Listen up! Even if you aren’t a hemp farmer in Colorado, this news could impact you. Change always starts small, it always starts somewhere, then, before you know it, it’s in your own backyard.
The USDA approving Colorado’s state hemp plan could have a major impact on the entire industry down the road. Here’s what you need to know.
What Colorado’s state hemp plan says
Colorado’s State Hemp Management Plan provides details on the practices and procedures hemp producers can use in the state to operate while complying with federal laws. Written by the Colorado Department of Agriculture, it took 18 months from its initial inception to get approval by the USDA.
Now complete, it will take effect on January 1, 2022.
Colorado is pretty much the leader when it comes to the cannabis plant — growing for both hemp and marijuana. It’s no surprise the state has set the bar when it comes to what works in the industry. Their best practices may serve other states just getting their hemp growing plans off the ground.
What lasting effect this may have
Getting USDA approval for this plan is a very big step. Although hemp became legal in 2018, the USDA has a reputation of being hesitant when it comes to moving forward. Many states still have temporary procedures in place. It even took the USDA until this year to issue their Final Rule on hemp, which won’t take effect until 2022 as well.
Colorado’s big step forward though will help other states potentially feel more confident in addressing their own hemp issues, making decisions to really benefit farmers.
Prioritizing hemp
Perhaps the biggest step forward we may see is simply in prioritizing hemp. For Colorado to put enough emphasis on the industry to put a statewide plan on the books in the first place is significant. It sets a precedent that should show other states what treating hemp growers in this way can do for the industry and for agricultural productivity.
Acknowledging hemp
The Colorado Hemp Plan also acknowledges that hemp is in fact a lucrative and versatile crop that shouldn’t get ignored. Not only does it provide jobs, but it also boosts the agricultural industry. This is true in any state since hemp can grow almost anywhere.
This positive spin on hemp additionally does so much to diminish the stigma the plant still holds. Each time the public can see hemp as beneficial rather than a potential threat, it opens the door a little further in considering hemp in general. Not only for consumer products, but for other revenue streams like fuel, food, textiles, and more.
All of these steps then ripple onward to provide families with another option to provide financially for their families.
Aligning hemp to existing laws
The other piece to this process, that could have a big impact down the road, was the collaboration between the Colorado Department of Agriculture and the USDA. They worked together to pass this plan, rather than butting heads. The end result was a strategy that’s both legal and beneficial for all the hemp growers in the state.
This partnership could set yet another precedent to help make hemp farming a more accessible career choice. It could give the plant a chance to really show what it can do as far as usefulness and innovation.
What Arbor Vita8 already knew
As one of the best processors in the southeast, none of this information is a surprise to us at Arbor Vita8. We’ve been in the industry for a considerable amount of time, and continue to look to the future with excitement. Our passion for hemp is visible in everything we do, from the wide array of services we offer to the processing equipment in our facility. We even provide top-end products, at competitive prices, through our online store. We do a lot, in this industry we love, so come check us out today.
