Sunday, October 13, 2013

PHOTOS: Colorado hemp harvest 2013 Springfield, CO

Although it can’t be grown under federal drug law, about two dozen Colorado farmers grew marijuana’s non-intoxicating cousin this summer. This is the first known harvest of the industrial version of Cannabis sativa in the U.S. since the late 1950s. Hemp and marijuana are the same species, just cultivated differently to enhance or reduce the psychoactive chemical, THC. The photos shown here are from a harvest in Springfield, Colorado on Oct. 5, 2013.
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In this Oct. 5, 2013 photo, volunteers harvest hemp at a farm in Springfield, Colo. during the first known harvest of industrial hemp in the U.S. since the 1950s. America is one of hempĂ­s fastest-growing markets, with imports largely coming from China and Canada. Most of that is hemp seed and hemp oil, which finds its way into granola bars, soaps, lotions and even cooking oil. (AP Photo/P. Solomon Banda)
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In this Oct. 5, 2013 photo, Jason Lauve, executive director of Hemp Cleans, looks at hemp seeds at a farm in Springfield, Colo. during the first known harvest of industrial hemp in the U.S. since the 1950s. Hemp and marijuana are the same species, Cannabis sativa, just cultivated differently to enhance or reduce marijuanas psychoactive chemical, THC. (AP Photo/Kristen Wyatt)

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In this Oct. 5, 2013 photo, a volunteer walks through a hemp field at a farm in Springfield, Colo. during the first known harvest of industrial hemp in the U.S. since the 1950s. (AP Photo/P. Solomon Banda)
 
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In this Oct. 5, 2013 photo, Colorado farmer Ryan Loflin harvests hemp on his farm in Springfield, Colo. Emboldened by voters in Colorado and Washington in 2012 giving the green light to both marijuana and industrial hemp production, Loflin planted 55 acres of several varieties of hemp alongside his typical alfalfa and wheat crops. (AP Photo/P. Solomon Banda)
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In this Oct. 5, 2013 photo, Jason Lauve, executive director of Hemp Cleans, looks at hemp seeds at a farm in Springfield, Colo. during the first known harvest of industrial hemp in the U.S. since the 1950s. Hemp and marijuana are the same species, Cannabis sativa, just cultivated differently to enhance or reduce marijuana psychoactive chemical, THC. (AP Photo/Kristen Wyatt)
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In this Oct. 5, 2013 photo, Derek Cross, a chef who specializes in cooking with hemp, demonstrates the burning properties of hemp oil, which he touts as a digestible bio fuel, during the first known harvest of industrial hemp in the U.S. since the 1950s, at a farm in Springfield, Colo. America is one of hemps fastest-growing markets, with imports largely coming from China and Canada. Most of that is hemp seed and hemp oil, which finds its way into granola bars, soaps, lotions and even cooking oil. (AP Photo/Kristen Wyatt)
    (This Is Industrial Hemp Oil, Completely Digestible, able to be used as Fuel, SAFE ENOUGH TO DRINK)

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In this Oct. 5, 2013 photo, Derek Cross, a chef who specializes in cooking with hemp, helps harvest the plant in Springfield, Colo. Although it can't be grown under federal drug law, about two dozen Colorado farmers grew marijuana non-intoxicating cousin in the summer. This is the first known harvest of the industrial version of Cannabis sativa in the U.S. since the late 1950s. (AP Photo/Kristen Wyatt)
 

Legal or not, Industrial Hemp harvested in Colo. 2013

 
By: Associated Press , INFORUM
Derek Cross, a chef who specializes in cooking with hemp
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In this Oct. 5, 2013 photo, Derek Cross, a chef who specializes in cooking with hemp, helps harvest the plant in Springfield, Colo. Although it can’t be grown under federal drug law, about two dozen Colorado farmers grew marijuana’s non-intoxicating cousin in the summer. This is the first known harvest of the industrial version of Cannabis sativa in the U.S. since the late 1950s. (AP Photo/Kristen Wyatt

SPRINGFIELD, Colo. — Southeast Colorado farmer Ryan Loflin tried an illegal crop this year. He didn't hide it from neighbors, and he never feared law enforcement would come asking about it.

Loflin is among about two dozen Colorado farmers who raised industrial hemp, marijuana's non-intoxicating cousin that can't be grown under federal drug law, and bringing in the nation's first acknowledged crop in more than five decades.

Emboldened by voters in Colorado and Washington last year giving the green light to both marijuana and industrial hemp production, Loflin planted 55 acres of several varieties of hemp alongside his typical alfalfa and wheat crops. The hemp came in sparse and scraggly this month, but Loflin said but he's still turning away buyers.

"Phone's been ringing off the hook," said Loflin, who plans to press the seeds into oil and sell the fibrous remainder to buyers who'll use it in building materials, fabric and rope. "People want to buy more than I can grow."

But hemp's economic prospects are far from certain. Finished hemp is legal in the U.S., but growing it remains off-limits under federal law. The Congressional Research Service recently noted wildly differing projections about hemp's economic potential.

However, America is one of hemp's fastest-growing markets, with imports largely coming from China and Canada. In 2011, the U.S. imported $11.5 million worth of hemp products, up from $1.4 million in 2000. Most of that is hemp seed and hemp oil, which finds its way into granola bars, soaps, lotions and even cooking oil. Whole Foods Market now sells hemp milk, hemp tortilla chips and hemp seeds coated in dark chocolate.

Colorado won't start granting hemp-cultivation licenses until 2014, but Loflin didn't wait.

His confidence got a boost in August when the U.S. Department of Justice said the federal government would generally defer to state marijuana laws as long as states keep marijuana away from children and drug cartels. The memo didn't even mention hemp as an enforcement priority for the Drug Enforcement Administration.

"I figured they have more important things to worry about than, you know, rope," a smiling Loflin said as he hand-harvested 4-foot-tall plants on his Baca County land.

Colorado's hemp experiment may not be unique for long. Ten states now have industrial hemp laws that conflict with federal drug policy, including one signed by California Gov. Jerry Brown last month. And it's not just the typical marijuana-friendly suspects: Kentucky, North Dakota and West Virginia have industrial hemp laws on the books.

Hemp production was never banned outright, but it dropped to zero in the late 1950s because of competition from synthetic fibers and increasing anti-drug sentiment.

Hemp and marijuana are the same species, Cannabis sativa, just cultivated differently to enhance or reduce marijuana's psychoactive chemical, THC. The 1970 Controlled Substances Act required hemp growers to get a permit from the DEA, the last of which was issued in 1999 for a quarter-acre experimental plot in Hawaii. That permit expired in 2003.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture last recorded an industrial hemp crop in the late 1950s, down from a 1943 peak of more than 150 million pounds on 146,200 harvested acres.

But Loflin and other legalization advocates say hemp is back in style and that federal obstacles need to go.

Loflin didn't even have to hire help to bring in his crop, instead posting on Facebook that he needed volunteer harvesters. More than two dozen people showed up — from as far as Texas and Idaho.

Volunteers pulled the plants up from the root and piled them whole on two flatbed trucks. The mood was celebratory, people whooping at the sight of it and joking they thought they'd never see the day.

But there are reasons to doubt hemp's viability. Even if law enforcement doesn't interfere, the market might.

"It is not possible," Congressional Research Service researchers wrote in a July report, "to predict the potential market and employment effects of relaxing current restrictions on U.S. hemp production."

The most recent federal study came 13 years ago, when the USDA concluded the nation's hemp markets "are, and will likely remain, small" and "thin." And a 2004 study by the University of Wisconsin warned hemp "is not likely to generate sizeable profits" and highlighted "uncertainty about long-run demand for hemp products."

Still, there are seeds of hope. Global hemp production has increased from 250 million pounds in 1999 to more than 380 million pounds in 2011, according to United Nations agricultural surveys, which attributed the boost to increased demand for hemp seeds and hemp oil.

Congress is paying attention to the country's increasing acceptance of hemp. The House version of the stalled farm bill includes an amendment, sponsored by lawmakers in Colorado, Oregon and Kentucky, allowing industrial hemp cultivation nationwide. The amendment's prospects, like the farm bill's timely passage, are far from certain.

Ron Carleton, a Colorado deputy agricultural commissioner who is heading up the state's looming hemp licensure, said he has no idea what hemp's commercial potential is. He's not even sure how many farmers will sign up for Colorado's licensure program next year, though he's fielded a "fair number of inquiries."

"What's going to happen, we'll just have to see," Carleton said.

Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Loflin Farm Harvest 10-5-2013 #Historic Hemp Harvest


What a Great way to show the Country how people from around the states can come together in unity to harvest such a truly VALUABLE Crop! Sow The Seed, Reap the Reward! Industrial Hemp is the SUSTAINABLE FUTURE!!! I am honored to have had the Opportunity to meet such Amazing people! Thank you Jason Lauve, for your work on Authoring the Bill, and Thank you to the Ryan Loflin and family for planting the seed that shall change our Country!

Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Historic Hemp Harvest - October 5-6, 2013 - Springfield, CO

Historic Hemp Harvest - October 5-6, 2013 - Springfield, CO 
On Saturday, October 5th, we woke with the dawn and made the 150+ mile trip to a farm just outside of Springfield, Colorado. The proprietors of the farm had requested as many volunteers as possible to help harvest their summer crop. We were not, however, there to harvest corn or hay or any of the other "dry" crops which are commonly cultivated in that arid region.

We had come to help harvest a seventy acre field of industrial-grade hemp, the first privately grown crop since its cultivation was banned in the United States, more than fifty years ago. With the passing of Amendment 64, large scale hemp cultivation became legal in the state of Colorado, opening the door to an industry which has been dominated by Canadian farmers for more than three decades. Though official regulations for hemp cultivation are not set to go into effect until 2014, Ryan Loflin and his family decided to take the risk and sow their fields with hemp seed, a crop which they had been researching for over ten years for it's health benefits and it's ability to rejuvenate depleted soils.

We arrived just as the first two truckloads were being unloaded in the barn, and we took the opportunity to help and to get to know the other workers. as well as the owners of the farm, the Loflins. After a short break, the volunteers piled onto the flatbeds of two trucks, each with a large canvas to cover the hemp with. A large portion of the crop had been picked earlier in the day, as well as the day before, but more than half of the field still remained. We spread ourselves out in a line and worked our way down the field, pulling hemp plants up by the roots and disentangling them from the foxtails and wild morning glory vines which had grown thickly between the plants. We spent the afternoon piling hemp stalks onto the two flatbed trucks until they were completely loaded, with volunteers occasionally making the rounds and collecting bundles of hemp from the pickers.

After the day's harvesting was done, we returned to the barn and piled the hemp onto large steel grates, where they awaited further processing. Every bit of the hemp would be used; the stalks would be processed into raw fibers, the leaves used for oils and dyes. A small portion of the seeds would be required to replant the field next summer, and what seeds were left would be sold to various companies who would press them for their oils and use them in various food products; Hemp I Scream's founder Agua Das was present, and would apparently be receiving a large portion of seeds to be used in his famous ice creams.

This video is compiled from pictures and vids that I took during our day at Loflin Farms. I attempted to show some of the growing hemp plants in the video clips taken from the back of the truck, but my digital camera is pretty old and it doesn't look like you can actually see any of the plants in the field.

Here are a few links to some news stories about the event, for more information:

NY Times: Groundwork Laid, Growers Turn to Hemp in Colorado

303 Magazine: Field of Dreams

Huffington Post: America's First Hemp Crop Harvest


 And here is the website for the farm and their hemp company:

Rocky Mountain Hemp, Inc.

I really shouldn't have to say it, but for those who don't know, the music is Neil Young's amazing ballad "Harvest Moon".

Read more at http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=7d2_1381172971#vGIEWccwVowlY6UC.99

Added: 19 hours ago Occurred On: Oct-5-2013
By: EnergyTurtle23
In:
WTF
Tags: hemp, cannabis, colorado, springfield, Loflin, legalize, marijuana, pot, industrial, farm, harvest, Amendment 64, A64, 64, recreational, agriculture
Location: Springfield, Colorado, United States (load item map)                       
Read more at http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=7d2_1381172971#vGIEWccwVowlY6UC.99