and beverages as well as textiles and myriad other products . To date , researchers have identified more than 25,000 uses for hemp and , more optimistically , many uses are still unknown . Researchers estimate what is grown now will only meet about two percent of potential global demand . Colorado , among the early candidates to legalize recreational cannabis , is also a contender for front-runner status among hemp growers . Legalized by voters in 2012 , the industry quickly became operational with few limitations on how much hemp could be produced . Recent numbers indicate more than 12,000 open-field acres with 2.3 million square feet under glass . The Colorado Agriculture Department , coordinators of industrial hemp efforts
in the Rocky Mountain state , is pro-industry and works with , instead of against , hemp farmers . The number of hemp farmers has grown from an initial 100-plus to nearly 2,000 with almost all of Colorado ’ s 64 counties registering a hemp operation benefitting from the state ’ s soil , elevation , and climate . The initial , overwhelming , positives — from looser regulations to higher prices — led to the planting of tens of thousands of new acres of hemp until the realization came that too much of a good thing wasn ’ t always a good thing . Prices plummeted from around $ 40 a pound to a quarter of that amount with a lot of biomass still in storage . Industry pundits jumped on the slump in the growth curve noting that success comes at a price . That price is falling for growers along with ongoing headaches finding places to sell all the hemp Colorado is cultivating among the seven varieties of certified hemp seeds . Average hemp farm yields run about 1,500 pounds per acre and in many cases , much higher , meaning that what doesn ’ t sell goes into storage and there ’ s a lot of biomass tucked away . Among the issues , although Colorado has more hemp businesses than any other state , fiber processors are nearly non-existent , and CBD extractors are too few . Currently in process is a bill signed by the governor and submitted to the USDA , a Colorado Hemp Management Plan that will align state statutes with federal law including things like a certified seed program and a provision for 100 percent testing for all crop lots . Approval is anticipated post-harvest this year , sometime around November 1 . In the Northwest , Oregon hemp farmers also have friends in the Department of Agriculture , businessfriendly support that has aided in tremendous amounts of product being grown since its legalization in 2009 , despite the fact that the first actual license to cultivate didn ’ t come until 2015 .
Industry growth there has been exponential . From a mere 7,800 acres in 2018 , acreage is now up to more than 50,000 , an increase of more than 500 percent in just a couple of years . While numbers fluctuate , the register of growers , along with processors and seed farmers , has moved well into the four-figure column . Current figures , provided by Andrea Cantu-Schomus of the Oregon Department of Agriculture , show some 1,600 licensed growers in the state . Testing consistency remains a big concern because many of those growers are new and inexperienced . The largest hemp research organization in the U . S ., the Global Hemp Innovation Center , has opened its doors there , conducting research in 10 locations across the state . Oregon is also one of the few states that permit the sale of all hemp products . At a 2019 hemp farmer roundtable , event host Senator Ron Wyden , a leader in the legislation legalization of hemp in the 2018 Farm Bill , noted : “ We ’ ve got the leadership to tap the incredible potential for hemp growth in Oregon and as is a tradition in our state , we can be a trailblazer addressing the issues .” Also in the running , but far behind Colorado and Oregon , are New York and Kentucky . New York ’ s application forms are straightforward and the application fee is nominal , leaving New York hemp growers with an advantage over farmers in other states because they keep some things in-house . While hemp farmers there are allowed to sell product anywhere , manufacturers of cannabinoid product derived from hemp , things like tinctures , pills , topicals , and the like may not produce product with anything but hemp grown in-state . Also ahead of its time , New York funded an Industrial Hemp Agricultural Research Pilot Program some five years ago that allows educational institutions to grow and research industrial hemp in places like Cornell University , which is now offering seed to farmers . Kentucky , once home to Big Tobacco , has been looking for another moneymaking product , legalizing hemp farming in 2013 . Outdoor acreage is growing through the efforts of some 200 growers and processors . Politicians are on board too as Senate President Mitch McConnell signed the legalization legislature with a pen made from hemp .
Maximum Yield 89