Katelyn Baker
Well-Known Member
Williston - Clarence Laub operates a farm and ranch, three hours southwest of Williston. Corn, wheat, sunflowers, and alfalfa are his regular crop staples, though this year he will introduce hemp.
Laub is one of five farmers selected with precision to participate in a pilot program through the ND Department of Agriculture. Following a lengthy application, written study proposals, and licensure by the federal government, the farmers collectively dedicated 70 acres to hemp research and production.
It's hoped that these crops can determine what strains will grow best within the state, if health can be returned to soil after years of monoculture, and product potential from plant varieties - among many other studies.
Industrial hemp genetically lacks the chemical makeup to render the drugging effects of marijuana, and the crop was decriminalized in North Dakota upon the passing of the 2014 Farm Bill.
In 2013 the estimated retail value of hemp-derived products breached $580 million in annual sales, according to a Congressional Research Service report.
Many North Dakota farmers were eager to test hemp's lucrative potential but feared the seizure of their crops by the federal government, which doesn't differentiate industrial hemp with its psychotropic sibling, marijuana.
"We've had interest for a really long time but nobody has actually (cultivated) it, to my knowledge," said Hemp Program Coordinator Rachel Seifert-Spilde.
Governor Jack Dalrymple has highlighted the state has economically diversified in the last decade to weather the harsh decline in petroleum and agricultural commodities, though a $1 billion deficit recorded earlier this year, might challenge that contention.
The oil and ag industries moved with the economic boom simultaneously, but as crop prices fell, farmers were forced to break native soil in hopes quantity would save many from bankruptcy.
Grassland was burned and planted within days, eliminating millions of wetland and prairie acreage, crucial for wildlife that draws so many sportsmen to the state.
The potential of hemp ushered proponents to petition for ballot initiatives.
Eric Olsen owns a small business in Fargo and has led the Legalize ND Measure. He is just shy of the 13,452 signatures needed by July 11 for the initiative to make the state's November ballot.
"I think we'll make the minimum. The only thing in the air is the logistics issue and if the state reject too many of (the signatures)," Olsen said.
Olsen hopes opening the state for recreational, medical, and industrial uses will offer more protections for farmers. There are currently 20 states with marijuana legalization on their ballots, or in the works, and he feels the DEA will be unlikely to divulge resources needed to prosecute.
His measure would restrict recreational use to 21-and-over and cap the tax revenue to 20 percent, which can be divided between the state and local government. The tax is estimated to draw $17 million to the local economy, according to a recent study by The Tax Foundation.
"Marijuana will be legal someday, it's 'do we want an even playing field?'" Olsen said. "We have to ask, 'do we want it to be legal for everybody or do we want someone with a vested interest to set it up for themselves?' In Minnesota there was a bill that legalized it but only for one or two sellers that have the monopoly on the industry."
Republican candidate for governor Doug Burgum said he would vote to legalize medicinal uses but wouldn't endorse full legalization. Democratic candidate Marvin Nelson has voted with the state House for the allowance of medical marijuana.
Anita Morgan has been leading the North Dakota Compassionate Care Act, which would put marijuana in medical practitioners toolkits for treating serious ailments.
"For some people it might be a good treatment option, and for some it might be the only treatment option," Morgan said, citing neurological conditions in children.
While other states are further ahead with recreational uses, they are running into zoning issues between hemp and marijuana growers.
"If either (hemp or marijuana) cross-pollinate, the crops would have to be thrown out," Seifert-Spilde said. "So much more would have to happen before we could begin to worry about that."
Although there is interest to make industrial hemp the next super-crop, Seifert-Spilde said there would be too many hurdles to make commercial scale hemp production viable.
"The Farm Bill only allows for research. Part of that was in our decision to restrict the amount," she said. "If they saw more pounds of seeds or more acres than what was needed, and saw it as a commercial operation, the (government) said they would deny it."
News Moderator: Katelyn Baker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Hemp And Legalized Marijuana A Dicey Proposition For North Dakota Farmers, Lawmakers
Author: Melissa Krause
Contact: 701-572-2165
Photo Credit: Teresa Crawford
Website: Williston Herald
Laub is one of five farmers selected with precision to participate in a pilot program through the ND Department of Agriculture. Following a lengthy application, written study proposals, and licensure by the federal government, the farmers collectively dedicated 70 acres to hemp research and production.
It's hoped that these crops can determine what strains will grow best within the state, if health can be returned to soil after years of monoculture, and product potential from plant varieties - among many other studies.
Industrial hemp genetically lacks the chemical makeup to render the drugging effects of marijuana, and the crop was decriminalized in North Dakota upon the passing of the 2014 Farm Bill.
In 2013 the estimated retail value of hemp-derived products breached $580 million in annual sales, according to a Congressional Research Service report.
Many North Dakota farmers were eager to test hemp's lucrative potential but feared the seizure of their crops by the federal government, which doesn't differentiate industrial hemp with its psychotropic sibling, marijuana.
"We've had interest for a really long time but nobody has actually (cultivated) it, to my knowledge," said Hemp Program Coordinator Rachel Seifert-Spilde.
Governor Jack Dalrymple has highlighted the state has economically diversified in the last decade to weather the harsh decline in petroleum and agricultural commodities, though a $1 billion deficit recorded earlier this year, might challenge that contention.
The oil and ag industries moved with the economic boom simultaneously, but as crop prices fell, farmers were forced to break native soil in hopes quantity would save many from bankruptcy.
Grassland was burned and planted within days, eliminating millions of wetland and prairie acreage, crucial for wildlife that draws so many sportsmen to the state.
The potential of hemp ushered proponents to petition for ballot initiatives.
Eric Olsen owns a small business in Fargo and has led the Legalize ND Measure. He is just shy of the 13,452 signatures needed by July 11 for the initiative to make the state's November ballot.
"I think we'll make the minimum. The only thing in the air is the logistics issue and if the state reject too many of (the signatures)," Olsen said.
Olsen hopes opening the state for recreational, medical, and industrial uses will offer more protections for farmers. There are currently 20 states with marijuana legalization on their ballots, or in the works, and he feels the DEA will be unlikely to divulge resources needed to prosecute.
His measure would restrict recreational use to 21-and-over and cap the tax revenue to 20 percent, which can be divided between the state and local government. The tax is estimated to draw $17 million to the local economy, according to a recent study by The Tax Foundation.
"Marijuana will be legal someday, it's 'do we want an even playing field?'" Olsen said. "We have to ask, 'do we want it to be legal for everybody or do we want someone with a vested interest to set it up for themselves?' In Minnesota there was a bill that legalized it but only for one or two sellers that have the monopoly on the industry."
Republican candidate for governor Doug Burgum said he would vote to legalize medicinal uses but wouldn't endorse full legalization. Democratic candidate Marvin Nelson has voted with the state House for the allowance of medical marijuana.
Anita Morgan has been leading the North Dakota Compassionate Care Act, which would put marijuana in medical practitioners toolkits for treating serious ailments.
"For some people it might be a good treatment option, and for some it might be the only treatment option," Morgan said, citing neurological conditions in children.
While other states are further ahead with recreational uses, they are running into zoning issues between hemp and marijuana growers.
"If either (hemp or marijuana) cross-pollinate, the crops would have to be thrown out," Seifert-Spilde said. "So much more would have to happen before we could begin to worry about that."
Although there is interest to make industrial hemp the next super-crop, Seifert-Spilde said there would be too many hurdles to make commercial scale hemp production viable.
"The Farm Bill only allows for research. Part of that was in our decision to restrict the amount," she said. "If they saw more pounds of seeds or more acres than what was needed, and saw it as a commercial operation, the (government) said they would deny it."
News Moderator: Katelyn Baker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Hemp And Legalized Marijuana A Dicey Proposition For North Dakota Farmers, Lawmakers
Author: Melissa Krause
Contact: 701-572-2165
Photo Credit: Teresa Crawford
Website: Williston Herald
