The country grew 78,000 acres of hemp in 2018
Industrial hemp production exploded between 2017 and 2018. Last year, over 78,000 acres of legal hemp was grown, more than three times what was seen in the prior year (26,000 acres). The amount is also substantially more than what was cultivated in 2016 – just 10,000 acres – and, thanks to the approval of the 2018 Farm Bill, should be even less than what is seen in 2019.
The leader in hemp production in the U.S. last year was Montana, which cultivated 22,000 acres – a 4,000% increase from the previous year. The increase in production across the country can be attributed to more states legalizing cannabis and a plethora of new products derived from cannabidiol (CBD) being produced. With hemp being removed from the Controlled Substances Act due to the 2018 Farm Bill, there will be an even larger array of offerings this year and in years to come.
In speaking with Marijuana Moment, Eric Steenstra, the president of Vote Hemp, asserted, “Sales of hemp products have been growing at a double-digit pace for several years and demand for CBD has been phenomenal. Now that hemp has been removed from the Controlled Substances Act, we expect demand for American hemp to continue to increase and project that at least 125,000 acres of hemp will be planted nationally in 2019.”
Steenstra adds that the end of hemp prohibition means that “it’s time to invest our energy in expanding hemp cultivation and the market for hemp products across the country so that all can reap the benefits of this versatile, historic American crop.”
