When the Farm Bill passed in 2018, industrial hemp could once again be legally cultivated in the United States after an 84-year-old ban on the crop. Before 1937, hemp was grown widely across the country. People wore it, braided rope with it and made canvas ship sails from it. Historians report that America’s first flags were woven with hemp cloth. Though America’s history with hemp is hundreds of years old, we lost touch with the plant and the processes needed to get the crop from field to factory efficiently.

The 2018 Farm Bill rekindled America’s relationship with industrial hemp; today, we use hemp fiber, grain and seed across several industries like construction, animal care, pharmaceuticals and, more recently, fashion.

In the fashion industry, in particular, consumers and retailers are eager to get their hands on hemp because it offers a sustainable alternative to cotton or synthetics. Before hemp fiber can be mass-produced, however, America needs to rebuild a forgotten infrastructure.

To read more, click on Hemp Grower