Six growers helped launch Minnesota’s hemp industry in 2016, through a pilot program that prioritized study alongside cultivation.
Since then, that program is no longer experimental and that number has grown exponentially — to 343 licensed growers by 2019.
But hemp production has hit a plateau in Minnesota. Many farmers still have last year's crop in storage because markets were saturated and prices crashed. And after a bumpy few years of changing regulations and falling prices, the industry is now looking to branch out from its early products — primarily focused on CBD oil — to new markets, in fiber and grain.
This week, as the state’s hemp growers, processors and regulators gather for their annual conference — held virtually this year, thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic — they will grapple with how best to grow and expand the nascent industry, from one focused on oils and tinctures to one that also includes products being billed as earth-friendly alternatives to plastic, polyester and other man-made materials.
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