While farmers in Nebraska and Wyoming plant hemp, South Dakota’s legislators are going to sit around on July 11 talking about the cash-crop opportunity we’re missing:
The Industrial Hemp Study Committee, chaired by Representative Lee Qualm (R-Platte), will hold its first meeting on Thursday, July 11, 2019, at 9:00 a.m. (CT) in Room 414 of the State Capitol in Pierre, South Dakota.
The Legislature’s Executive Board selected the Industrial Hemp Study as one of the legislative studies to be conducted during the 2019 interim. The scope of the committee is to study the regulation and cost of implementing an industrial hemp program in South Dakota. The committee will look at the economic impacts of the production and sale of industrial hemp; the potential costs or challenges for law enforcement; and the requirements for registration, licenses, permits, seed certification and access.
In addition to Representative Qualm, committee members are Senator Rocky Blare (R-Ideal), Vice Chair; Representatives Shawn Bordeaux (D-Mission), Bob Glanzer (R-Huron), Tim Goodwin (R-Rapid City), Randy Gross (R-Elkton), Oren Lesmeister (D-Parade), Nancy York (R-Watertown); and Senators Red Dawn Foster (D-Pine Ridge), Joshua Klumb (R-Mount Vernon), and Reynold Nesiba (D-Sioux Falls) [Legislative Research Council, press release, 2019.06.21].
No agenda or documents have been posted to the Industrial Hemp Study webpage yet, nor any indication of whether the study group is taking public testimony on July 11. But the members will surely take your e-mails on the topic of expanding South Dakota’s ag-industrial options.
I’m sure it will be a real mellow meeting.
I’ve been doing a little on line research on hemp production.
One question I have as a farmer is what do you do for weed
control in a field of hemp? What I’ve found is that currently
there is no herbicide cleared for use in hemp. According to
what I’ve read, hemp is also susceptible to various bugs and
parasites and no insecticides are currently cleared for hemp.
The research to find an effective chemical and then to go
through the process of getting it cleared for use is quite time
consuming and very expensive. The problem is then if
a chemical company is willing to do that for what may be a
limited acreage crop. I’m not saying these problems are insoluble,
but being realistic is the prudent way to go forward.
Anne Beal says there’s no reason to legalize hemp production because there’s no market anyway. Far be it from me to question an old-time stoner like Anne but there’s a 400,000 sq. ft. CBD facility here being retro-fitted from a pharmaceutical laboratory. It will make Boulder County, CO the hemp and CBD capital of the world. Oh, well Anne. Tell us a story about someone you talked to …
https://www.denverpost.com/2019/06/20/cbd-mile-high-labs-broomfield-manuracturing/
Edwin is always thinking what can go wrong and that’s important. There may not currently be any herbicides and insecticides available for hemp but there’s a plethora of those products in use for growing commercial marijuana. Cross application shouldn’t be too difficult. The scientists in the pot business worked underground for 60 years and have become quite skillful and adaptive. ツ
Do they have anything on their agenda about pacifying and educating Noem? How about expediting the hubs’ hemp crop insurance options? Those 2 items would probably do the most to get approval for the crop.
Edwin, you’re a conservative, right? Is it government’s job to ask farmers all those questions before letting them plant? Is it government’s job to protect farmers from their own potentially bad decisions?
Debbo, the study group’s official scope is to “study the regulation and cost of implementing an industrial hemp program. What are the economic impacts of the production and sale of industrial hemp? What are potential costs or challenges for law enforcement? Study requirements for registration, licenses and permits; as well as seed certification and access.”
Educating the Governor could be an outcome of the study group, if the Governor were one to read much. But you know those Trumpists, just governing by their gut….
Cory, go and read my comments again. Nowhere did I mention
government. The questions I asked are the questions any
intelligent farmer would ask. The government has assumed the
task of clearing chemicals for use as to efficacy and also
for purposes of public safety. Fer cry’n out loud, Cory.
Also, one of the purposes of the land grant universities is
to advise farmers on the best ways to grow a crop.
I’m not aware of any research by the land grant universities
in either North or South Dakota that pertains to growing hemp.
Possibly there has been some research work done in other states.
I simply don’t know. That’s why I ask questions
Cory are you going do some writing on that redneck little village out yonder called Highmore and how it made headlines this week with their racist hate float?
I’m from that area unfortunately and am not surprised this happened . These so-called god fearing farm welfare Christians are proud of their racist hate float from what I’ve been hearing.
I’ve been very busy with my volunteering for MPR Sending all these notorious South Dakota stories in to them. Attention governor and state legislators It does not look good for your state And especially right during the tourism season 😣🤔😰😪
Sorry Cory but I’m not on Facebook, , but I would just like to know were those really children wearing those masks on that float? How totally disgraceful. Keep it classy SD.
And the Highmore mayor, Vicki Day, didn’t have a problem with that at all. It just really doesn’t get more low class than that.
Jenny,
Kevin Woster’s blog, On the Other Hand, and Dr. Newquist’s, Northern Valley Beacon have covered the Highmore story.
Apologies for the distraction.
Vicki Day? Don’t tell me, she’s Mrs. Roger? He started his own little cult in Lowmore many years ago, totally took the “fun” out of “fun”damentalist. I knew Roger in college at NSC when he was fairly sane and normal. He was a hunky football player. Guess he felt like he deserved to be worshipped. I’m sure he’s a Wilted Weenie fan.
Eeuuwwwww! 🤢🤢🤢🤢🤢🤮🤮🤮
Yep that’s her, Debbo. She and Roger are as extreme right wing as they come. Lomore, I like that!!
No, Edwin, you didn’t mention government, but that’s the topic here. Should government be protecting farmers from seeking answers to those questions? Are those questions better resolved by a state government ban on growing hemp? Is Nebraska state government irresponsible in letting farmers find out the answers to those questions in practice?
(Highmore is not the topic here. Those racist yahoos need to chill out, talk more with Nick Nemec, and plant more hemp.)
Cory, like it or not, government is inextricably involved
in agriculture. Deal with it.
Right, Edwin, which is why I asked you to deal with the question of government intrusion in the free-market decisions of farmers who want to test the questions you ask in the field. Is it a proper exercise of conservative government philosophy to tell farmers they can’t grow hemp? Who is making the greater error, South Dakota government with its ban on hemp or Nebraska government with its licensing of hemp?
(This is the third time I’ve posed the same question.)
Cory,
Will prescribed burns be used to manage industrial hemp? Or will chemicals be applied? The former could impact air, and the latter could impact water.
Cory, I was asking agronomic questions. I don’t know why
you feel the need to be so narrowly focused on government
involvement. But if you insist.
Yes, I consider myself a realist, and realists tend
toward conservatism. Now as to government involvement.
I realize that some conservatives take the position that
government has no place of any kind in modern life. That would
not be my position. When you go to the grocery store to buy
food, you have a certain level of confidence that the food
you buy does not contain dangerous levels of contaminants.
You have that level of confidence because some government
agency is doing some testing every now and then.
Government also sets speed limits on the highways. I
am in agreement that that’s a legitimate function of government.
Now as to hemp production, I think that the least government can
do is make all interested parties aware of applicable law.
I read roughly ten minutes ago about a Colorado farmer who was
raising hemp for fiber. However, the THC level in his hemp was .47
of one percent. The allowable limit is .3 of one per cent.
The farmer had to destroy his crop. He lost a considerable
amount of money. Possibly some government research could
have helped him avoid that loss. You seem to think that hemp
production should be an economic free for all without any rules.
You also like to find any reason you can to criticize Gov. Noem.
I’m not sure Billy Sutton, who has experience at farming and
ranching, would have done it differently. Perhaps you can ask him.
As to your question about SD government banning hemp production.
Whether it was right is a matter of opinion, time will tell. If hemp
production turns out to be economically viable SD will come around.
Also, if hemp production turns out to be an economically viable enterprise,
starting one or two years later than someone else is not going to
make anyone rich or poor.
Cory, have a good afternoon. I’m taking the rest of Sunday off.
Axios notes how GOP-denied climate change and Wilted Weenie’s/GOP-enabled trade wars are destroying US farmers. (Very brief.)
______________________________________________
The wettest 12 months in recorded U.S. history have exacted a price — millions of acres of waterlogged fields remain unplanted during the worst farm crisis since the 80s, Nebraska man Justin Green writes.
Why it matters: Agriculture is used to boom-bust cycles. What’s less common is the bust coinciding with historic trade wars.
“We spent 40 years developing this trade relationship with China and in one fell swoop, it was all taken away,” fourth generation soybean farmer Bret Davis told Axios’ Courtenay Brown in May.
2018’s U.S. soybean sales to China were at a 16-year low.
By the numbers: Just 77% of potential soybean acres have been planted in the 18 highest producing states, vs. an average 93% over the past 5 years.
For corn, it’s 92%, compared to an average of 100%. This is the worst number in 40 years, the WashPost reports.
The big picture: Farmers are generally insured against crop loss — and many are insured against being unable to plant.
But “the suppliers who sell seed and herbicides to farmers don’t have insurance,” South Dakota State’s Jonathan Kleinja told the Post.
Another whammy: Beleaguered industries like dairy are facing already-bad profit margins, and are reliant on corn to feed their cows.
The bottom line: More farm aid is almost certainly on the way. Trump — who is responsible for farmer trade war pains — keeps upping his administration’s offers to help, including for farmers who weren’t able to plant.
______________________________________________
Why do Wilted Weenie and the Greedy Oligarch Party hate farmers and rural states so much?
http://bit.ly/2XtYBr7
Debbo,
If the fields are as wet as they have been, can farmers plant industrial hemp with any more success than other crops (either in a wet environment, or during what is left in the growing season after the fields dry out)?
Robert, I have a sense you are asking me a question you already know the answer to. Why? Nonetheless, I’ll give it a go.
If the tractor is going to get stuck planting corn, it’s also going to get stuck planting hemp. I don’t know how long the growing season is for hemp so I don’t know when it’s too late to plant it.
I am not sure that hemp is planted with a tractor. Somehow I thought it was drifted like dandelion seed and dug itself in like an elm. grudznick is not a botanist, but as a fellow who economizes I would say that hand planting every hemp weed does not make ecological sense. And the harvesting, who can tell grudznick about the harvesting? Can we mulch this weed and make ethanol out of it, like the Poets do?
My point is that it will not be the panacea for excess rainfall from climate change. I suspect that it doesn’t do better than other things during a drought either.
One alternative may be to plant something to help the pheasants if nothing else will turn a profit.
I believe hemp is reported to be much more drought tolerant than corn or beans. I think it’s on the order of wheat compared to corn.
Robert, the U of MN is developing crops and markets that will cope with the new climate conditions. They are in the ground now in test plots in St. Paul. I’ve strolled through the crop science outdoor acreage several times and it’s fascinating. I’ve not entered any of the greenhouses or botany buildings though.
Expectations are that some crops, kernza for instance, may become commercially available in just a few years. Others are in the pipeline right behind it. One of the big benefits of these near future crops is that they can be planted in the fall, like winter wheat. Others are perennials.
That is good news. We need crops that can handle one or both of those extremes.
I do believe that the effects of irradiating seeds with gamma or neutron irradiation (both high and low doses) have been studied with regard to the ability of plants to handle stresses in the environment, such as drought or salinity.
Hemp does not grow well on wet soils or those with a heavy clay content. Hemp is sensitive to soil crusting and soil compaction, which can occur on these soils. Ideally, hemp should be planted in May to early June in most areas of Pennsylvania.Jul 2, 2018
Industrial Hemp Production – Penn State Extension
https://extension.psu.edu/industrial-hemp-production
You’ll never guess it is raining on mikey even as we speaketh.
“Ideally, hemp should be planted in May to early June in most areas of Pennsylvania.”
I guess South Dakota is out of luck then ;^)