IN THIS ISSUE:

MASTHEAD:

Publisher: AHEM
Editor: Arthur Hanks arthurhanks@hotmail.com
Sales, Sponsorship, and Distribution:
Jason Freeman jfreeman@ssm.net
Associate Editor:
Dr. Alexander Sumach rheading@becon.org

CONTRIBUTORS THIS ISSUE:
Wade Chute chute@arc.ba.ca , Jon Cloud cloudmtn@interlog.com , David Marcus dave@hemphasis.com, Eric Pollit eric@globalhemp.com, Sasha Prytyk genx@net1fx.com , Dave Cull nozone@uniserve.com , Gordon Scheifele gscheife@omafra.gov.on.ca , Lance Shafer shafer@canterra.com , Wade Swicord, Wade@voy.net , Jo-Anne Wilson jwilson@hemphasis.com

SUBMISSIONS: Submissions are most welcome. Please contact HCFR editor, Arthur Hanks, at arthurhanks@hotmail.com, with your story, research or information for inclusion in the HCFR. Please note we are always looking for good quality pictures and photos, submitted preferrably in GIF or JPEG format.

Announcement, Annonce, Ansage, Aviso

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Editorial

Recently I met up with a friend's parents who had come to Vancouver from Europe for a visit. They asked me what I did for a living and otherwise spent my time. I explained that I was a freelance writer, and that most of my productive work time was spent editing and published an Industrial Hemp Magazine on the Internet. This caused a more-than-brief conversational pause, and I don't think it was because their mother tongue was Dutch. More information was needed, and I gamely attempted to fill them in. Based on the chatter in Dutch that paralleled my English-only explanation, I think I only partially succeeded in getting my point across... Old World meet the New.

It is no accident that the rebirth of interest in industrial hemp in the 1990's has been paralleled by the rise of new technologies. Faxes, modems, the web, cable and cheap cellular communications have allowed hard-to- get, even esoteric information to spread from individual to individual. The control of information is no longer the privilege of a few individuals in government and big business; optimistically, information can now be introduced into our human networks at any point. This is a good thing.

The New Economy that seems to be arising in North America and The World is often characterised as a Network economy and the worth of this network increases with every node that is introduced to it. Information, it is said, wants to be free, and increases in value as it shared. Some even theorise that information can be likened to a biological entity, and that it has a mission to replicate itself from host to host. You cannot control it; it seems to have its own life force.

However, let's not get carried away. While half of North American households are now reportedly wired, and there are an estimated 1 billion websites out in the ether of the www, most of the world's population has never made a phone call. High technology IPO's still have to show some sort of operating profit. Like a touted NHL draft pick, potential can only take you so far. And if you are in the hemp industry, it still all comes down to the seed and soil and using the gift of hemp to create real value for our society in the form of food or fibre. The goods still have to be delivered and relationships still must be respected.

Let's not believe our own hype as we move into our third year of commercial production in this country. Those with some time and means are strongly advised to make their way next week to Winnipeg for the Hemp 2000 show (see Upcoming Events in Part Two of this issue for full details). To all our far-flung readers, supporters and contributors who are a part of The HCFR, I hope to meet you there.

Arthur Hanks
February 2000
Vancouver, BC
arthurhanks@hotmail.com

To The Editor:

re. HCFR January 2000, Volume 2, Issue 8, Some comments on Industrial Hemp in the United States: Status and Market Potential released by USDA, Jan 19th, 2000

"Despite the similarities between hemp and linen, the lack of a thriving textile flax (linen) US production sector (despite no legal barriers) suggests that hemp would not be able to sustain an adequate margin of profit for a large production sector to develop. "

This statement does not address a number of conditions:

Hemp's bast fibres are perhaps easier to process into textiles than linen and can be used in a much wider range of applications. eg. as a carpet backing and whole carpet base, as well as fine blended fabrics.

At the same time, the tow and shorter fibres can be formed into large number of nonwoven, geo textiles. Biodegradeable soil retention blankets; to stabilize slippage control plantings along highways, and a hemp polypropelyne blended replacement for pink fibreglass insulation are
excellent examples.

Plus there are wide ranging markets for the pithy core material, or hurds.

For the farmer, fibre hemp is a potential triple crop.

And of course, this USDA position is based on a 'globalised' market where the expediency of 'sourcing' materials from wherever they are cheapest far outweighs the benefits of local ingenuity. America grew cotton, and will continue to do so until the poisons required to support that business
make the reasons for doing so a lot less obvious.

"Although the market potential for hemp seed as a food ingredient is unknown, it probably will remain a small market, like those for sesame and poppy seeds. "

"The prospects for hemp oil in food markets are limited by its short shelf life, the fact that it can't be used for frying, and its lack of US Food and Drug Administration approval as "generally recognized as safe."

Both these statements fail to take into account two very important factors:

With the use of dehulling equipment, hemp protein is available as an alternative to soya protein for use in the same range of products. Hemp does not require genetic modification or massive use of herbicides and pesticides to generate that food supply.

There is a groundswell of public awareness building, that will result in large numbers of people prepared to pay for food guaranteed free from genetically modified organisms, and industrial chemicals. Organically grown hemp seed-based products are closely joined with the healthy food market, presently entering a period of unprecedented growth.

Freshly pressed hemp oil, available from your local market, is poised to become part of the coming lifestyle choice. The lack of a USFDA approval rating says more about the political baggage attached to any product with the word 'hemp' in its resume, than to real world concerns about safety.

Overall, hemp production was profitable only at the higher end of the estimated yields and prices reported in four State analyses summarised in the Estimated Costs and Returns Section of the USDA report. It seems questionable that US producers could remain profitable at the low end
of the estimated net returns for hemp, particularly given the thinness of current US hemp markets.

The 'thinness' of US hemp markets is an artificial construct. Lack of a consistent, affordable supply of the raw material has forced the industry into supplying specialty high value products to a limited 'niche' market. Successful agricultural production of hemp in Canada has brought a change in this situation into view. Perhaps that explains why the 'Drug Warriors' are so busy just now,
rewriting the law to suit their own agendas.

Dave Cull, nozone@uniserve.com

(Note: The following letter was previously submitted to the Chattanooga Times-Free Press )

Editor Times:
Ref: Tuesday's business page article on lack of demand for hemp (USDA report).

Hemp was the major industrial world agricultural crop 100 years ago. It has over 2000 uses, can produce up to eight tons of biomass per acre in the US, is basically resistant to most infections and most significantly can replace, economically, many of the petrochemical products. If properly cultivated, it would make a highly competitive and desirable pulp, concrete, insulation and sheet wood material.

All industries addressed on the subject were quite interested, including composites, which is likely to be the future material from which air, ground and water vehicles are constructed. In many applications hemp is superior to nylon and can be quite competitive in price. In France houses are built and the Queen of England beds her horses down in a hemp product.

There is a large force determined to keep this product off the market. Farmers in Kentucky, a leading hemp producing state in the 1800's, Banded together and demanded to be allowed to grow hemp. An official said that they could not allow the farmers to take this chance since its economic value was unknown. This from the land of free enterprise.

The problem here is not a matter of demand but a matter of supply. The illegality of hemp has driven its price beyond the competitive range and made the supply quite undependable. One paper producer asked for a large quantity commitment and threw in the towel when the price was five times that of wood. The US drug policy has caused a good part of the world to follow suit and make hemp illegal. Many are seeing their mistake as Canada did and even then, the DEA tried to block imports, previously legal, from Canada.

The referenced article supports a highly organised effort at control that is quite detrimental to our society. It is time for concerned individuals to join together and create a strong educational service for the public.

Wade Swicord, Wade@voy.net

Have an opinion?: The HCFR invites commentary, opinions and letters to the editor. Feedback posted may be edited for brevity, grammar and content.

Top Of The Crop

1) Border Status of Hemp Remains Unresolved

With the recent recommendations that have been handed over to US Customs by the ONDCP there is a big, black cloud hanging over the 49th parallel. Though Canadian hemp exporters and American importers have feared heavy weather, the massing clouds have not burst yet. And the weatherman predicts sunshine is a long way off.

Since the dissemination of the January 6th memo that defines all hemp containing any amount of THC as a Controlled Substance in the US, Industry Canada's Ron Krystynak notes that there has been no reported stops or seizures at the border.

"Things are quiet in a sense," says Krystynak. "Our observation is that US Customs is not doing testing, and they are accepting the declarations of Canadian companies. We are continually being informed of the situation".

He emphasises that if there are any problems that the industry let the Canadian government know, and action will be taken.

"Industry Canada is providing technical support that we can, but we are telling our producers that there are no guarantees. "

Canadian officials met with the ONDCP in February to explain the kinds of controls that have been erected around the hemp industry in Canada. "My guess is that they felt fairly comfortable and reassured with our relatively thorough system of controls; e.g.; licensing, testing, GPS requirements, <10 ppm standard, and adherence to the OECD list, " says Krystynak.

Some time was also spent by Health Canada sharing data on the regulatory program with their American counterparts.

Canada, of course, is asking for clearer guidelines so that there will be some security in making exports to the US. Krystynak's understanding is that the ONDCP is currently reviewing its policy on industrial hemp. "Our expectations is that this will take some time, " he says.

While there is no clear indication of the ONDCP timetable, the DEA and ONDCP are feeling pressure to develop policy on two fronts; the issue of imports, particularly those of Canadian origin, and regulating domestic growth. While a bill was recently defeated in New Hampshire, the legislative drive in favour of hemp continues to rise on the stare level. In the field, speculation is that North Dakota may very well be the second state to plant industrial hemp with a (Hawaii-size) planting this summer.

Ron Krystynak of Industry Canada can be reached at (613) 759-7653.
Keep in touch with trade isssues at www.hempembargo.com .

2) How Much Hemp?

Hemp trade issues, coupled with the release of last month's USDA report, also raises the question of how much hemp are we talking about anyway. While the Federal Government has figures on licensed acreages, no one has actual production figures for the domestic industry or the value of hemp seed and hemp seed derivatives that are being shipped to the US. Industry-supplied statistics on the value of the North American hemp industry that are often published (see By the Numbers in HCFR #8) are always claimed to be "estimates". It is often unclear what economic activity these kinds of numbers represent.

Since Canada had reintroduced hemp as a commercial crop in 1998, information has been collected on the following categories: tow and waste exports, "true" hemp yarn exports, and "true" hemp raw and retted exports (see figures 1,2,3 below). There is no data that has been collected on hemp food or grain products.

(1) True Hemp Raw and Retted Exports

(2) Tow and Waste Exports-including yarn waste and garnetted stock

(3) True Hemp Yarn Exports

In each of these cases, exports in all these categories have dropped in correlation with the uncertainty of the "Hemp Embargo" (August 1999 through to October/November; IndCan data is not available yet for the whole year.) The value of hemp food, oil, grain, cake, dehulled seed and bird seed, which currently represents much if not most of the industry's economic activity, and is most affected by the new border recommendations, is unknown.

Juan Miranda, of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, explains that Statistics Canada handles all of this form of data collection. A request has been put in to start measuring hemp oil and grain exports and it is likely that this data will start being collected in 2001.

Sources of graphs: Industry Canada

3) Manitoba Supports Industrial Hemp Through ARDI Program

Manitoba Agriculture, through its Agri-Food Research and Development Initiative (ARDI), gave out $250,000 in grants to six research projects concerning hemp in 1998. Successful applicants include Prairie Hemp, Consolidated Growers and Processors, Websar Laboratories, Hemp Oil Canada and Leson Environmental Consulting.

To date, the results of one project, Nutraceuticals in Manitoba Industrial Hemp, (ARDI Project # 98-161) conducted by Websar Laboratories with co-applicant CGP, has been made publicly available.

Other projects that have been funded include: Development of Hemp Production and Processing Capability (Prairie Hemp with The Great AgVenture Consulting), A Commercial-Scale Evaluation of Hemp to Determine Optimum Production (CGP with CABSI, McElroy Seeds Farm, Canterra Seeds, and Manitoba Agriculture), Natural Air Drying of Industrial Hemp Seed (CGP with Keho Alta Products Ltd. and the Prairie Agricultural Machinery Institute), Development of Hemp Food Products and Processes (Hemp Oil Canada with Ohio Hempery, Hempfields and HempNut Corporation) and Evaluating Interference of the THC Levels in Hemp Food Products with Employee Drug Testing (Leson Environmental Consulting with North American Industrial Hemp Council, Hemptech and others). No results of these five projects have yet been made public.

4) Nutraceuticals in Manitoba Industrial Hemp: Background and Objective
(ARDI Project # 98-161)

Industrial hemp and marijuana are different strains of Cannabis sativa. Marijuana has traditionally been recognised in a number of cultures as having medicinal properties. Use of marijuana for medicinal purposes in Canada is currently under review by Health Canada at the direction of the Federal Health Minister. The benefits associated with the medicinal actions of marijuana have been attributed to the class of compounds known as cannabinoids, the best known being the psychotropic delta 9-THC. A number of the other cannabinoids, such as cannabidiol (CBD) and cannabinol (CBN), have also shown evidence of medicinal properties, but are not psychotropic. This project examined locally produced industrial hemp to assess the amounts of CBD and CBN present in various plant parts.

Results and DiscussionTissue, chaff, stalks and seed were tested for four hemp varieties: Fedora 19, Zola 11, Felina 34, and Zola 13. Results indicate that all samples contained both CBD and CBN, with CBD at levels considerably higher relative to the permitted levels of delta 9-THC (0.3%) and CBN at levels lower (but still quantifiable) relative to the permitted levels of delta 9-THC.

Levels of CBD were considerably higher in the tissue tested at the end of the growing season than they were in chaff that had been dried and stored for several months. Although levels of CBD in chaff were somewhat lower than in the tissue, they were still considerably higher than permitted levels of delta 9-THC. It may be that the level of CBD in dried chaff declines somewhat in storage. Levels of CBD in tissue were considerably higher than those found in the stalks. Levels in seed screenings were somewhat less than those in the tissue and chaff, but a least 10 times greater than those found in the stalks.

CBN levels were no more than a few percent of the permitted levels of delta9-THC. Otherwise, CBN levels in general followed the same pattern as those of CBD except that in the tested tissue analysed before the end of the growing season, the levels of CBN are lower than those in the stored chaff. CBN is a metabolite of delta 9-THC in Cannabis sativa L. Therefore, the CBN levels might be expected to increase if storage led to the degradation of delta 9-THC. There is evidence in the literature to suggest that this transformation may occur.

Conclusions: The results of this study clearly indicate that industrial hemp grown in Manitoba contains several of the cannabinoids with nutraceutical potential and therefore, has potential in the nutraceuticals area for value-added processing to recover these cannabinoids. It is also clear from the results that relatively high levels of CBD and moderate levels of CBN are to be found in the chaff, which is currently an agricultural waste.

For full briefs on all of these projects, check out: www.gov.mb.ca/agriculture/research/ardi/projects/hemp.html
For more information about ARDI, check out: www.gov.mb.ca/agriculture/research/ardi/index.html

5) Northwestern Ontario Research 1999 Findings are Now Available

Five articles by Gordon Scheifele accounting for his 1999 research season in Northern Ontario are now posted on OMAFRA's website ( full all of OMAFRA's Hemp Series, check out www.gov.on.ca/OMAFRA/english/crops/hort/hemp.html) . One of the articles, A Discussion on Cannabis Cannabinoids - THC & CBD , was presented in out last issue (HCFR #9). The reports summarise a wide range of agronomic factors associated with growing the crop in the region, with implications for hemp growing at almost any latitude and climate in northern latitudes. Taken as a group, the studies provide an objective analysis for many of the more popular approved cultivars that were grown across Canada in 1999.

The articles that are now available include:

• 1999 Agronomic Field Studies to Determine Factors Effecting Hemp Grain Production in Northern Ontario
• 1999 Report on Environment and Latitude Effect on THC Levels of Industrial Hemp Varieties Grown in Ontario
• 1999 Studies on Factors Effecting Hemp Oil Extraction From Hemp Grain Grown in Northern Ontario
• A Discussion on Cannabis Cannabinoids - THC & CBD
• THC Levels in Hemp Grain and Oil From Northwestern Ontario in 1999

For more information about , please contact Gordon Scheifele, Northwestern Ontario Research Co-ordinator, Kemptville College/OMAFRA at gscheifele@omafra.gov.on.ca

HCFR Seed Guide 2000, Part I

Health Canada has released its List of Approved Cultivars for the Year 2000 Growing Season. The following varieties are approved for commercial cultivation and may contain variety names that are synonyms for the same variety. There are 23 seeds on the list:

Anka (Canada); FIN 314 (Canada/Finland), US0 14, USO 31, Zolotonosha 11, Zolotonosha 15 (Canada/Ukraine), Fasamo (Canada/Germany); C S, Carmagnola, Fibranova (Italy); Fedora 19. Fedrina 74, Felina 34, Ferimon, Fibrimon 24, Fibrimon 56, Futura (France), Fibriko, Kompolti, Kompolti Hibrid TC, Kompolti Sargaszaru, Uniko B (Hungary), Lovrin 110 (Romania).

Effective January 1^st, 2000, all seed planted in Canada must be of pedigreed status (Certified or better.) This means that planting seed can no longer be imported from countries that are not members of these seed schemes of the Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development and that of the Association of Official Certifying Agencies.

No varieties are exempt from routine field testing or required sampling and tested. No seed on this year's list is to be double tested.

Health Canada warns that "In both 1998 and 1999, a small percentage of reported test results for … Fedora 19, Future, Kompolti and Uniko B were questionable. Elevated test results came mainly from test production." While these varieties are available for commercial purposes, an eye is being kept on them to determine the reason for the higher than 0.3% production in some cases.

No one seed can do everything. Not all seeds are created equal, and depending on the end use, producers and contractors will have some choices to make. Fibre producers may want to try one of the longer growing Romanian or Hungarian varieties; the growing value of hemp seed as a food, for example, has also nutritional criteria which not all seeds may have; low low level THC strains may be desired by others.

This issue, we will take a quick look at the three "short" varieties that are available on the marketplace. Next month, we'll go through some of the French and Slavic seeds that are available. Italian breeds have historically been in very limited supply and may not be available, though they are allowable.

Note that GST may in fact be charged on hemp seed for 2000; check with your seed seller for the application of this statute on planting seed.

The HCFR welcomes all seed commentary and information.

Anka: is the first Canadian-bred cultivar developed by Peter Dragla of the Industrial Hemp Seed Development Company. While there is limited research information on this seed, small quantities will be available on a commercial basis this year. Anka is an early grain variety that grows to small stature (1-2m ) (Check out Gordon Scheifele's 1999 research for some test results).

Contact: KENEX LTD. , RR #1, Pain Court, Ontario, Tel: 519-351-9922, Fax: 519-352-6667 E-mail seed@kenex.com; www.kenex.com

Fasamo: Fibre Quality: Fasamo is 18% fibre and fibre length is 180 cm. Comparisons with other varieties are not available. Numerous quality parameters are used to define hemp fibre. If additional information is required, please provide a list of the quality parameters required and will send these out to a quality lab for testing.

Meal / Cake: Hemp seed is generally very high in crude fibre. On average across the species, fibre levels in seed are 26%. We do not have numbers indicating specific % of fibre for Fasamo. Typically, however, there is an inverse relationship between oil content and fibre % in seed. As oil content goes up, fibre goes down. Fasamo is mid range in oil and so it is likely to be mid range in fibre. If more detail is required, we will send material for testing.

Oil Profile: The fatty acid Gamma-linolenic acid is variable within the hemp species. It ranges from 1.2% to 3.9%.

Gamma-linolenic acid results from the official German testing agency FAL follow: USO 14 3.9%, Fasamo 3.8%, Kompolti 1.2%, Futura 771.9%.

Oil content is also available: Fedora 19 33.4%, Felina 34 34.8%, Kompolti 34.4%, Futura 77 34.1%, Fasamo 31.0%, Fedrina 74 29.5%, USO 11 30.8%, USO 14 29.2%, USO 31 30.4%, Zolotonosha 15, 30.1%.

Source: CANTERRA SEEDS, 43 Scurfield Blvd., Winnipeg, Manitoba, Ph 1-877-439-7333, Fax: (204) 482-7682 hemp@canterra.com , www.canterra.com

FIN-314: is a hemp variety uniquely suited to seed production in Canada, with exceptional agronomic and nutritional characteristics. Acknowledged by many experts to be a superior cultivar.

Characteristics: Short growth habit (5 ft. max), Short growth period (90-99 days), High yields reported (up to 2000 lbs./acre), Exceptional oil content & profile (high GLA and SDA levels, as well as a perfect balance of Omega 3 and Omega 6 essential fatty acids), High GLA content (>4%), High protein (26%). Non-branching, limited straw production, easy harvest using conventional grain equipment. The crop may be swathed or straight-combined at low moisture (<15%) without any danger of fibre plugging up machinery.

FIN-314 demonstrates superior flexibility in terms of planting and harvesting dates. It is adapted to northern climates and will mature in any cultivated zone of Canada. In the northernmost farming regions, it is currently the only variety that can be counted on to ripen early enough for seed production.

Projected oil yields of common oilseeds vs. hemp

Source: GEN-X RESEARCH INC, 1237 Albert St., Regina, Sask., Phone: (306) 525-6519: Fax: (306) 569-5938, genx@net1fx.com

OPINION:
PIONEERS OF THE HEMP INDUSTRY:

By Jon Coud

Cloud Mountain just completed a two day agricultural trade show. If anyone has ever attended a trade show they know how hard it is. The staff gets exhausted answering the same questions over and over again. It is no different when it comes to the topic of hemp field production techniques. Let me give you the answers we repeated deliver at the show and see if you can give me the questions being asked most frequently.

The answer, "There is a lot of misinformation being spread about hemp. It is not something that is easy to grow and will provide you with the financial resources that allow you to move to Florida while permanently abandoning your Canadian health care program."

Now see if you can fill in the question the farmer is asking about hemp. The question is usually asked in the following fashion. "Is it true what I hear about hemp? Can farmers grow hemp an receive big returns? I have read a lot of articles on hemp and is hemp as easy to grow as everyone says ?" The truthful answer is that hemp is not easily grown on any type of soil and it is not going to make you rich enough to move to Florida.

Location selection is the most important thing you can consider. Location includes soil types, access to water, ability to control weeds and soil fertility.

The hemp industry is very much like the organic industry 30 years ago. The volume of product is small and we are still learning how to produce hemp organically while giving the farmers a decent living for their labour. (Yes, I'm that old to have been one of the re-inventors of the organic industry).

The organizational development of most industries follows a predetermined path of developmental stages. This in not much different from the Erickson psychological developmental stages for a child. As each new industry is born the child must master skills in order to progress. Clearly, the hemp industry is in the beginning stages of its second life.

This is just like the organic industry. Both of these industries existed previously in North America. Field production techniques had been developed over the six thousand years of agricultural existence. However, for political and economic reasons, both fell from grace and were relegated to obscurity on the annual crop reports for North America. For all political reasons these industries disappeared in North America. Yet in the end, Common Sense will prevail returning these industries to their logical and rightful place in the sun.

As we move the hemp industry forward into the next developmental stage, we should look closely at the lessons and skills acquired by our older sister, the organic industry. First, we must strive to be clear about the reality of the hemp industry. It is a new born with a very fragile existence.

Information on production techniques must be clear and accurate. The hype and misinformation about the wonders of hemp need to be removed. Hemp is not the greatest thing since sliced bread and the panacea for all the ills of North American farmers. It is hard to grow good quality hemp seed. This is no different than any other crop. The market is shallow and thousands of acres being brought into production will destroy the farmer's economic viability for raising the hemp. Farmers have already seen prices erode very heavily over the past two years.

Clearly, processors, retailers and consumers are not aware of the impact of declining prices on farmers. Further, contrary to popular hype, hemp is hard on the land. You can not remove all the seed and fibre from a field with out activating a strip mining mentality. With seed and fiber removed the soil fertility plummets leaving a tired soil even more depleted.

Organic production requires you to make a conscious effort to improve your soil fertility. If you take everything off the field and put nothing back on the field it is logical the soil fertility can only decline. This is just Common Sense. (Which brings to mind another question, "Why is Common Sense so uncommon?")

Secondly, we must understand the hemp industry, like the organic industry (effectively eliminated by the 1950's) should not go back to the field production techniques used at the time of its demise. Rather, we need to utilize the technological and scientific developments from the past century if we are to make hemp field production financially viable for the farmers. Nostalgia has its place in the tourist business but has no place in making growers financially viable. The pioneers of our industry are not the processors and marketers with the flashy labels and quick sales pitch about the benefits of hemp oil. The pioneers are the farmers, researchers, and field support people struggling with the field production techniques.

Only when the crops are economically viable for the farmers will the hemp industry have the consistent supply of raw material that enables an industry to grow. The pioneers are the farmers who have endured exorbitant seed cost, lousy seed (70% germination of varieties breed and raised in non-North American bio-regions), government licensing delays, teenagers trampling their fields to steal leaves to sell to their friends, and poorly selected high THC varieties which render the crop unsellable. The farmer's untold frustrations will lead this industry through the development stages that will one day make this industry and adult.

To you the farmers experimenting with hemp production, we, the industry, give our appreciative acknowledgment and thanks for all you have endured for the industry.

Jon Cloud of Cloud Mountain Inc in Toronto, Ontario is a is a frequent contributor to the HCFR . He can be reached at cloudmtn@interlog.com .

Check out the comprehensive 1999 Canadian industrial hemp crop and market wrap-up prepared by  the Hemp Futures Study Group in the forthcoming issue of the Journal  the Interntional Hemp Association - (back issues online at www.HempCyberFarm).

BioHemp Technologies Ltd .: North America's largest wholesaler of certified organic hempseed oil products: Drums, pales, bottles, capsules
New! Certified Organic Hemp Flour.
For sales and inquiries, call Jason Freeman at 604 255 7979,
or email: jfreeman@biohemp.com

______________________________________________________________________
© 1999 AHEM, ARTHUR HANKS. INDIVIDUAL ARTICLES REMAIN PROPERTY OF THE AUTHOR (S). NOT TO BE DUPLICATED FOR FINANCIAL OR PERSONAL GAIN. CONTACT US ABOUT REPRODUCTION RIGHTS.

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