By New Hope Network

    US Hemp Roundtable Asserts Industry’s Eligibility for USDA Coronavirus Program
    By Hemp Grower

    DEA Granted Sweeping Authority to Conduct Covert Investigations, Surveillance on People Protesting George Floyd’s Death
    By L.A. Cannabis News

    Rodale Institute Releases Power of the Plate: The Case for Regenerative Organic Agriculture in Improving Human Health
    By Rodale Institute

    White House Reviewing CBD and Marijuana Guidance from FDA
    By Marijuana Moment

    FDA Continues to Issue Warning Letters to CBD Marketers
    By Nutraingredients-USA

    FOOD AND BEVERAGE & SUPPLEMENTS

    Forget CBD, Hemp Is Good Nutrition
    By New Hope Network

    Hemp Appears in Reef-Safe Sunscreen
    By Pretty Hot Mess

    Covid-19 Restrictions, U.S. Unrest Impacts Ecofibre’s Ananda Hemp Brand
    By Top Shelf News

    Natural Products Entrepreneurs Pivot to Ensure Supply Chain Consistency During Coronavirus Crisis
    By New Hope Network

    Publicly Held RMMI Corp. Announces Strategic Shift into Hemp Processing, CBD Extraction
    By Yahoo Finance

    FASHION, FIBER AND CONSTRUCTION

    Video Moment: Unexpected Uses of Hemp Give Hope for the Planet
    By Our Planet

    Hemp Makes Great Biodegradable Plastic
    By Terpene TLV

    Reflective Hemp Running and Biking Vest Keeps Athletes Safe
    By USMJ

    FARMING AND AGRICULTURE

    HGH Seed Introduces High CBG Strain
    By Seed World

    USDA Approves Hemp Plans For U.S. Virgin Islands And Four Native American Tribes
    By Marijuana Moment

    More than 150 Kentucky Hemp Farmers Sit Out 2020 Season; Many Still Trying to Sell 2019 Crop
    By Hemp Grower

    Vermont Agency of Agriculture Finalizes Hemp Rules
    By Burlington Free Press

    INTERNATIONAL NEWS

    UK-based World Highlife Plc Expands CBD Sales Through Love Hemp Ltd. Acquisition
    By Globe Newswire

    Japanese Company Reportedly Creates Orange Peel-Derived CBD
    By Ganjapreneur

    Belize’s Prime Minister Cheers for Hemp, Other New Industries
    By Breaking Belize News

    EVENTS

    Experience Hemp Summer Solstice Virtual Conference and Trade Show, presented by NoCo Hemp Expo, June 16-19, 2020 – Register Now!

    17th EIHA Hemp Conference, June 16-17, 2020

    Oregon Hemp Convention Digital Summit, June 17-19, 2020

    Hemp Grower Magazine Hosts the Hemp Virtual Conference, June 23, 2020

    NoCo Hemp Expo Expands 2020 Show at National Western Complex in Denver, Aug. 6-8, 2020

    Diversify Hemp Meetup at NoCo Hemp Expo, August 6-8, 2020

    Order Your Copy of Doug Fine’s New Book, American Hemp Farmer

    American Hemp Farmer, the sixth book from author Doug Fine, follows the rigors and pleasures of an entire hemp season from soil preparation and genetics acquisition through harvest and regenerative marketing. It’s immersive. It’s wildly funny. The follow up to Doug Fine’s bestselling Hemp Bound, American Hemp Farmer pulls no punches, and because it is written by an actual hemp farmer and entrepreneur, it tells you what you need to know if you want to join the hemp renaissance.

    Order American Hemp Farmer Today

    Available at One Planet Hemp

    Subscribe to the Let’s Talk Hemp YouTube Channel

    #LetsTalkHemp is the ultimate platform that focuses on “Changing the Cannabis Conversation”. We provide news, education, and information about Hemp and Cannabis to our viewers so that they can learn more about the industry and get tips and tricks on the latest technologies. Subscribe to our channel and learn about everything from legal updates, farming, production, and new products entering the Hemp & Cannabis space.

    Podcast – Hemp for Our Future: Hemp Helps America

    Episode 36 of the Let’s Talk Hemp Podcast takes a look at how three amazing hemp leaders are bringing the industry together in an effort to help combat some of the issues resulting from pandemic pandemonium. Hemp for Our Future was the brain-child of Courtney Moran and Shawn Hauser, who brought in Annie Rouse and Friends of Hemp to organize and execute an ongoing campaign to gather supplies and help utilize hemp products to help America fight the war on COVID. In addition, Rick speaks with Kyla DuMont, the Vermont transplant to Los Angeles, that finds her path taking her back home as a result of the COVID economic relocation program. She describes the current state of the State of California, how she came up with the idea of MediMaple, combining cannabinoids with maple syrup, and how many folks didn’t realize maple came from a tree!

    LISTEN HERE

    About Colorado Hemp Company
    The Colorado Hemp Company, the producer of the 7th Annual NoCo Hemp Expo (NoCo7), is a leading organization for the advancement and advocacy of hemp farming, processing, production, innovation, education, and legalization in the USA. The entire team is committed to researching and developing alternatives so that hemp can once again thrive and help individuals and communities throughout America and around the globe. The 7th Annual NoCo Hemp Expo will take place August 6-8, 2020, at the National Western Complex in Denver, CO.

    Contact
    Steven Hoffman, Compass Natural, 303.807.1042, steve@compassnaturalmarketing.com
    Morris Beegle, Colorado Hemp Company, 970.541.0448, info@nocohempexpo.com

  • Big Ideas Set to Take Off: Industrial Hemp Entrepreneurs Discover Seeds of Innovation as Technology Advances Industry

    Big Ideas Set to Take Off: Industrial Hemp Entrepreneurs Discover Seeds of Innovation as Technology Advances Industry

    Many new innovations are emerging that will drive the industrial hemp market in the future, and many are available today that producers can take advantage of in terms of farm and harvesting machinery, drone and data collection technology, extraction and processing equipment, analytics and testing, product development, packaging and more. Register Here for FREE for the Experience Hemp SUMMER SOLSTICE Virtual Conference and Trade Show, June 16-19, 2020, to learn more.

    By Heather Collins

    Nebraska-based farmer and agricultural leader Andrew Bish’s big idea to grow hemp started way before he even put seeds in the ground. Bish, a third-generation midwestern grain farmer, recalls he was working in a sorghum field near the Kansas-Colorado border when he realized that hemp was more sustainable and viable than other grains.

    Andrew now works with his family’s company, Bish Enterprises, which has been serving the heartland community of Giltner, Nebraska, for 40+ years. Bish Enterprises has been recognized as one of the first innovators to specialize in hemp farming equipment. Today, Andrew Bish is a notable industry expert and combines his passion for hemp farming with innovative technologies and practices that are driving the industrial hemp market.

    Hemp activist and legal advocate Joy Beckerman, from Hempace International, remembers her a-ha hemp moment when she was at a Grateful Dead concert in the 90s. “I was handed a hemp pamphlet and knew immediately that I had to learn more about the many facets of hemp,” said Beckerman. “As soon as I realized it’s potential, I discovered one aspect after another. Ultimately, that educational journey led me to where I am today – working and helping others thrive in the industrial hemp industry.”

    Stories like Bish and Beckerman are among many as more and more entrepreneurs and business leaders discover the many uses of hemp. According to the U.S. Hemp Roundtable, hemp has been a leading cash crop for centuries and was critical to the United States during both world wars. Industry trade journals also estimate there are more than 50,000 different uses of industrial hemp from textiles to sustainable building materials to food and potential energy sources.

    Stalk Talk

    “The dialogue is changing, and we’re starting to discuss new ways to work with hemp – as a stalk material and as a potential food source for animals,” said Andrew Bish, COO, Bish Enterprises. “Realizing we can do more with hemp provides an extra layer for our industry. Identifying and discovering more options for hemp helps educate and inform the public, which is key to the future of this industry and what makes our community thrive.”

    In addition to working on a proprietary hemp-based grain feed for livestock, Andrew and his team have been working on establishing secure drone technology for the fields. They have created new harvesting machinery and equipment, including the world’s first-row crop header designed specifically for CBD hemp production.

    But Bish is not alone in the field of innovation. The organizers of the NoCo Hemp Expo acknowledge that groundbreaking ideas are about to take flight. That’s why they are kicking off their first session of its 4-day Experience Hemp SUMMER SOLSTICE Virtual Conference and Trade Show, June 16 – 19, 2020, with a live, virtual webinar, Innovation: Technology Advances Across the Hemp Supply Chain.

    The ‘Innovation and Technology’ panel will feature entrepreneurs, business
    leaders, software/system developers, agricultural experts, including both Bish and Beckerman, among others. Collectively, the panelists will discuss emerging trends, such as machinery for farm and harvesting, drone and data collection, extraction and processing technology, supply chain management systems, and more.

    “We’re at the intersection of where big ideas meet farming, building to composite materials, fashion, health and wellness, and the food industries. Hemp’s variety of use is quite wide,” said Morris Beegle, Producer of NoCo Hemp Expo. “The technology has opened the door to hope, change, and inspiration. Hemp’s powerful and positive impact is something we need right now, everywhere.”

    From Buds to Bricks

    Beckerman, who consults with hemp building and hemp trade associations, thinks this is a pivotal time for commercial and residential construction companies to use hemp building materials. Ever since the legal passing of the Farm Bill in 2018, hemp has been showing up in familiar places, even right at home. According to news reports, there are more than 50 homes made with hemp materials in the U.S. alone, with houses popping up in North Carolina, Virginia, Texas, and Hawaii.

    “We need to expand research on the idea of hemp and pyrolysis, which is the heating of organic material in the absence of oxygen. Pyrolysis, will be the next big topic of conversation because the process essentially speeds up the decomposition of hemp, which means you can process it at a quicker pace,” explains Beckerman. Pyrolysis converts hemp stalks for power generation and helps with the production of industrial feedstocks and other purposes.

    As materials become readily available at better prices, Beckerman notes that “the time is now for discovery, for new ways of thinking, and for new technologies to reframe businesses sustainably.”

    If you’re interested in learning more about innovation and technology, Register for FREE for the Experience Hemp SUMMER SOLSTICE Virtual Conference and Trade Show, June 16-19, 2020. Participants will also have the opportunity to hear insights relating to analytics, innovations in testing, product development, packaging design, and the chance to exchange ideas with the panelists. Additional details below:

    Innovation: Technology Advances Across the Hemp Supply Chain

    The ‘Innovation and Technology’ discussion will take place on Tuesday, June 16, at 11:00 am MDT and is one of six, 90-minute live webcasts, taking place throughout the week. Each Supersession will be offered twice a day, on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, June 16-18.

    # # #

  • State of Virginia Legalizes CBD as an Ingredient in Food & Beverage Products

    State of Virginia Legalizes CBD as an Ingredient in Food & Beverage Products

    By Steven Hoffman

    Virginia Governor Ralph Northam on April 16 signed into law landmark legislation legalizing the use of cannabinoid extracts, such as CBD, derived from industrial hemp as an ingredient in food and beverage products.

    The measure states that “industrial hemp extract…is a food and is subject to applicable laws and regulations,” which will be administered by the Virginia Board of Agriculture and Consumer Services. The bill further states that “’industrial hemp extract’ means an extract (i) of a Cannabis sativa plant that has a concentration of tetrahydrocannabinol that is no greater than that allowed for hemp by federal law and (ii) that is intended for human consumption.”

    Senate Bill 918, sponsored by state Senator David Marsden (D-Fairfax), will help guide the industrial hemp industry in Virginia by “regulating facility conditions and requirements for the production of hemp-derived products intended for human consumption,” reported NBC News. The bill… “gives validity to the CBD industry,” Charlotte Wright, a Virginia hemp farmer and owner of CBD company Hemp Queenz, told NBC News.

    The bill authorizes the Virginia Board of Agriculture and Consumer Services to adopt regulations establishing contaminant tolerances, labeling requirements, and batch testing requirements. In addition, it provides that moneys collected under the chapter shall be deposited in the Virginia Industrial Hemp Fund, created by the bill. The bill directs the Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry to report by Nov. 1, 2020, a plan for the long-term sustainability of funding for the state’s industrial hemp program.

    The new law presumably will apply only to products meant to be produced and consumed within Virginia. The use of hemp-derived cannabidiol extract (CBD) in foods and beverage products and dietary supplements is still technically prohibited in interstate commerce, because the FDA has so far refused to recognize CBD as a safe food ingredient.

    “While we commend the State of Virginia for taking the initiative to regulate products, we are concerned that a patchwork of state laws could confuse consumers and fail to provide all of the necessary federal safeguards, including setting a safe level of daily consumption for CBD. Unfortunately, this is another example of the states filling a vacuum created by the federal government’s inaction. We have promised to work with policymakers in Virginia and across the country to make real progress on regulating the growing CBD marketplace,” said Daniel Fabricant, Ph.D., President and CEO of the Natural Products Association.

    In a letter to Governor Northam dated April 21, 2020, Fabricant wrote, “Congratulations on being the first state to declare cannabidiol (CBD) as a food under the law of the Commonwealth. With the signing of Senate Bill 918 into law, we wanted to inquire about the Administration and Board’s plans for implementation of the law, especially in light of the position of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Despite the agency’s actions and message, the market for CBD products in the US is surging and consumers are confused, Fabricant continued. “With these factors in mind, is the goal of the Commonwealth to challenge the current position of the FDA with regard to CBD or, is it to work with them on developing a Federal Standard with regards to CBD safety and quality standards?” he asked.

    Photo: Wikipedia

    # # #

    Steven Hoffman is Managing Director of Compass Natural, providing brand marketing, PR, social media, and strategic business development services to natural, organic, sustainable and hemp/CBD products businesses. Compass Natural serves in PR and programming for NoCo Hemp Expo, and Hoffman serves as Editor of the weekly Let’s Talk Hemp Newsletter, published by We are for Better Alternatives. Contact steve@compassnaturalmarketing.com.

  • 29 Lorena Beltran – Cannabis in Mexico

    29 Lorena Beltran – Cannabis in Mexico

    In this episode, Lorena Beltran joins us to talk about everything cannabis-related happening south of the border.

    You’ll hear how the legalization of cannabis in the USA has changed the lives of cannabis farmers in Mexico, how the USA and Mexico differ in their approaches to hemp regulation, and why Mexico will be one of the leading producers of industrial hemp.

    You can Subscribe and Listen to the Podcast on Apple Podcasts. And be sure to leave us a Rating and Review!

    Let's Talk Hemp on Apple Podcsts

    “Mexico is going to position itself as one of the leading countries in the world when it comes to industrial hemp.” – Lorena Beltran

    Show Notes:

    • The legal state of cannabis in Mexico
    • How legalization in the USA has changed the lives of cannabis farmers in Mexico
    • How the USA’s approach to cannabis regulation differs from Mexico
    • Why Mexico will be one of the leading industrial hemp producers
    • The Mexican Cannabis Industry Association’s first priorities
    • Lorena’s upcoming projects

    “The good thing about our new government is that they are going to legalize [cannabis] with the priority and the objective of ending violence, ending the black market, and of course ending the drug war.” – Lorena Beltran

    Links Mentioned:

  • Applications for Hemp Licenses Continue to Balloon Across US

    Applications for Hemp Licenses Continue to Balloon Across US

    By Hemp Industry Daily

    ]The number of applications to grow hemp received by states has continued to increase rapidly in the wake of the 2018 passage of the Farm Bill.

    The West Virginia Agriculture Department reported that the number of licenses issued so far this year has more than tripled to 158, compared with 46 in 2018.

    The agency said the amount of acreage farmers plan to use for cultivation also saw a steep increase, from 155 acres (63 hectares) last year to 1,532 acres (620 hectares) this year.



    News Briefs

    Keys to Finding CBD’s Legal Path to Market
    by Nutra Ingredients USA

    CBD Oreos Sound Great but Honestly Extremely Unnecessary
    by Vice

    Hemp Farmers Are Making a Killing on the CBD Industry
    by CNN Business

    CBD: On A Real Market High
    by CBS News

    Don’t Miss Season 2 of the Let’s Talk Hemp Podcast

    In this new episode of the Let’s Talk Hemp 422 Podcast, you’ll hear Patrick Flaherty from P F Design Lab, who is studying the entire supply chain of hemp in the U.S. to better understand where hemp can replace traditional materials. While the hemp market in the United States continues to grow, there is still a disconnect between the farmers growing the hemp and the manufacturers who can make use out of it. This is an amazing story of the versatility and opportunity that remains largely untapped in the emerging hemp market.

    Send Us Your Hemp News!
    Send press releases and news announcements to news@letstalkhemp.com

  • Hemp at the Crossroads

    Hemp at the Crossroads

    Will We Regenerate with Hemp, or Choose Corn 2.0?

    By John Roulac

    America’s hemp movement has come a long way in the past 25 years. Today, hemp CBD is experiencing its own day in the sun moment. Everywhere you turn, there’s a news story—from CVS rolling out hemp to 800 stores to Martha Stewart getting into CBD-infused pet products. In the coming decade, sales of hemp CBD are expected to rival those of vitamins.

    Yet there’s a growing concern among conscious consumers about the fact that the hemp plant is a major bioaccumulator that concentrates pesticides and other contaminates. Shall we choose hemp CBD flowers grown in RoundUp-soaked non-organic soils, or select those grown on organically farmed land? Shall we support organic farmers or farmers that spray Monsanto chemicals ?

    Corn 2.0

    Many of the current leaders in CBD, and new entrants including Canopy Growth and the recent Manitoba Harvest purchaser, Tilray, hail from the pot industry.

    The pot barons bring with them a cowboy culture born from years of operating in the shadows of the black markets. The pot industry is infamous for its environmental destruction, copious use of chemicals, and lack of transparency. In a rush for corporate profits, the pot mavens seem to want to steer the hemp industry into a remade version that we could call Corn 2.0. We are not only talking chemicals but GMO breeding to create “THC-Free” hemp varieties, un-labeled of course ; )

    Hemp, like corn, draws nitrogen out of the soil as it grows. The vast majority of hemp grown in the USA for fiber or flowers utilizes great amounts of synthetic nitrogen fertilizer, causing major eco damage to local streams, lakes, and oceans. Indoor pot growers use the same type of harsh nitrogen fertilizer made from fracked natural gas.

    Unfortunately, the U.S. Hemp Authority(a trade group formed to create standards and to certify products), is not requiring brands to label the fact that they’re using GMOs or even list whether a brand’s hemp is from Europe or China. Many longtime hemp allies are not happy with this rushed , ‘pay to play’ standard, created by the pot barons themselves with help from the industrial ag sector. (See this letter that I co-signed: https://cannabusiness.law/open-letter-regarding-the-us-hemp-authority-certification-program/.)

    Beyond soil health itself, fertilizers are a main contributor to climate change, and runoff following storms is the leading cause of ocean dead zones in the Gulf of Mexico. We all need to heed the following wake-up call: At our current rate of excess carbon and heat, every fish, dolphin, and whale in our seas is projected to vanish by 2040 because of plankton die-off.

    Regeneration with Hemp 

    A major difference in how certified-organic hemp is grown is the use of renewable cover crops like clover or alfalfa to provide the nitrogen. Want to get the Cliff’s Notes on how agriculture, the leading cause of global climate change, can also be the leading solution through better practices such as composting, cover crops, and biodiversity? Ready for a paradigm shift? Watch the two-minute trailer for Kiss the Ground  (https://vimeo.com/242796310), a major motion picture (co-produced by this writer).

    The booming hemp industry can pivot to more eco-friendly and climate-beneficial farming practices. It can focus on soil health versus the vague corporate doublespeak of “responsible farming” and “sustainable methods.” Hundreds of hemp brands have claimed that their hemp is organic, yet have failed to deliver proof of organic certification for their growing methods or even their brand.

    The Choice Is Ours

    With ocean die-off and the increasing intensity of climate change bearing down on us, it’s crucial for us to choose to regenerate with hemp. Cleaner farming practices make cleaner botanicals. Doesn’t the choice seem rather easy?

    As consumers and retailers favor brands that are working to regenerate with hemp, organic farmers will increase their acres—while the acreage of non-organic, eco-destructive “Corn 2.0” hemp farmers will inevitably shrink.

    Look for the USDA organic symbol on hemp products from CBD to hemp seed oil. RE Botanicals is excited to be on this leading edge—along with new fresh hemp juice brand Lumen; organic hemp CBD brand Nature’s Love; Nutiva the largest organic hempseed brand, Mad Agriculture, a Colorado NGO working to help farmers be more regenerative; the venerable Rodale Institute; Mark Lewis, a Colorado soil farmer growing hemp in 2019; and soils health guru Ray Archuleta, who was a key note speaker at the world’s biggest hemp exposition and conference, NoCo Hemp Expo 2019.

    It’s time to regenerate with hemp!

    John Roulac is the founder of RE: Botanicals, offering USDA Certified Organic full spectrum hemp extract products. He also is the founder of the superfoods company Nutiva, and five ecological nonprofit groups, including GMO Inside. He’s written four books, including Backyard Composting and Hemp Horizons. Visit www.johnroulac.com, Facebook.com/John.Roulac.

  • Sold Out!: 2019 NoCo Hemp Expo Expected to Draw Capacity Crowd

    Sold Out!: 2019 NoCo Hemp Expo Expected to Draw Capacity Crowd

    Sold Out!: 2019 NoCo Hemp Expo Expected to Draw Capacity Crowd of Hemp Industry Professionals to Denver

    Featuring a special address from Colorado Governor Jared Polis, an Investor Forum, Business Conference, Farm Symposium, Exhibit Hall and an Impressive Lineup of Workshops and Education, the 6th Annual NoCo Hemp Expo is bringing a capacity crowd from throughout the U.S. and over 20 countries to Denver for its sold-out show.

    DENVER, Colorado (March 28, 2019) – Hemp growers, producers, manufacturers, retailers, investors and others will be descending this week in Denver to convene at the Crowne Plaza DIA Convention Center on March 28-30 for the 6th Annual NoCo Hemp Expo. And while tickets are still available for certain events, NoCo6 is nearly sold out.

    What began in 2014 as a modest meeting of intrepid Fort Collins-based hemp entrepreneurs has grown into the world’s largest gathering of hemp industry professionals under one roof. Approximately 10,000 visitors are expected from throughout the U.S., as well as over 20 countries.

    “We are very excited to welcome visitors from all over the world to this year’s NoCo Hemp Expo,” said Elizabeth (Elizzy) Knight, co-founder of Colorado Hemp Company/We Are for Better Alternatives (WAFBA), producer of NoCo Hemp Expo. “What our small team has created, along with the help of all our supporting exhibitors, sponsors, speakers and other partners, has never been done before. Together, from the ground up, we have created a world-class convention and conference that celebrates all things hemp – from botanicals and CBD to bioplastics and building materials – and that showcases Colorado as a center of the hemp marketplace.”

    Hemp producers are feeling bullish in 2019, since the passage of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, better known as the Farm Bill, which legalized the commercial cultivation and sale of industrial hemp, defined as containing less than 0.3% THC. According to Hemp Business Journal’s new report, The Global State of Hemp: 2019 Industry Outlook, U.S. sales of hemp products – from full-spectrum hemp extract and CBD products to hemp foods, textiles, building materials and more – estimated at $1 billion in 2018, are projected to grow 27% annually to reach $2.6 billion by 2022. Global hemp retail sales totaled $3.7 billion in 2018 and are projected to grow to $5.7 billion by 2020.

    NoCo Hemp Expo Program Highlights

    Featured speakers for this year’s NoCo Hemp Expo include Colorado Governor and hemp advocate Jared Polis; Native American tribal leader turned hemp farmer Winona LaDuke; David Bronner, 5th generation CEO of legendary soap maker Dr. Bronner’s; renowned market researcher Dr. Michelle Barry; regenerative agriculture and soil expert Ray Archuleta; hemp expert and author Doug Fine; hemp entrepreneurs Dani Billings of Nature’s Root and Janel Ralph of Palmetto Harmony; and other leaders breaking new ground in the industrial hemp market. For a complete list of speakers, visit here and for a full program schedule, visit here.

    Also, NoCo6 has produced a digital and print magazine/show program, Let’s Talk Hemp, for the first time in partnership with Honeysuckle Magazine, which can be viewed

    Other NoCo6 event highlights include:

    Hemp Industry Daily Investor Forum, Thursday, March 28 – Tickets Are Still Available

    Legal updates and insights; investment trends and deal flow; opportunities and investments; networking; luncheon and more. Visit here for info.

    Let’s Talk Hemp Business Conference, Friday, March 29 – Sold Out!

    Vertical integration; policy and regulation; compliance and certification; processing and manufacturing; market research; the global business of hemp. Visit here for info.

    Let’s Talk Hemp Farm Symposium, Saturday, March 30 – Sold Out!

    Regenerative farming; soil health; genetics; new technology and equipment; regulations and compliance. Visit here for info.

    Expo Hall, Friday/Saturday, March 29-30, 10:00 am – 6:00 pm – Tickets Are Still Available

    With more than 225 exhibitors, NoCo6’s Expo Hall is open to B2B visitors on March 29 and March 30. The Expo Hall is open to consumers and the public on March 30. Features include the Bish Equipment Zone, HempToday International Alley, Science & Tech Spotlight, Adept Payments Workshop and Education Stage, EnviroTextiles Fashion Parade, Blu Nahulu Art Zone and more. Visit here for info.

    NoCo After Party, Saturday, March 30, 8:00 pm – Midnight – Tickets Are Still Available

    Hang with friends at the Hemp Renaissance Ball After Party on Saturday, March 30, 8:00 pm – midnight at the Renaissance Hotel – Denver Stapleton. Buy tickets here.

    Press Conference, Friday, March 29, 9:15 am – 9:45 am

    For qualified and registered media attendees, NoCo Hemp Expo will host a press conference on Friday, March 29, 2019, onsite at the Crowne Plaza DIA Convention Center at 9:15 – 9:45 am, before the conference and exhibition hall opens. To qualify for a Press Pass, contact here.

    To purchase tickets for all remaining available events, visit www.NoCoHempExpo.com.

    Thank You to Our Sponsors

    GenCanna™ is the Presenting Sponsor of NoCo6.

    Business Conference Sponsors include: Elixinol, New Hope Network, Benmar Extractions, Hoban Law Group, Lilu’s Garden, McAllister Garfield P.C., Frank Robison Law Group, and Steep Fuze Coffee.

    Farm Symposium Sponsors include; Bluhen Botanicals, Bish Enterprises, Colorado Breeders Depot, Front Range Biosciences, Hempsac, New West Genetics, ProVerde Labs and Rad Extracts. Meet all of our Sponsor Partners here: https://nocohempexpo.com/sponsors/.

    About the NoCo Hemp Expo

    The 6th Annual NoCo Hemp Expo is produced by the Colorado Hemp Company, a division of WAFBA LLC (We Are For Better Alternatives), based in Loveland, CO. WAFBA also is the producer of the 2nd Annual Southern Hemp Expo and founder of TreeFreeHemp paper and printing services. Areas of focus include product and brand development, event production, consulting and advocacy. NoCo6 provides support to nonprofit organizations including Bee Heroic; the Jack Herer Foundation; and Hemp History Week, celebrating its 10th anniversary in June 2019. Learn more at NocoHempExpo.com, or visit us on YouTube, Facebook and Twitter, #NoCo6. 

  • Hemp Industry to Gather in Denver for the 6th Annual NoCo Hemp Expo, the Largest Gathering of Hemp Industry Professionals Under One Roof

    Hemp Industry to Gather in Denver for the 6th Annual NoCo Hemp Expo, the Largest Gathering of Hemp Industry Professionals Under One Roof

    America’s Largest Hemp Expo Adds Pre-Conference Investment Forum to Full-day Business Conference, Farm Symposium and Expanded Exhibit Hall

    DENVER (January 24, 2019) – From botanicals to bioplastics, and from CBD to building materials, industrial hemp’s many uses will be showcased at the 6th Annual NoCo Hemp Expo (#NoCo6) on March 29-30, 2019, at the Crowne Plaza DIA Convention Center in Denver. The NoCo Hemp Expo is the largest gathering of hemp industry professionals under one roof.

    Approximately 8,000-10,000 attendees, including investors, entrepreneurs, manufacturers, farmers, producers and other leaders in hemp will attend this year’s event to participate in a newly added pre-conference Investment Forum on March 28, plus a full-day Business Conference, Farm Symposium and expanded Exhibition Hall open to professionals on March 29-30. Additionally, tickets are available to the public to visit the Expo Hall on Saturday, March 30.

    New Investment Forum Added to Educational Program

    The hemp industry is poised for exponential growth now that this incredibly useful plant is legal to grow and sell in the U.S. for the first time in over 80 years. To address the growing needs of the U.S. hemp market, expected to reach $4 billion in sales by 2022, Colorado Hemp Company – the producer of NoCo6 – is partnering with Hemp Industry Daily to add a Pre-Conference Investment Forum on March 28. The pre-conference event is open to accredited and institutional investors along with industry CEOs and executives looking for capital investment avenues to grow their businesses. For more information, visit www.NoCoHempExpo.com.

    For NoCo6’s main conference programming, the 2019 event will feature a solid lineup of business leaders and experts in the industrial hemp market. The initial round of keynote presenters and speakers for the Investment Forum, Business Conference and Farm Symposium will be announced in early February. Topics for the full-day Let’s Talk Hemp Business Conference range from legal and banking issues to supply chain management, retail strategies and marketing and communications. Topics for the Farm Symposium include seed genetics, soil health, regenerative organic farming practices, harvesting, drying and processing, and more.

    NoCo Hemp Expo has featured such speakers as Arran Stephens, CEO and co-founder of Nature’s Path, one of the largest privately held sellers of organic and hemp foods; John Roulac, hemp food pioneer and founder of Nutiva; Winona LaDuke, Native American tribal leader, hemp agriculture advocate and former Vice-Presidential candidate of the United States; world-renowned soil expert Ray Archuleta; leading hemp attorney Bob Hoban; and many others.

    70,000+ Square Feet of Hemp Exhibits and Education Under One Roof

    NoCo Hemp Expo will feature 70,000+ sq. ft. of exhibits and education programming space with 225 exhibitors. In addition to the Business Conference and Farm Symposium, NoCo6 will feature a Global Hemp Village, science and technical workshops, networking events and after-parties. The Business Conference, Farm Symposium and the Bish Enterprises Equipment Zone all will be expanded this year to accommodate the rapidly growing interest in all things hemp.

    “We’re excited to raise the level of professionalism at NoCo6. We’ve built the biggest stage and best platform in the hemp space over the past five years to bring together experts, thought leaders and organizations as we curate a future for an industry that can truly and meaningfully impact the world in a positive way,” said Morris Beegle, co-producer of NoCo Hemp Expo.

    Video Presentation

    For a 60-second video introduction to the 6th Annual NoCo Hemp Expo, visit here.

    Tickets Are On Sale Now

    Tickets are now available for the Pre-Conference Investment Forum, Let’s Talk Hemp Business Conference, Farm Symposium and Expo Hall. For all ticket levels, information and to purchase tickets, visit our website.

    About the NoCo Hemp Expo

    The 6th Annual NoCo Hemp Expo is produced by the Colorado Hemp Company, a division of WAFBA LLC (We Are For Better Alternatives), based in Loveland, CO. WAFBA also is the producer of the 2nd Annual Southern Hemp Expo and founder of TreeFreeHemp paper and printing services. Areas of focus include product and brand development, event production, consulting and advocacy. Learn more at NocoHempExpo.com, or visit our YouTube Channel for a promo video about #NoCo6. You can also find us on Facebook and Twitter, #NoCo6.

    Thank You to Our Sponsors

    GenCanna™, a Kentucky-based company that focuses on scaling premium agricultural hemp production for food products to promote easy availability locally, nationally and globally, is the presenting sponsor of NoCo6. With a 150-acre agricultural campus and a $40-million processing plant under way in rural Kentucky, GenCanna™ conducts groundbreaking research and commercialization of hemp processing methods and product development.

    In addition to Presenting Sponsor GenCanna™, International Hemp Solutions is NoCo6’s Global Outreach Sponsor. Sponsors also include PureHemp Technology, Elixinol, Bluhen Botanicals, Bluebird Botanicals, SubZero Extracts, Palmetto Harmony, HGH Seed, Bish Enterprises, Restorative Botanicals, Boulder Botanicals, Key to Life, and Nature’s Love.  

    # # #

    Contact
    Steven Hoffman, Compass Natural, 303.807.1042, steve@compassnaturalmarketing.com
    Morris Beegle, Colorado Hemp Company, 970.541.0448, info@nocohempexpo.com

  • SHE’s writing hemp history in Nashville

    SHE’s writing hemp history in Nashville

    by John Dvorak

    The Southern Hemp Expo (SHE), held at the Nashville Fairgrounds in September 2018, was organized by Cecily Friday of the Tennessee Cannabis Coalition, Colleen Keahey Lanier, Executive Director of the Hemp Industries Association and hemptrepreneur extraordinaire Morris Beegle.  This trio of thought leaders worked tirelessly to replicate Beegle’s highly successful NOCO Hemp Expo in Tennessee.  They did an excellent job taking care of the speakers and attendees alike.  There was a lot of local media coverage of the Expo as people are realizing the regenerative effect that hemp can have for farmers and the economy.

    For me, one of the many highlights was Eli Shalom’s hemp paper making lecture and demonstration.  Eli, who has been producing beautiful craft hemp paper for years, described how hemp fiber and water are added to an oval shaped beater where they go round and round as the fibers are pulled apart, churned and made more pliable.  The beater’s purpose is to macerate the hemp fibers, creating more surface area for them to link together during the papermaking process. The pulpy slurry is spread onto a framed screen where the individual fibers form bonds as the water drains.  Pressure is added to squeeze out excess water resulting in very strong and flexible sheets of hemp paper.

    After Eli’s talk, I realized that the SHE was a beater in its own right: thousands of individuals pouring onto the circular trade show floor where 100 vendors stood ready to break open any misconceptions about cannabis hemp.  As people jostled with each other to make their way around, waves of hempformation flowed over them in a frenetic manner. Once this human slurry was mixed, the proto-hempsters poured into the lecture halls where they synergistically coalesced into something that is stronger than each individual.  The speakers acted as pressure that squeezed out misinformation and helped turn concepts into coherent action plans. I was honored to contribute to this effort by giving my Cannabis Curriculum presentation.  People left the Expo unified, strengthened and ready to write their own chapter of hempen history.  Now, I’ll try to turn the page on this tearable hemp paper analogy and get my sheet together.

    Similar to what I experienced in Oklahoma recently, Cannabidiol (CBD) has taken the South by storm.  A large majority of vendors at the Expo were promoting this non-intoxicating cannabinoid and with good reason.  Stories abounded of CBD’s healing properties: controlling seizures, relieving pain and anxiety as well as being an anti-inflammatory and neuroprotectant.  A particularly poignant presentation was given by Janel Ralph of Palmetto Harmony who spoke passionately about how CBD has significantly improved the quality of life for her daughter, Harmony.

    There were several more traditional hemp merchants there too including Sunstrand, which focuses on the many uses of the hemp stalk, from hurd based particle board to bast fiber insulation.  The humble hemp seed was not forgotten either, as Laura’s Hemp Chocolates and Victory Hemp both had tasty products on display.  Rick Trojan, who MC’d several speaker panels in an easy going and professional manner, was showing off his newly wrapped Hemp Road Trip bus in the SHE parking lot.  Keep an eye out for a tour date near you!

    Numerous hemp luminaries were in attendance including Vote Hemp lobbyist Ben Droz, a study in perpetual motion and genuinely kind fellow.  Hemp pioneers Joe Hickey, Craig Lee and John Roulac were there to provide an experienced voice of reason and reality check.  It was encouraging to see a new generation of whole plant cannabis advocates, like Cait Curley, taking up the hempen mantle in an energetic and innovative manner.  I enjoyed finally meeting fellow hempologist, Daniel Isenstein, whose Hemp Highway of Kentucky website really drives home the canna-history of the Bluegrass State.

    Ryan Loflin of Rocky Mountain Hemp shared his invaluable lessons learned growing hemp in Colorado while author, goat herder and uber-hempster Doug Fine lent good humor and poignant insights to the proceedings.  Veteran Mike Lewis, founder of the Growing Warriors Project, talked about the challenges and opportunities awaiting members of our armed services.

    The ever cheerful Coach Freddie Cecchini was there documenting the event for his ihemp Revolution podcast.  He played his trademark washboard to complement the musical entertainment at the after party which also saw hempentainer and musical muse Aviva Vuvuzela perform her classic song Cannabis Car.  All in all, the Southern Hemp Expo was a resounding success and participants are already looking forward to writing more hemp history at next year’s event.


     

    The Road to NoCo: After a hosting a successful Hawaii Hemp Conference, we hope you will join us for the upcoming  Winter Hemp Summit, Jan. 11, 2019, in Fort Collins, CO.

    News Briefs

    Top 5 Hemp Companies Well Positioned for Farm Bill
    by Yahoo Finance

    Government Shutdown Impacts Applications to Grow and Process Hemp
    by KUTV

    CBD Brands Advertise in Times Square for New Year’s
    by Hemp Today

    Scientists Excited to Study Legal Hemp
    by Vox


    Upcoming Events

    The Road to NoCo: Mark Your Calendar for the Largest Gathering of Hemp Industry Professionals Under One Roof

    Have a listen.
    The Let’s Talk Hemp Podcast     with Morris Beagle & Rick Trojan

    Let’s Talk Hemp & The 422

    Join us for a short 422 podcast featuring author and hemp expert Doug Fine on opportunities in Hawaii’s emerging hemp industry.

    About Let’s Talk Hemp

    Let’s Talk Hemp is a publication of Colorado Hemp Company focused specifically on the subject of industrial hemp and cannabis. We present features and curate news from across the globe to share the benefits of cannabis on health, energy, manufacturing and planet (H.E.M.P.).[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_link_target=”_self” column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” width=”1/3″ tablet_width_inherit=”default” tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid” bg_image_animation=”none”][divider line_type=”No Line” custom_height=”45″][vc_column_text]Join our mailing list and get the latest inside scoop on ALL THINGS HEMP with our new Let’s Talk Hemp Weekly newsletter and updates on Season 2 of Let’s Talk Hemp and The 422 coming early 2019.

    Send Us Your Hemp News!
    Send press releases and news announcements to news@letstalkhemp.com

  • Inaugural Southern Hemp Expo, Announces Presenting Sponsor Bluhen Botanicals

    Inaugural Southern Hemp Expo, Announces Presenting Sponsor Bluhen Botanicals

    The First Annual Southern Hemp Expo to Feature Exhibit Hall, Networking Opportunities, and Presentations and Workshops by Pioneers, Innovators, Entrepreneurs and Activists in the Rapidly Expanding Hemp Industry at The Fairgrounds Nashville, Sept. 28-29, 2018

    Nashville, TN — (ReleaseWire) — 08/29/2018 –The Southern United States is rapidly emerging as an epicenter of industrial hemp production, and the producers of NoCo Hemp Expo – the world’s largest hemp exposition held each Spring in Colorado – are celebrating this fact by launching the first annual Southern Hemp Expo this fall in Nashville, TN, to serve the burgeoning Southern region and to promote innovation in the market for all things hemp.

    On the heels of its sold-out, over-capacity show drawing more than 6,000 attendees and 150 diverse exhibitors, the Colorado-based NoCo Hemp Expo is taking the momentum southeast, launching the Inaugural Southern Hemp Expo (SHE), Sept. 28-29, 2018, at The Fairgrounds Nashville.

    Presenting Sponsor Blühen Botanicals

    In addition to a broad group of Sponsor and Exhibitor Partners, Tennessee hometown hero Blühen Botanicals will be featured as the Presenting Sponsor of Southern Hemp Expo. The two-day conference and exposition is open to entrepreneurs, business leaders, investors, manufacturers, producers, agriculturalists and consumers interested in products made from hemp and full spectrum hemp extract.

    Founded by a dedicated team of Knoxville, TN-based entrepreneurs, soil scientists, farmers and hemp advocates, Blühen Botanicals’ state-of-the-art, industrial hemp processing facility will be able to process 2,000 pounds of hemp biomass per day, with the potential to rapidly scale output beyond that capacity to create jobs and help Tennessee farmers grow a traditional cash crop well suited to the region.

    “The CBD oil industry is virtually unknown to the vast majority of U.S. consumers, and we’re excited to be on the leading edge in the Southeast,” said Joe Fox, one of the partners behind Blühen Botanicals. “It has great potential to help millions of people with pain and anxiety and a myriad of other health issues. As this year’s Presenting Sponsor, we’re also delighted to welcome members of the hemp industry to the Southern Hemp Expo,” he said.

    According to Fox, Blühen Botanicals, based in Knoxville, TN, will be the largest hemp biomass processing and extraction facility in Tennessee and one of the largest in the Southeast. Blühen Botanicals is projected to employ two dozen people within two years and expand its number of farming partners to grow high-yield industrial hemp crops, says Fox. The company also is exploring partnerships with universities around the country to further expand hemp genetics research and development. Visit www.bluhenbotanicals.com.

    Hemp Industry Juggernaut

    With skyrocketing popularity of hemp for food, fiber, and its therapeutic non-psychoactive cannabinoid CBD, domestic production of hemp, or cannabis sativa, is reaching new heights. U.S. hemp-based product sales grew 16% to reach $820 million in sales in 2017 and is expected to surpass $1 billion in sales in 2018, led primarily by hemp-derived CBD, food, personal care and industrial products, according to the publication Hemp Business Journal – a number not lost on politicians. This past spring, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) introduced the Hemp Farming Act of 2018, which would remove hemp from the federal list of controlled substances and allow it to be sold as an agricultural crop.

    “The South is emerging as a leader in hemp production, and there’s never been a more exciting time in our industry,” said Colorado Hemp Company co-founder Morris Beegle, producer of SHE and NoCo Hemp Expo. “Hemp innovation is taking off, and legislative reform is around the corner,” Beegle said. “SHE will provide an important forum for regenerative, organic agriculture and a festive and effective venue for expanding crucial dialogue in the exploding commercial hemp products market.”

    Other Sponsors for the Southern Hemp Expo include: GenCanna, Kat’s Naturals, LabCanna, Lilu’s Gardens, Softgel Co., Bluebird Botanicals, ProVerde Labs, Kazmira, Anavii Market, Bish Equipment, WillPower Products, Restorative Botanicals, Colorado Hemp Project, Palmetto Harmony, Hempsac, The Hemp Road Trip, and Silver Mountain Hemp Guitars. Also, the Hemp Happy Hour media booth will be hosted by CV Sciences, maker of +CBDOil.

    Tickets on Sale Now

    With exhibitor space selling out six weeks ahead of the show, don’t be left out. Conference and Expo Hall tickets for Southern Hemp Expo are on sale now at SouthernHempExpo.com.

    About The Southern Hemp Expo
    The Southern Hemp Expo is produced by the Colorado Hemp Company, a division of WAFBA LLC (We Are For Better Alternatives), based in Loveland, CO, and producer of NoCo Hemp Expo, the world’s largest expo and conference for industrial hemp. WAFBA is founder of TreeFreeHemp paper and printing services and the Colorado Hemp Company. Areas of focus include product and brand development, event production, consulting and advocacy. Visit us on Facebook and Twitter.

    Contact:
    Steven Hoffman, Compass Natural, tel 303-807-1042, steve@compassnaturalmarketing.com
    Morris Beegle, Colorado Hemp Company, tel 970-541-0448, hemp@coloradohempcompany.com

  • Hemp for Victory

    Hemp for Victory

    Inaugural Southern Hemp Expo, Sept. 28-29, 2018, in Nashville, TN, Builds on Success of Burgeoning Industrial Hemp Market

    Inaugural Southern Hemp Expo to Offer Full-scale Exhibit Hall, Ag Symposium, Presentations and Workshops in the Rapidly Expanding Hemp Industry at The Fairgrounds Nashville, Sept. 28-29, 2018

    Nashville, TN – August 15, 2018 – The Southern United States is rapidly emerging as an epicenter of industrial hemp production, and the producers of NoCo Hemp Expo – the world’s largest hemp exposition held each spring in Colorado – are celebrating this fact by launching the first annual Southern Hemp Expo this Fall in Nashville, TN, to serve the burgeoning Southern region and to promote innovation in the market for all things hemp.

    On the heels of its sold-out show drawing more than 6,000 attendees and 150 diverse exhibitors,

    On the heels of its sold-out show drawing more than 6,000 attendees and 150 diverse exhibitors, the Colorado-based NoCo Hemp Expo is taking the momentum south and east, launching the Inaugural Southern Hemp Expo (SHE), Sept. 28-29, 2018, at The Fairgrounds Nashville in Nashville, TN.

    “The South is a significant leader in hemp production, and we are very excited to bring this dynamic gathering of industry thought-leaders to the region,” said Colorado Hemp Company co-founder Morris Beegle, producer of SHE and NoCo Hemp Expo, who also noted a central theme of the event, that has a heavy programming emphasis on sustainable, organic and regenerative agriculture, is “Bringing Balance Back to Mother Earth.” 

    Hemp Industry Juggernaut

    With rising acceptance and popularity of hemp for food, fiber, and its therapeutic non-psychoactive cannabinoid CBD, domestic production of hemp, or cannabis sativa, is reaching new heights. U.S. hemp-based product sales grew 16% to reach $820 million in sales in 2017 and is expected to surpass $1 billion in sales in 2018, led primarily by hemp-derived CBD, food, personal care, and industrial products, according to the publication Hemp Business Journal – a number not lost on politicians. This past spring, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) introduced the Hemp Farming Act of 2018, which would remove hemp from the federal list of controlled substances and allow it to be sold as an agricultural crop.

    “Hemp production is taking off so fast, and law reform is so close” Beegle said. “There’s never been a more exciting time in this industry, and SHE provides a festive and effective forum for expanding crucial dialogue about the latest developments and opportunities in the commercial hemp products market.” 

    Educational Program, Exhibitors Present Full Spectrum of Hemp

    The Southern Hemp Expo will feature a full-day Hemp Business Conference for company owners, entrepreneurs, policymakers, innovators, and investors. In addition, an Agricultural Symposium for farmers and producers, and a full-scale exhibit hall for trade and consumer visitors featuring cutting edge products derived from hemp, the non-psychoactive cousin of marijuana. Products include full-spectrum hemp extract supplements, foods, body care, pet care, building materials, hemp plastics and composites, apparel, bags and backpacks, paper products, guitars, and hemp novelty items. In addition, social activities will provide ample opportunities for networking.

    Lead Sponsors and Partners for the inaugural Southern Hemp Expo include: ProVerde Laboratories, Softgel Co., Bluebird Botanicals, Vicente Sederberg, Kazmira, Kat’s Naturals, Anavii Market, Will Power Products, Restorative Botanicals, Silver Mountain Hemp Guitars, Colorado Hemp Project, Sunstrand, and Bish Enterprises. Also on the expo floor there will be The Hemp Happy Hour Radio Show powered by CV Sciences & PlusCBDoil.

    On September 1, Southern Hemp Expo will announce its 2018 Presenting Sponsor – a Tennessee company set to take hemp processing to the next level.

     

    Tickets, Exhibit Space and Sponsorship Opportunities Now Available

    Exhibit space and sponsorship opportunities for the Southern Hemp Expo are filling up fast. Contact: info@southernhempexpo.com.

    Tickets for the Southern Hemp Expo are on sale now. To register to attend, visit http://southernhempexpo.com.

    About the Southern Hemp Expo

    The Inaugural Southern Hemp Expo is produced by the Colorado Hemp Company, a division of WAFBA LLC (We Are For Better Alternatives), based in Loveland, CO, and producer of NoCo Hemp Expo, the world’s largest exposition and conference for industrial hemp. WAFBA is founder of TreeFreeHemp paper and printing services and the Colorado Hemp Company. Areas of focus include product and brand development, event production, consulting and advocacy. Learn more at NocoHempExpo.com, and find us on Facebook and Twitter.

     

    Contact

    Steven Hoffman, Compass Natural, tel 303.807.1042, steve@compassnaturalmarketing.com

    Morris Beegle, Colorado Hemp Company, tel 970.541.0448, hemp@coloradohempcompany.com

  • “We Need a Bigger Boat!” 5th Annual NoCo Hemp Expo Sells Out, Will Move to Larger Venue Next Year

    “We Need a Bigger Boat!” 5th Annual NoCo Hemp Expo Sells Out, Will Move to Larger Venue Next Year

    6,000 People Came to Network, Learn, and Play at the High-Energy, Jam-Packed 2018 NoCo Hemp Expo Highlighting the Latest Innovations, Market Research and Opportunities in Industrial Hemp, Held April 6-7, 2018, at The Ranch Events Center in Loveland, CO  

    Loveland, CO (April 11, 2018) – Attracting a sold-out crowd of 6,000 attendees – 1,300 more than last year – and more than 150 diverse exhibitors, the 5th Annual NoCo Hemp Expo has come a long way since its humble beginning as a gathering of 350 enthusiasts in 2014. The premier show serving the $2 billion hemp industry has grown so much, in fact, that it will move to a larger convention center in the Denver area on March 29-30, 2019.

    “The 2018 NoCo Hemp Expo was far and away the biggest and best hemp event we have produced yet,” said NoCo Hemp Expo Co-founder Morris Beegle. “The interest level for this plant and all that it can do was overwhelming. Next year’s NoCo6 event will be moved to a new location. As the great Sheriff Brody once said, ‘We’re going to need a bigger boat!’”

    Recognized by the Hemp Industries Association as the “Hemp Event of the Year,” NoCo draws professionals from the agricultural, industrial, nutritional, therapeutic and fashion hemp industries as well as policymakers and nonprofits spearheading legislative reform around hemp. Just one week before the Expo took place, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), along with Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Rand Paul (R-KY) announced the planned introduction of the Hemp Farming Act of 2018, which would remove hemp from the list of controlled substances and allow it to be sold as an agricultural commodity.

    This year the NoCo Hemp Expo expanded into an additional building for a one-day Hemp Summit for entrepreneurs and investors on Friday, April 6, followed by a one-day Farm & Agriculture Symposium for farmers and producers on Saturday, April 7. In addition, consumers navigated crowded aisles to learn about everything from hemp toilet paper to CBD, hemp’s wildly popular non-psychoactive cannabinoid. Standing-room-only crowds reacted enthusiastically to a diverse and comprehensive lineup of speakers – 25 percent more programming than the year before. For fun, Denver-based WillPower Products teamed up with Apollo Flight Labs to provide an exclusive Jet Pack demonstration.

    “I was amazed at the buzz of the show,” said Arran Stephens, co-founder and co-CEO of Nature’s Path Foods and a keynote speaker at the event. “In some ways, it reminded me of the spirit of the early organic food trade shows. This is really the beginning of a strong new movement.”

    The 6th Annual NoCo Hemp Expo will be held March 29-30, 2019 at a larger convention center in the Denver area. For information, visit www.NoCoHempExpo.com.

    Sponsors

    PureHemp Technology, an innovator in the production, branding and marketing of industrial hemp products, served as this year’s NoCo5 Presenting Sponsor. PureHemp’s sister company, Pure Kind Botanicals, also produces and markets a line of full spectrum, cannabinoid-infused products. To learn more about all our Sponsors and Partners, visit http://nocohempexpo.com/2018-sponsors/.

    About NoCo Hemp Expo

    NoCo Hemp Expo is produced by the Colorado Hemp Company, a division of WAFBA LLC (We Are For Better Alternatives), based in Loveland, CO. WAFBA is founder of TreeFreeHemp paper and printing services and the Colorado Hemp Company. Areas of focus include product and brand development, event production, consulting and advocacy. Learn more at NocoHempExpo.com, and find us on Facebook and Twitter.