We’ve been struggling to figure out a reason, any reason, that Governor Kristi Noem would be working so hard to oppose industrial hemp in South Dakota when Republicans and Democrats in the Legislature, not to mention farmers eager to get out from under Trump’s tariffs, are chomping at the bit to rotate into this newly legal cash crop.
Frequent commenter Rorschach offers one logical hypothesis: Kristi’s husband Bryon can’t make a profit selling crop insurance to neighbors who plant hemp:
Noem’s husband sells federally subsidized crop insurance. There is no federally subsidized crop insurance on hemp. If farmers switch acreage to hemp, there will be less acreage for Noem’s husband to cover with insurance. Hemp will adversely affect the Noem family’s personal bottom line.
Once federal government socialism covers the Noem family’s business interests and guarantees the Noem family a nice profit selling underpriced insurance to millionaire welfare recipients, Noem will support hemp. No welfare for the wealthy. No Noem support [comments by Rorschach, Dakota Free Press, 2019.02.19, 08:51 and 09:01 CST].
Ror is right: while the 2018 Farm Bill allowed farmers to plant hemp, it did not put hemp on the insurable crop list:
Martin Barbre, the administrator of the Agriculture Department’s Risk Management Agency, told the crop insurance industry on Monday that agents can discuss crop insurance for hemp with farmers who are growing it, but must tell them there is no coverage at the present time.
“If someone is growing industrial hemp, the agent can talk to them but at present there is no coverage for hemp. We are working on it. It takes time, there is an entire process we have got to go through,” Barbre said at the meeting of crop insurance companies, reinsurers and agents [The Hagstrom Report, “USDA’s Risk Management Agency Administrator: No Hemp Coverage at Present,” The Fence Post, 2019.02.19].
Now remember, farming isn’t like driving: we don’t require you to carry insurance to plant a crop. Farmers can plant hemp and take their chances just as they can plant corn, beans, or rutabagas and go without crop insurance.
But if 5% of Bryon’s policyholders decide to jump at the chance to get in on the early profits from hemp, Bryon Noem will have to make up that 5% by selling more insurance to the rest of his farm neighbors.
But hey, Governor Noem would never use her position just to help her family make a few extra dollars off the government, would she?
Like button!
What the hey, just hire Bry Bry as a “consultant”, give the boy a hundred or two grand a year to offset the loss so we can get moving. trump shows us all how it’s done, NOem gets it too, so why be coy?
I often ask the question, ‘How did Bill Janklow become a multi-millionaire working in public service most of his life?’ Same goes for John Thune.
Amazing lets gather it in all for our selves and leave nothing for anybody eles.People leaving the states for blue states , for better paying jobs.
Janklow just happened to know about lucrative stock trades from Providence….
You mean like when Mike Rounds made the destruction Obamacare a foundation stone of his successful U.S. Senate campaign because it would be in direct competition with his Fischer-Rounds healthcare insurance products?
If true why did Noem vote for it in congress? Why did she change? Follow the smell of money. I’ll bet the scent is there . Why is ND getting crop ins for Hemp?
It’s becoming clear that South Dakota state government exists to serve an elite few and not the general public.
Doesn’t sound like the South Dakota where I grew up. Where we elected men like George McGovern, and Jim Abourezk, and Tom Daschle.
Just to be clear is it only Bryon? or is it all Crop Insurers?
The elite few used to have a little discretion, now they rob you in the daylight with the cameras rolling.
I’m all for legalizing hemp production but it’s obvious none of you have looked into growing it or the costs.
You can’t just decide to go from corn to hemp this spring and make money.
How is it planted?
How is it harvested?
Is there an expensive harvester to just harvest the seed?
There are more questions, but I spent about 5 minutes looking into it and also talking to farmers.
The question is are you going to actually look into it as a journalist or not Cory?
Jason needs to start his own blog so see “can look into it”.
Why should Cory be expected to do Jason’s research when he has the same resources and tools available to him as Cory does?
Michael, yes, it is true of all crop insurers. The state’s First Gentleman just happens to be the most prominent vendor of that federally subsidized financial product.
Jason, there appear to be a lot of farmers who have already looked into hemp production and said they want to do it. Those actual farmers know more about farming than you, I, or the Governor who only puts on Carharrts for campaign photos. Why not let the free market decide here? Why act like socialists and let the Governor dictate planting decisions?
Jason is less concerned about actually discussing the policy issue and more concerned, as usual, with exercising his obsession with personally attacking me. Boring.
Is there an expensive harvester to just harvest the seed? Good one, Troll. The post is about hemp, not pot. Do try to keep up.
Cory,
What part of me saying I want it to be grown in SD don’t you understand?
How is it harvested?
I was told there is a special harvester to harvest the seed which is very expensive.
I’m not sure how it is harvested if you are not growing it for seed.
Is it harvested by hand?
These are questions you never looked into.
It could take a year or two for it to be profitable for a farmer. I don’t know the answer to that right now.
Getting back to the point of the thread.
You have no proof that she is doing it because of her husband.
Why don’t you call and ask her?
Mike,
Do you consider a half a million dollar used combine that harvests hemp seed expensive?
Farmers growing hemp for fiber aren’t harvesting hemp seeds.
Cory, I believe its worse than that, but i agree with your analysis so far. Noem has the same handlers as Daugaard and Rounds, at least she was paid by the same people in campaign donations.These people want to replace private industry with government “development”. One example is how Dusty Johnson gave a friend of his the government “development” job of “Manpower”. Manpower is a completely socialist entity…subsidized by government and taking away real people’s business of job servicing. Manpower has no risk as if it doesn’t do well, taxpayers pay for it through grants that are available (subsidized in other words). SD has what, 80,000 non-profits…and none are available on the SOS website anymore? Where has all the corruption been? Its been in a bad marriage between SD “Development” and hidden non-profits. Noem does not have the fake foundations in place yet. The “almost a bank” banks, the “investor clubs” and the non-profits are not structured yet for her to get all the benefits from hemp. She will spread that wealth around to her oligarchy just like her predecessors did with Gear UP (just ONE of the hidden non-profits we found out about that got Federal money through a State contract).
Once Noem has hemp regulated to death, has her system in place and has squeezed all the profit out of it for herself THEN she will be pro-hemp
Speaking of putting on Carhartts for campaign commercials, Dr. Blake Curd bought a Carhartt jacket for his 2010 run for Congress. It looked so shiny and new in the commercial. I haven’t seen him wear it since. He probably hasn’t had to wash it in these past 9 years. It’s just waiting for the next time he has to fake that he’s something other than a medical doctor who drives a German luxury car rather than a pickup. I do think that Noem’s Carhartts get used beyond the commercial.
Cory, while there is no law that you have to have crop insurance to farm. Most financial institutions do require farmers to carry at least some level of crop insurance in order for that farmer to get financing from them. Now given that hemp isn’t insured by crop insurance they would report a 0 for acreage reporting for planting, but crop insurance policies are continuous unless changed or cancelled by insured. Actually if hemp could be used as a cover crop it is likely that the farmer could plant it take it off and possible plant corn or soybeans on top (not real sure on growing season of hemp). Just thought I would clarify a few things for you from a banker and a guy who just took is crop insurance exam.
Dale Allen Pommer:
Forgive me, if you also mean’t to include Sen. Tim Johnson on the list of genuine South Dakotans who ran for Congress in order to represent South Dakotans and actually delivered on their promise. I know Mrs. Barb Johnson worked tirelessly to make a difference in Indian Country.
Great discussion Ladies and Gentlemen, let us keep it up!
Slow down, Hubbel. Your brain is twisted by your emotional overload. First of all, you don’t even know what 21st century socialism is. Come out of the 50’s and you might catch up, eventually. Now, bring on your girl-toy Tara. At least she lived in Utah for a while. It’s scary when UT is more up to date than SD. (*and they’re not called Mormons, anymore)
I won’t speak to Gov. Noem’s motivation for delaying hemp. However, I was in the room with this reporter when the RMA administrator talked about hemp. The concern raised by crop insurance agents (of which I am one) had to do with a specific insurance policy called Whole Farm Revenue Coverage. This is a policy tailored for specialty crop growers and I would venture that most policy holders are small family operations. As the regulations stand, if you derive revenue from growing hemp, you cannot have a WFRP policy. Because many of the WFRP policy holders are innovators, their agents are concerned with giving them accurate advise on whether growing hemp would invalidate their policy. The main question to be answered was not about insurability of hemp in crop-year 2019, (the contract provisions are locked in for all 2019 crops and cannot be changed). The discussion was about the possibility of relaxing the hemp rule to allow these producers to grow hemp, exclude the crop from their WFRP policy, and maintain coverage on the remainder of their crops.
To suggest that there will be a wholesale shift from traditional South Dakota crops to hemp is foolish. There is no developed market for large amounts of hemp. Canada has had industrial hemp for some time and there has not been a seismic shift in their crop acreage.
I don’t know what Gov. Noem’s true motivations are, but I am confident it has nothing to do with her husband’s crop insurance business.
Porter…so let me guess…you read my post until you saw the word “socialist” and then you quit reading…right? Because otherwise your post makes no sense.
You’re projecting, silly lady. I read everything you put, everywhere you put it. You’re a pet project in the deviant behavior realm of sociology. Nice try to deflect from the lack of knowledge about democratic socialism, though.
Mr. Banker, the time of growth with hemp would be about the same as with corn, so your chances of getting hailed out would be unlikely, from what the experts say. So what you would have would be a crop that would be much like your hay ground. It seems like what you would mainly need would be fire insurance, would that then be insurable? https://cropwatch.unl.edu/2018/severe-storms-and-hail-damaged-crops-making-right-decision-replants
Regarding harvesting of hemp, you can do that without having to buy a combine. You can pretty much use that John Deere with these attachments to harvest the crop. https://formation-ag.com/products/harvesting/cleancut?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIk-PI6LvL4AIVejoBCh0fwgdSEAEYASAAEgLj7_D_BwE
Regarding the planting, the Department of Agriculture of Canada has some good information on the requirements of a successful plant.
Carl, I appreciate that informed perspective. But if it’s not that, then what else could be motivating Noem’s resistance to an opportunity that other states are jumping on?
Hi Cory,
This article is mean unfounded speculation. Why did you choose to publish it?
You’re better than this.
Kind regards,
David
Ill try again…There is a reason for Noem’s actions against hemp…HOW does SD survive? By Federal Subsidies. It is half our State Budget.WHO GETS THE FEDERAL SUBSIDIES? The political “Investors” who set up non-profits, foundations and corporations to replace people so they can hide their identity. Have you ever wondered WHY non-profits are OFF the Sec of States website for 4 years? AND This corruption HAS LEAD TO MURDERS! (Or Suicides if you believe the ridiculous death certs). SD has precious little anti-corruption laws in place . It is a free for all in SD if you know entity structuring with non-profits and government. SO LOOK AT all the subsidies from Hemp…no wonder Noem says to wait…She need to get the cronies to push the laws that favor them so THEY can pull out all the profit from Hemp.Check out this link for Hemp Subsidies…. https://www.marketwatch.com/story/hemp-and-cbd-now-qualify-for-one-of-the-most-lucrative-and-wasteful-government-subsidies-2018-12-19
Lora,
Please provide a link showing Federal Subsidies is half our State Budget.
Farmers got trumped. They could use subsidies or anything else they can get their hands on to stay afloat. That bailout tripe has long past the smell test. trump has screwed them big time and this hemp may be a lifeline to save the smaller family farmer that has the gumption to demand better. If anyone thinks that trump is gonna get a deal from the Chinese that is somehow going to have rainbows coming out of unicorn’s arses, they are sadly mistaken.
“2019 right now looks like another difficult year,” said David Widmar, an agricultural economist who tracks trends like farm income and crop budgets. “Early on, we were worried about how far down farm incomes would drop. Now we’ve switched to ‘How long will this financial erosion continue?’”
The Agriculture Department’s Economic Research Service has estimated that 2018 net farm income will be $9.8 billion, or 13 percent, lower than the year before. Adjusting for inflation, farm income is barely above the lowest level since 2002. If current trends continue, some agriculture economists predict that farm income will fall again in 2019.”
Farmers, who are working on their taxes now, realize all to well what trump and NOem have done to them. “You don’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows”
As far as corruption goes, in a failed state you have to have it or the wheels come off even further.
My goodness, Ms. Hubbel, that was one of your insanest comments yet, and I think I’ve fallen in love with you.
I’m tellin’ Kaia, Jeremiah.
David Bergan: Can you please elaborate on Cory’s post?
Because, David, it is the only rational explanation I’ve heard for Noem’s unique opposition to industrial hemp.
“Mean” and “unfounded” also aptly summarizes much of Noem’s campaign and governing style.
Billie Sutton anyone?
( Who is missing Billie with gentle kindness and open-mindedness. He sure as heck would not have been against farmers growing hemp, and he absolutely would be against the anti-transgender hate bill.)
Jason….just google it. This article says a third. When I was in Pierre we were told it was almost 50%. For simplicity I wrote “subsidy” when I should have said “aid”. Either way we are a welfare state that need to start pulling our own weight. I think we can start doing that with hemp. BUT look at our other SD resources..gold, jewels, rare earth minerals, silver, thermal, military patents (School of Mines)…does SD get any benefit from them? No they all go to political investor groups that set up non-profits and have corporations as the non-profit manager…some even have non-existent addresses.Then these “non-profits” form a public-private-partnership with the Governor’s office of economic development(GOED) to receive foundation money, Federal grants, and general fund (our tax) money. SOOO we need to get Noem OUT of there before she rakes in all the profits from hemp and just uses the farmer as her slave to enrich government (which would be herself). Look at the School of Public Lands…they have stolen the people’s land and are proud of it! If they can’t get the land they will steal the mineral rights so they can grant oil leases to the highest bidder. That is why Cory upsets me at times…he knows this stuff and skirts it. Here is the article… https://www.argusleader.com/story/news/politics/2017/08/11/one-third-south-dakotas-budget-stake-federal-budget-debate/558882001/
Meant to say with ‘his’ gentle kindness and open-mindedness (forgot the his)
Oh, and I forgot to say that the non-profits can use sometimes up to 100% of their “donations” on just managing the non-profit. Some donations have stipulations that a portion MUST go to help those they are claiming to..but there are no regulations on non-profits in SD…they are “self-policed”. Not the case in other states…that is why they set them up here. Like i said, for years you could not find non-profits listed in the SOS office like before 2014. Why do you think Churches and Parks can be transferred to the what looks like a business, even when the deed to the land says since it was donated land IF the land is not used for a church or park anymore it must go back to the heirs? The Church or park just “sells” it to another “non profit” (whether partnered with government cronies or not) and skirts the issue of having to give the land back
Clara – I didn’t mean to omit Tim Johnson, it’s just that I haven’t lived in South Dakota for many years so I remember the old guys. LOL
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/hemp-and-cbd-now-qualify-for-one-of-the-most-lucrative-and-wasteful-government-subsidies-2018-12-19
It seems a lot of people on this board owe Noem an apology.
Lora,
Do you know how much aid every other State gets?
Let’s start with medicaid.
Google how much each state gets in medicaid funding and what the States portion is of medicaid expenditures.
By Noem, I meant both of them deserve an apology.
Cory,
You should have done the research before you started this thread.
Apologize yourself, Jason. The American Enterprise Institute piece you cite is mere propaganda, with no sources. The source offered in the original post comes from a federal official saying that, contrary to what we might have thought when the Farm Bill passed, crop insurance isn’t automatic for hemp.
No reasonable explanation for Noem’s resistance to hemp in such stark contrast to her own party’s legislator’s embrace of the hemp bill has yet been offered. An association with crop insurance remains the most viable explanation.
Congress removed it from the list of controlled drugs which means it is available for crop insurance.
Crop insurance coverage for it is currently being worked on
Therefore, this would not factor into Noem’s decision.
Hi Cory,
I’ve not heard of the “the Fence Post” and/or “Hagstrom Report” outfit that you cited… but this explanation from the Brookings Institution backs up Jason’s link:
“Several provisions of the Farm Bill include changes to existing provisions of agricultural law to include hemp. One of the most important provisions from the perspective of hemp farmers lies in section 11101. This section includes hemp farmers’ protections under the Federal Crop Insurance Act. This will assist farmers who, in the normal course of agricultural production, face crop termination (crop losses).”
Re-reading Hagstrom after Brookings, they don’t really conflict. It sounds like crop insurance for hemp is now legal and coming soon… but the companies are waiting for the “Agricultural Marketing Service” to develop the new regulations (which is taking some time because other new policies in the farm bill apparently have priority).
However, Ror’s comment and your synopsis of Hagstrom as saying “the 2018 farm bill did not put hemp on the insurable crop list” seem to be unfounded.
Thus, it seems unlikely that legalized hemp would have an effect on the revenue of Noem Insurance.
Kind regards,
David
David, post-date: both your link and Jason’s come from December 2018. The official handling crop insurance came out last week and said crop insurance isn’t available for hemp.
Cory,
It is legal to sell crop insurance for hemp. They are currently writing the regulations regarding that legal act of selling crop insurance for hemp.
What don’t you understand about that?
Legalizing hemp in SD will not affect Bryon at all.
Makes sense that the ruling is not out yet regarding the insurance coverage for crop losses with hemp as there has not been a market value set.
“Crop insurance is purchased by agricultural producers, and subsidized by the federal government, to protect against either the loss of their crops due to natural disasters, such as hail, drought, and floods, or the loss of revenue due to declines in the prices of agricultural commodities.” That “loss of revenue due to declines” would make it almost impossible to know the value of the crop in the marketplace as it has not been established.
Have to stick with Ror and Cory on this one. Legalizing hemp in SD at this time, will most certainly affect Bryon Et all for sure.
What ruling?
Are you referring to regulations?
You can purchase crop insurance without loss of revenue protection.
How many farmers are going to rush out and start growing hemp which they have never planted before this spring and are going to want to buy crop insurance for hemp?
The lack of critical thinking in this thread is a product of the sad state of our education system.
Hi Cory,
Yes, the Hagstrom article post-dates the Brookings one. But the articles don’t conflict. Brookings is reporting on the the farm bill being passed, and Hagstrom is giving us an update on how the federal agencies are coming along with writing the hemp crop insurance regulations.
The conflict is between the Hagstrom article and the phrase you used to cite it. Please tell me specifically where in Hagstrom you find support to summarize the article as making the claim that “the 2018 farm bill did not put hemp on the insurable crop list”.
Kind regards,
David
The Hagstrom article itself says, “the 2018 farm bill removed hemp from the list of controlled drugs and said the Agriculture Department could help growers in a variety of ways including developing crop insurance for the product”
Which is a direct contradiction with the phrase you used to link it:
“the 2018 farm bill did not put hemp on the insurable crop list”
Kind regards,
David
Mr. Bergan, So how do you insure it for loss without a benchmark on it’s value? “Crop revenue insurance. Farmers can also purchase crop revenue insurance, which helps farmers in years when crops have a low yield and/or the price of the crop is low. The amount that an insurer will pay reflects how much lower a year’s revenues are compared to previous years’ earnings.”
“Farmers typically buy one of two types of crop insurance: multiple peril crop insurance (MPCI) and crop-hail coverage.
MPCI covers crop losses, including lower yields, caused by natural events, such as:
Destructive weather including hail, frost and damaging wind;
disease;
drought;
fire;
flooding and,
insect damage.
MPCI is federally supported and regulated, and is sold and serviced by private-sector crop insurance companies and agents.” So Bryon would be in….maybe.
Both are correct in that the farm bill does provide the base for getting crop insurance. The problem here is that there is no established value for the crop itself. All articles say that there is availability for insurance but the loss due to decline in market value could put you out of business if there is a glut. Also regarding MPCI, “Both the cost of insurance and the amount an insurer will pay for losses are tied to the value of the specific crop. MPCI is available for more than 120 different crops, though not all crops are covered in every geographic area.” https://www.cannabisbusinessexecutive.com/2018/11/what-kind-of-insurance-will-farmers-need-in-a-hemp-legal-world/
At this stage of the game, hemp may not be covered in this geographic area. It may be up to the Division of Insurance to make that call. As of now, I don’t see anything that says it’s available in South Dakota. Let’s ask Bry Bry to weigh in on this.
Hi jerry,
To answer your question, my guess is that a first-year benchmark could be estimated from similar crops or from using hemp harvest stats in a country where it’s legal.
I don’t think I disagree with anything you stated here. And I’m not myself looking to become a hemp farmer or crop insurer. The only reason I got involved in this thread is because I’m a long-time friend of Cory’s and fairly frequent reader of DFP. He is a good reporter and shares important local stories. However, this article rubbed me the wrong way. It felt uncharacteristically mean-spirited and conspiracy-theory-ish… like the kind of article that he doesn’t like from other websites. Trying to give Cory the benefit of the doubt, I searched to see if I could back up his remarks to Jason, but instead found that Jason was right and that Cory and Ror were the ones who made the error.
The trouble with the internet is that it’s too easy to say something mean or hurtful… something you wouldn’t say if, for example, Kristi or Bryon were sitting across a dinner table from you. It’s a hundred times easier to type it into facebook or a blog… and I think that’s a big part of the reason why the nation has become so polarized. We’re still coming to grips with how having political discussions on the internet fundamentally skews us toward being less kind and tolerant with each other.
Kind regards,
David
Mr. Bergan, in my view, there was no conspiracy in Cory’s post. The question was and still is, why on earth would NOem say NO to hemp in South Dakota when she said yes to hemp in the Farm Bill? You can look up her vote on the Farm Bill. You can see her words that demanded the Farm Bill, as it was written, passed into law. She ran her campaign in 2014 as the voice to pass the Farm Bill. She spoke frequently about the Farm Bill in 2018 when it was passed in June. Surely she read that or she would not have been so adamant about putting it in place. https://www.duluthnewstribune.com/news/government-and-politics/4463416-house-passes-its-version-farm-bill-tight-vote
NOem also stepped immediately into the governors race while still seated as our congresswoman so the transition was seamless. Her Republican legislature voted almost unanimously to put hemp in the ground, and yet she says NO. Now, to me, that would seem to be some kind of conspiracy to suddenly, after several years of Farm Bill debate, to now back off. The family income does seem to be the common denominator of why there is the new NOem on this matter. As indicated in the geographic requirements for parts of crop insurance coverage, maybe our area does not have it yet, but just to say NO, with no reason, is suspicious.
Something else, if hemp were allowed here, as the South Dakota house vote positively for, I guarantee you we would be more kind and more tolerant with each other. Add CBD for pain treatment and we would be embracing one another.
If hemp isn’t insured now, it’s not on the list. The Farm Bill didn’t put it there; apparently more regulations have to be passed to put it there.
I’m still waiting for the alternative and more rational explanation for Noem’s unique resistance to industrial hemp.
Hi Cory,
Here’s the 2018 Farm Bill. Turn to page 439 and read the next 20 pages.
After reading that, please justify your original statement that “[the 2018 Farm Bill] did not put hemp on the insurable crop list”.
The farm bill made hemp insurable now. That’s as much as the farm bill could do. Hemp is currently on the list of insurable crops. We’re only 2 months out from the passage of the farm bill and it takes time for regulatory agencies to adjust, so hemp insurance isn’t market-ready yet. But no one (else) is saying that hemp is not now on the insurable crop list.
I don’t know why Governor Noem is resisting state hemp legislation. But the speculation in your article is mean, unfounded, and now shown to be factually incorrect. I would prefer to see your reporting assume good faith and treat others the way you would like to be treated.
Kind regards,
David
If the law isn’t actually in effect, if policies can’t move, the original thesis of this specualtive post stands. Show me a crop insurer right now who is selling policies to a farmer who plans to put hemp in the insured ground.
Hi Cory,
I’m not clear… do you agree with my 5:56 post? If not, what do you disagree with?
Kind regards,
David
Looks like they may have waived it for crop insurance.
‘‘(ii) WAIVER FOR HEMP.—The Corporation may
waive the viability and marketability requirement
under clause (i)(I) in the case of a policy or pilot program relating to the production of hemp.’’; and
(2) in paragraph (3)(C)—
(A) in clause (ii), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end;
(B) in clause (iii), by striking the period at the end and
inserting ‘‘; and’’; and
(C) by adding at the end the following:
‘‘(iv) in the case of reviewing policies and other materials relating to the production of hemp, may waive
the viability and marketability requirement under subparagraph (A)(ii)(I).’’.
As of this morning, 2/27/2019, I can find no crop insurance companies that will cover hemp in South Dakota.
David, despite being legally insurable, if hemp cannot be insured as a practical matter, it still seems “uninsurable,” and, in turn, would interfere with an insurance agent’s ability to sell a hemp insurance policy.
I, too, wonder what other possible motive might entice Noem to adopt her current anti-hemp position after voting to legalize hemp in Congress, and contrary to the apparent views of most folks in her political party. I may have missed it, but have you, or can you, identitify another likely hypothesis for Noem’s current recalcitrance?
Occam’s razor would seem to suggest we “follow the money” in politics. Perhaps financial contributions to Noem from other anti-hemp political or business entities?
In Noem’s head and other far righters, because hemp has a scant amount of THC in it, it will always be just another marijuana plant to them. As governor, she can absolutely not sign on to such temptation for South Dakota.
To the Far Right, Hemp is lumped in with all the other illegal drugs, and illegal drugs are lumped in with illegals crossing the border.
With Noem and the Far Right, they choose not to distinguish the distinct differences between Hemp and Marijuana.
This is really the way they think – we don’t call them the Party of No for nothing.
Jenny, please don’t call or label people who seek freedom, economic opportunity and safety for their families “illegals.” Imagine how you would feel if society labeled you an “illegal” simply because you sought similar help for yourself or your children.
In her fancy Twitter veto video on HB 1191, Governor Kristi Noem says the hemp is uninsurable.
Interesting. Thanks for the update Cory! Sounds like it shouldn’t be a problem next year.
Kind regards,
David
BCB, I was being sarcastic in how the Republicans think.
Different kinds of farmers have been planting hemp for years with no crop insurance. You can self insure. If your crop is destroyed by whatever, that is your loss. How is that any different than the Republican tariff’s or the trade embargo on soybeans that have no market value.
Insurance shouldn’t be a problem… but as Gov. Noem given indication that she won’t be a problem next year?
Thanks Jenny. I didn’t think that kind of labeling was consistent with your typical kind and caring comments, nor intended by you as derogatory. But I would still discourage using the label in sarcasm, as it tends to normalize the label.