The hemp industry is familiar with boom-and-bust cycles, with a surge in production acres in 2019 followed by a decline in the following years. According to Hemp Benchmarks, planted acres decreased by 42% from 2021 to 2022 in the United States. The report also showed a shift in the industry with an increase in fiber production acres from 2021 to 2022 (Hemp Benchmarks, 2022). According to the NASS report, Indiana hemp producers planted 255 acres in 2021 (Cornell University, 2022). Indiana hemp producers planted 646 acres in 2022 (OISC, personal communication). Most of the planted acres in 2022 were for grain and fiber hemp. There are 710 acres of hemp expected to be planted this season in Indiana. Over half of the planned acres are for grain and fiber hemp. The difficulty farmers face when growing this crop is not going unnoticed. Senator Braun (R-IN) and Senator Tester (D-MT) introduced[Read More…]