Update on Our Hemp
It's been many weeks since we checked in with you on the progress of our hemp crop this season. It's been a challenging year for everyone, us included. We've learned a lot and have much more content to share in the coming weeks.
This video shows two varieties of hemp being grown for fiber and seed in central Illinois. The names of the varieties are Hlessia and Hliana. We also have some footage of harvested bundles retting and performing a snap test at the end of the video.
We are in the process of upgrading our A/V equipment (which is difficult to come by in the age of covid-19 apparently!) so there is no narration this week. Please read the subtitles in the video for our comments and leave us your comments/questions in the comment section on YouTube!
Pictures from Our Members
If you were growing for fiber this year you should already be done by now! Here are a few pictures from a couple of our members who grew hemp for fiber this year in Illinois:
Question:
What is your plan for harvest? If you need to talk to someone about your upcoming harvest – whether it be seed, fiber, biomass, or smokable flower – you can give us a call and we will provide you with the resources you need to feel confident in your success going forward.
Do you have the equipment you need to get the job done right? We can give you recommendations for sourcing tools and machinery and performing modifications that can make your life easier during harvest time.
Have you thought about where you are going to dry and store your harvest once you get it out of the field? How many days will it take to dry? What is the ideal temperature and humidity for drying? What can you do to avoid mold or other contaminants? Let us know what you’re dealing with!
Once your harvest is safely dried and stored, if you’re not sure about where or how you are going to process your harvested material we can find a solution for you. If you need a buyer for your harvest we can help with that too.
It can be difficult to navigate the market as a producer. We understand that and will support you at no cost. Our goal is to benefit the public and grow the hemp industry.
Quarterly Membership Meeting
Since our last update, we’ve continued to accept new dues-paying members and we are pleased to announce that we have a total of 99 dues paying members! Will you be number 100?
Only dues-paying members are invited to our membership meetings which prior to the lockdown were actually held indoors and in person. Since then, we held our last meeting on our website's forums which allowed us to get our important quarterly information out to the members – but it didn’t inspire much participation or discussion.
We are hoping to change that for our third quarterly meeting and make it more engaging by holding it live on a Zoom call with all of our dues-paying members. Look for an invite to the call in your inbox in the weeks leading up to September 24th and we'll remind you in our blogs and newsletters too.
New Sponsors
Since our last update, we’ve continued to offer businesses and organizations involved in the Illinois hemp industry the opportunity to sponsor what we do at the Illinois Hemp Growers Association. We are proud to announce that the program is an ongoing success and we’ve taken on four new sponsors!
So let’s make with the introductions and please give each sponsor a visit to learn more about them and what they can do for you.
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Our first new sponsor since our last update is our friends and neighbors at Illinois Valley Hemp.
Illinois Valley Hemp, bringing Illinois top-quality low-cost CBD options, owned and operated by lifelong friends and residents of the Illinois valley. With farming in Princeton, IL and CBD products distributed out of Mendota, IL we are here to meet the communities growing need for quality CBD products.
Grown with established and proven genetics, tested and verified quality by a 3rd party, state certified laboratory, our goal is to bring the Illinois valley and consumers everywhere high dosage CBD products for highly competitive affordable prices.
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Next, we were sponsored by the Midwest Hemp Council as part of an expansion of our ongoing collaboration with the nonprofit organization out of Indiana.
The Midwest Hemp Council acts as a clearinghouse of accurate information on all things hemp to our members in Illinois, Kentucky, Ohio and Michigan.
There is still much work to be done and many obstacles to overcome in Indiana and the Midwest. The re-emerging hemp economy will be successful in spite of, not because of, the government. We need active help from the entire supply chain to demonstrate the positive economic impact hemp has on our farmers, processors, retailers and other entrepreneurs.
The Midwest Hemp Council is also playing a crucial role in the development of a regulatory structure in Indiana. We are required by law to have a seat on the newly formed Indiana Hemp Advisory Committee. We will also continue to work closely with the Seed Commissioner to ensure our farmers and processors operate under a regulatory structure that maximizes investments into the hemp economy.
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Our third new sponsor comes from a collaborative effort with a newly formed nonprofit: the Midwest Hemp Coalition out of Illinois.
The Midwest Hemp Coalition's mission is to increase accessibility and opportunity in the hemp industry through direct political action and diverse community connections. We do grassroots advocacy work within our community to increase awareness and demand for hemp based goods and services.
We support and initiate legislative action that represents the direct needs of hemp farmers, producers, ancillary businesses and organizations. We educate and collaborate with elected officials, government agencies and local law enforcement.
We build and repair connections with communities disproportionately impacted by the war on drugs and creating opportunities for inclusion for women and minorities.
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Finally and most recently, we were sponsored by the National Hemp Insurance Agency just a few days ago.
The National Hemp Insurance Agency is a nationwide crop insurance agency specializing in insurance based risk management solutions for the industrial hemp CBD, Grain and Fiber grower. We also sell and service all other lines of crop insurance. Our NHIA affiliate agent network is continually expanding throughout the US.
We are passionate advocates for agriculture and the hemp crop. By combining the best of crop insurance products, farmers can manage their risk, enhance their wealth, and improve their quality of life.