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Hemp Seen as Answer to Fiber Needs
By Joan Sanstadt Field Editor
Alarmists who are rushing to judgment and innuendo over last week's conference on industrial hemp are a testament to the validity of one of the conference priorities-- education.
Providing education instead of hype is a challenge the 80 conferees were willing to take on. The conference, organized by the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP), was held in Minneapolis.
Hemp isn't marijuana.
Marijuana is made from of the leaves of some hemp plants that have high THC
(delta9tetrahydrocannobinol) levels. THC is responsible for any hallucinogenic
effects. Hemp plants used for the manufacture of marijuana have between 3 and 11%
THC. Industrial hemp has THC levels of less than 1%.
Industrial hemp, which is what the conference was all about, would not produce a hallucinogenic effect even if someone smoked many bales of the fiber. That's because its THC is not high enough.
Not a single presentation even remotely suggested that industrial hemp should be promoted for its "recreational use" or that it should be grown illegally. It's true that some hemp, with slightly higher THC levels, can be licensed for use in medicines such as those for the treatment of glaucoma. But this was not the kind of hemp production being discussed at the Minnesota meeting.
Instead, the North American Industrial Hemp Forum discussed strategies for commercializing what is one of the world's oldest plant fibers--industrial hemp.
Why is industrial hemp important now? Because of its fiber. The fiber properties of the hemp plant could help out industries that need fiber, and the environmental community.
The long fibers of the hemp plant are very strong and are ideal for an industry that is facing a worldwide shortage of fiber. Environmentalists, both those who are strong advocates for protecting forests and those who want to see pesticide use reduced, can endorse industrial hemp production.
Canada, England and Germany have already recognized the critical need for industrial fiber and are in various stages of developing a protocol to address that need.
Erwin A. "Bud" Sholts, director of the DATCP's Ag Development and Diversification (ADD) Program, organized the conference as a followup to an earlier meeting held last April, Sholts says industry's future fiber needs are well known and should not be discounted. "Large companies lay out their plans five, 10 or even 15 years into the future. Countries where industrial hemp production is already underway are probably five to seven years away from even beginning to meet world needs," Sholts estimates.
Recognizing how agriculture can meet these needs with annual renewable crops is something the ADD program and the new uses council are focusing on. "If the need for industrial hemp production isn't taken seriously, no one should be surprised if large paper, container and composite companies look at taking their production to places where raw materials already exist," Sholts warned.
In Wisconsin, paper manufacturers represent an industry that could be forced to move their production facilities overseas. These companies are an important part of the private sector of the U.S. economy and their needs should be taken seriously, he added.
Status of industrial hemp
One of the first speakers was Ken Friedman, chief executive officer of the
Seattlebased American Hemp Mercantile and vice president of the Hemp Industries
Association, Friedman says, "Industrial hemp is alive and well and is being grown in
Europe and Asia."
That's because, he believes, hemp products have not yet caught the interest of American consumers. But that doesn't mean another natural fabric or detergent with superior cleaning properties wouldn't be welcomed by the public.
"Mainstream Americans are not aware of the benefits of hemp usage as yet," Friedman says. And in what is something of a catch22, consumer products from hemp probably won't become well known until the world shortage of fiber has been addressed.
U.S. textile manufacturers are importing hemp, primarily from Eastern Europe. Imported hemp is legal because it has already gone through some early manufacturing stages and is no longer a plant. But Friedman and the other speakers agreed that "by far its .most important potential use would be in the paper industry and for building materials."
Hemp factories in Eastern Europe are undercapitalized, Friedman said, "and need new equipment. In Hungary, hemp mills are using 20-year-old machines and technology."
It's unlikely U.S. companies would find it economically feasible to import enough hemp to fill their fiber needs because it is heavy and costly to ship. Ironically, there has been little if any controversy over growing industrial hemp in Europe. "The controversy arises when we start to talk about growing hemp in the United States," Friedman says.
Gero Leson, an environmental consultant and native of Cologne, Germany, has worked in the U.S. the past eight years. Estimating the current world market of industrial hemp at between $30 million and $50 million, Leson says this translates into 300,000 to 500,000 acres. "These are all rough numbers," he noted, adding that he believes between one and two million tons of industrial hemp will be produced this year.
These numbers do not begin to address the fiber shortages that have been growing steadily since the 1980s, speakers said.
Obstacles
Before farmers anywhere in the world would be willing to change their practices
and include hemp in their crop rotations, a number of obstacles have to be overcome.
Industrial hemp production involves traditional farming practices. That's a real plus for those who'd like to see increased hemp availability. Plant breeders, already addressing the low-THC varieties, are also at work on developing varieties that can. be grown in various latitudes and climates around the world. "There's good reason to believe these will be available in the next year or two," Leson says.
A tight seed supply is an obstacle if production is to dramatically increase. But it appears sufficient for current demand.
Harvesting can be done with existing equipment, Leson says, "as long as the machinery can be modified" to deal with the plant's rough fibers.
"But the major obstacles hemp faces are of a legal nature," Leson emphasized, "and this is because of its affiliation with marijuana." Some countries such as Germany "are on the fence right now. They are wrangling over which governmental agency will be in charge of the product Will it be the agricultural or the health agency? Regardless of which bureaucracy wins out, it's safe to say hemp will be produced next year."
"But in the U.S., the legal obstacles are the major hangup, and it is difficult to predict what will happen."
Editorial note: Future stories will deal with obstacles to processing and markets for industrial hemp; current political initiatives in the U.S.; and hemp's cost effectiveness as a traditional or alternative crop.