The Hemp Report

Irish Soda Bread

2007-03-17T06:46:00.000-04:00

     Here is a quick, wonderful, and easy to make bread to go with your corned beef and Guinness this evening. I had a few too many and forgot to take a picture. I will come back and add one to this post when I make soda bread again.

Irish Soda Bread

Ingredients:

1 cup + 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour (5 oz)
2/3 cup whole wheat flour (3 oz)
1/2 cup ground oatmeal (2 oz)
1/3 cup shelled hemp seed, toasted (1 1/2 oz)
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
3 Tbsp. SACO Buttermilk Blend (1 oz)
3/4 cup water
1 Tbsp. corn meal

Method:

     Preheat the oven to 300° F. Toast the shelled hemp seed on a half sheet pan for 3-4 minutes. Raise the temperature of the oven to 375° F.

     Put first eight ingredients in a medium bowl. Whisk them together making sure ingredients are distributed evenly. Add water to dry mixture and mix with a spoon or spatula until it is evenly moistened. Form the dough into a ball in the bowl.

     Lightly sprinkle sheet pan with corn meal in a six inch circle in the middle. Turn dough out onto the prepared sheet pan. Press down lightly on the dough ball with the spoon or spatula and cut a cross in the top with a serrated knife or a pair of kitchen scissors.

     Bake at 375° F for 35-40 minutes.

     Notes: SACO Buttermilk Blend is a dried buttermilk powder. For more information please see the SACO Foods web site. You can use 7/8 cup buttermilk instead, just omit the SACO and water.

Parkland Economic Development Opportunity

2007-02-06T19:31:00.000-05:00

     The Dauphin Economic Development Board of Directors are seeking support from the Parkland area for a new investment opportunity, Parkland BioFibre hemp processing plant. This is a business investment opportunity for people to directly benefit from as well as to strengthen and sustain our community and region.

     The Parkland BioFibre project has the capability to create a significant economic impact ton the community and region. This processing plant will employ 15-20 people and generate $1.1 million in salaries.

     To learn more about this exciting venture and how you can support it, Parkland BioFibre has scheduled Open Houses on February 7, 8, 9, and 13th to provide information to potential investors. For dates and contact information please download the PDF below:

Parkland Economic Development Opportunity
(PDF file 336K)

Parkland BioFibre Business Plan - November 2006
(PDF file 1.5MB)

Google, the Hemp Report and the Right Way to Do Business

2006-03-07T17:08:00.000-05:00

A Hemp Report Editorial

     Checking the World Wide Web news, there's a lot of controversy about Google and its new business relationships in China. For those who haven't been paying attention, Google has agreed to censor its excellent search engine so that it can enter the Chinese market and keep up with its competitors Yahoo and MSN.

Handy Visual Aids:

http://images.google.com/images?q=tiananmen [google.com]
http://images.google.cn/images?q=tiananmen [google.cn]

     For many people, the debate splits two ways: on the one hand, there are the commentators who are sticking to the classical adage that a business is in business to please shareholders by making money. And that it should, sensibly, adhere to the laws of the state it is doing business in.

     At the other extreme, there are critics who distrust market forces, think business and profit is inherently evil, and that Google must operate to a higher standard than the Pope, and possibly even Marx, would hard pressed to meet.

     The Hemp Report recently made the decision to pull Google ads from our web site because we believe in a third proposition: that a company can use the marketplace as a positive force for change. Our decision to get involved in hemp many many years ago, was the result of the desire to merge the heady ideals of changing the world, while meeting the practical necessity of putting food on the table.

     Not that we made much money from those ads (we are a rather specialised and low traffic site so Google ain't going to miss us). Nor in fact have ever really made money doing the Hemp Report. But I can tell you this: in our own quirky way, we must be doing something right, for the HR has served as a gateway for other opportunities that have rewarded us many many times over. These gifts have been personal, intellectual, creative and, oh yeah, financial.

     Besides showing that we had some brains, something of a work ethic, and being good at what we did, I believe that a large part of the reason that we received these gifts was that we had integrity and were committed to doing the right thing. People noticed. Today, all of us work today in companies and ventures that match our values (plug time see: www.hemptrade.ca, www.saskhemp.com, www.nutiva.com, www.farmerdirect.ca, www.votehemp.com.) In a lot of ways we are pretty lucky. And the good news for you is that the HR survives, on a when-we-have-time basis,

     Now Google is one of the largest Internet-based companies in the world and working on a business scale that makes ours somewhat comical. And China has emerged as a massive trading partner for North America as well as a major investor in our domestic economies. Generally speaking, trade is much more constructive than boycotts or a heavily-armed policy of containment, and is definitely much more constructive than resurrecting the racist Yellow Peril of the 19th century.

     But you know, we are not just talking about goods such as energy, wheat, timber rights, mineral concessions and cheap Wal-Mart stuff. And not just services such as tourism, media, and education either. Modern business is also trafficking in the marketplace of ideas. For when you think about it, products are not solely physical artifacts anymore. They are also mental constructs. They have become Brands.

     Good Brands rely on the successful bundling of symbols and values with product. Ben and Jerry's is not just an ice cream company: they are also known for philanthropic and environmental leadership. The Body Shop is not just another soap line, they are promoting health and environmentally-progressive issues. And if you are successful in today's business, one of the more destructive things you can do is to work against the brand image that you have created. And when your brand is dependent on the idea of the free flow of information, supporting censorship is NOT the right way to present your message or your product.

     So as a media venture that believes in the free flow of information, HR is rather sensitive about certain issues. So when we have a situation where a western media company chooses to gloss over the fact that the Chinese government uses tanks to turn its own citizens into small pieces of bloody pavement, well, a line had to drawn in the proverbial sand. Google's corporate decision to self-censor their Chinese search engine puts them on the other side of that line. And since they showed that they don't match our values -- our Brand -- the relationship had to end. Bye bye. We think maintaining values is the Right Way to Do Business.

     Back to Hemp. There is a lot of Hemp opportunity in China (see http://english.people.com.cn/english/200111/04/eng20011104_83867.html), and while some companies are working with Chinese ventures, its very important that they do not take the regrettable route that Google has chosen. Your values come first. So if you are importing Chinese hemp textiles, don't buy ones manufactured through sweatshop labour. If you are importing organic hempseeds, make sure its Certified Organic and not "brownbag" or "backdoor" Organic. If you are buying hemp oil in bulk, please make sure its not rancid. And if you are selling Pedigreed Seed to them, what is in place to prevent them from pirating the genetic material? Taking short cuts will undermine your business. Avoid the race to the bottom, and work to bring Their standards up to Ours. Do not choose to overrun your ideals with tanks for a dollar.

Arthur Hanks

Regina Saskatchewan

March 2006

USDA Hemp Bulletin on eBay

2005-09-18T14:59:00.000-04:00

eBay is at it again. A few days ago I received an automatic search email from eBay with this auction in it:

Hemp Marijuana Farmer's Bulletin How To Grow 1943

     Wow, I thought - sweet. I've always wanted a copy of "HEMP" the USDA Farmers' Bulletin No. 1935! Here is a PDF copy of HEMP that we have here on The Hemp Report web site. (PDF file 5.6MB)

But, no - the auction was removed by eBay. So I emailed them:

Ask about bidding or buying > Bidding and buying > Is this item allowed
or prohibited?

Message: Dear eBay,
     I received this automatic email below this morning to my search criteria "bulletin hemp". The listing was for a copy of USDA Farmer's Bulletin No. 1935 "HEMP" from 1943. It is not a drug publication, but a manual on how to grow hemp for the war effort. Hemp and marijuana are different varieties of Cannabis sativa, with hemp being the low-THC variety. THC was not discovered until the 1960's, so this USDA publication sometimes mistakenly refers to hemp as "marihuana".

     I wanted to bid on this item. Why was this listing was removed?

Thanks,

Tom Murphy

     Here is what I received in return:

Hello Tom,

Thank you for writing with your concerns. I am happy to help.

Since drugs and drug paraphernalia are not permitted on eBay, neither
are informational items for the growing or procurement of drugs or drug
paraphernalia.

To learn more about prohibited and restricted items please go to:

http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/items-ov.html

It has been my pleasure to assist you Tom. Thank you for choosing eBay
and have a great day.

Regards,

Ralston
Community Watch
eBay Trust and Safety

     So, of course I wrote back:

Dear Ralston,
     This is not an acceptable answer. You obviously did not read the information that I provided for you. The U.S. Government publication in question is not a informational item for the growing or procurement of drugs. How do I appeal this decision?

Thanks,

Tom

     I'll update you on this as it happens. Of course there are no informational items for the growing or procurement of drugs on eBay. Oh, yes I almost forgot - have a great day.

NH Hemp Bill Killed

2005-05-05T14:09:00.000-04:00

Today the Foster's Daily Democrat ran an Associated Press story reporting that the New Hampshire Senate "Says no to hemp". The Environment and Wildlife Committee issued its report on April 27th 2005 that it voted 5-0 "Inexpedient to Legislate" - or in layman's terms kill - the hemp bill HB 55-FN-A, relative to industrial hemp and establishing an industrial hemp special program fund.

Absolutely no vision. I wonder, who lobbied the Senate committee to recommend that the bill be killed?

New Hemp Adidas

2005-02-18T15:14:00.000-05:00

Tired of scrounging eBay for a new pair of old stock hemp Adidas in your size? You did find them in your size, but someone was willing to pay more than $200 for them? Well, now's you chance to get some new hemp Adidas products in your size at a reasonable price.

Besides the Adidas Superstar Hemp - Natural/Brown pictured above there are also these new offerings from Adidas:

Adidas Superstar II Hemp - Black/Rasta

Adidas Supermodified - Green Hemp

Adidas Hemp Cap - Natural

Adidas Hemp Cap - Brown/Green

Manitoba Harvest Hemp Foods & Oils - Harvest Video

2006-12-10T21:54:00.000-05:00

Ecolution at the Green Festival in San Francisco

2006-12-09T21:16:00.000-05:00

The Hemp Movement and Dash Hemp

2007-01-06T21:20:00.000-05:00

Manitoba Harvest at the San Francisco Green Festival

2006-12-14T21:04:00.000-05:00

The Hemp Movement and French Meadow Bakery

2007-01-04T21:45:00.000-05:00

The Hemp Movement meets Dr. Bronner's Magic Soap

2007-01-20T21:43:00.000-05:00

TODAY Show - Hemp: Hot new food trend?

2007-01-16T12:24:00.000-05:00

Living Harvest Hempmilk

Food editor Phil Lempert talks with TODAY's Natalie Morales about a new food trend that's hitting store shelves: Hemp. You can click here to see the video and read the companion piece Nutty hemp a hot food trend. Good stuff! Please click on any one of the pictures to learn more about the products.

Alpsnack

French Meadow Healthy Hemp Brownie Bites

Manitoba Harvest

Nutiva HempShake

Nature's Path HempPlus Granola and Waffles

North Dakota Farmer is First to Apply for State License to Grow Industrial Hemp

2007-01-15T14:32:00.000-05:00

BISMARCK, ND — North Dakota's Agriculture Commissioner Roger Johnson has accepted the first application from a farmer for a state Industrial Hemp license. The license, which is expected to be granted, will go to farmer and North Dakota Assistant House Majority Leader David Monson, ten years after the first hemp bill was passed in the state. Farmers will make history as North Dakota is the first state to grant commercial hemp farming licenses in the United States in fifty years. It is unclear what the Drug Enforcement Administration will do when they receive requests for the licenses to be effective.

"I submitted my application for an industrial hemp license with the state Department of Agriculture earlier today," said Representative David Monson, R-Osnabrock. "I expect that the state will grant me a hemp farming license, but I'm not sure that the $3,440 non-refundable registration fee I will send to DEA with my application for manufacturing and importing will get me anything. Burton Johnson, an agronomist and professor at North Dakota State University (NDSU), has submitted at least 2 applications with DEA since 1999, but has never received a license in those seven years," says Monson. "I'm prepared to take this to court if DEA refuses to grant a permit in a reasonable amount of time or places onerous restrictions on it." Representative Monson operates his farm in Osnabrock, ND and is only 25 miles from the Canadian border and 110 miles from the nearest hemp seed processing facility, Hemp Oil Canada in Ste. Agathe, Manitoba.

For full text, click here.

IHA - Urgent Call For Papers

2007-01-14T16:03:00.000-05:00

Journal of Industrial Hemp

production, processing, and products ... official journal of the International Hemp Association

Editor: Hayo M. G. van der Werf, PhD

Urgent call for papers to be published in the journal.

Manuscripts should be submitted in triplicate to the Editor:
Hayo M. G. van der Werf, PhD
Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique
UMR INR-ENSAR Sol, Agronomie et Spatialisation
ENSAR-65, rue de Saint Brieuc-CS 84215
35042 Rennes
France
(telephone +33 2 23 48 57 09; Fax +33 2 23 48 54 30; E-mail: hayo.vanderwerf@rennes.inra.fr)

More information can be had on the International Hemp Association's Web site at:
http://www.internationalhempassociation.org

North Dakota Hemp Farming Update

2007-01-12T12:29:00.000-05:00

The North Dakota Department of Agriculture has put out a new press release Hemp Growers License Applications Available, which is also below, announcing the availability of their Application for Industrial Hemp License. The forms are available on the Industrial Hemp Farming page as well.

ND Department of Agriculture Press Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 12, 2007

Hemp Growers License Applications Available

BISMARCK - Applications for licenses to grow industrial hemp are now available from the North Dakota Department of Agriculture (NDDA).

"Prospective growers can write or call the department or go online at www.agdepartment.com and click on 'Hot Topics' for an application form," Agriculture Commissioner Roger Johnson said Wednesday.

"We urge all producers who intend to raise industrial hemp this year to begin the application process as soon as possible."

The department address is 600 E. Boulevard Ave., Dept. 602, Bismarck, ND 58505-0020; the telephone number is (701) 328-2231, and the e-mail address is ndda@nd.gov.

Johnson said North Dakota is the first state to license industrial hemp growers.

"Our Legislature has passed numerous bills with strong, bipartisan support to make it possible for North Dakota farmers to grow this potentially valuable crop," Johnson said. "Our regulations, which become effective this month, require licensed industrial hemp farmers to submit to criminal background checks and fingerprinting. They must also provide satellite coordinates that identify the locations of industrial hemp fields. These regulations apply to everyone who owns, operates or works at a hemp farm or who grows, handles or processes industrial hemp."

Johnson said that in addition to the application form, prospective growers must also obtain an official fingerprint card from NDDA. The card is not available online.

"The fingerprinting must be administered by local law enforcement officials," Johnson said. "When the application forms and fingerprint cards are completed, they must be returned to NDDA with the required fees."

The state charges two fees: $52 to cover the cost for fingerprinting and criminal background checks, and a $5-per-acre grower's fee (minimum $150). The fees are non-refundable.

Once approved by North Dakota authorities, the licenses will be forwarded to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) for final approval.

"It is up to the DEA to register the license holder," Johnson said. "If registration is withheld or denied, the license holder cannot grow the crop.

Johnson has asked the DEA to waive its registration fees for individual growers.

"We still have not heard back from DEA," he said. "But in the meantime, a prospective grower must have a North Dakota license in hand before applying for DEA registration."

-30-

MEDIA: For more information, please call Ted Quanrud at (701) 328-2233 or tquanrud@nd.gov or Patrice Lahlum at (701) 220-4357 or plahlum@nd.gov.

Hemp Statistics

2007-01-08T14:54:00.000-05:00

Good, up to date statistics on hemp production are hard to come by. Health Canada's Statistics, Reports & Fact Sheets on Hemp page is OK, but a tad out of date. The hard part, especially for reporters, is to figure out the difference between licensed acres, seeded acres, and acres produced. Alexis Baden-Mayer, Vote Hemp's Director of Government Relations, found the page Industrial Hemp Production Rebounding at the Alberta Agriculture and Food Web site and emailed it to me.

The document has a nice six paragraph overview of hemp in Canada as well as three really nice graphs of hemp productions statistics, by province, from 1998 to present in both hectares and acres. The latest Health Canada statistics, which I have not been able to find anywhere else, show that 24,021 acres of industrial hemp were produced in Canada in 2005 and 48,060 acres in 2006. Are we headed for 100,000 acres by 2008?

Minnesota Public Radio On North Dakota Hemp

2007-01-01T11:38:00.000-05:00

     Dan Gunderson of Minnesota Public Radio has a really nice report on recent happenings in North Dakota. The story "North Dakota challenges federal ban on hemp" has a lot of nice features including Real Player audio, Web links, and a short slide show. Here is a larger version of the Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiative hemp image.

     I have one nit to pick, though. The story states that "Industrial hemp has been illegal in the United States for 50 years." which is not true. it is not illegal to grow hemp in the U.S. and it has only been in its current state since the adoption of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) in 1970.

     Jean Rawson, of the Congressional Research Service, also noted this in her 2005 CRS Report "Hemp as an Agricultural Commodity" for the U.S. Congress: "Strictly speaking, the CSA does not make Cannabis illegal; rather, it places the strictest controls on its production, making it illegal to grow the crop without a DEA permit."

     Growing hemp is kind of like driving, you can't drive without a license and you can't grow hemp without a permit. The difference is that it is almost impossible to get a permit from DEA to grow hemp. What we have now is essentially an administrative ban.

     The last commercial hemp crop was grown by farmers in the Waupun/Brandon, Wisconsin area for the Rens Hemp Company in in 1957 and was processed by their mills in 1958. The last crop of hemp permitted to be grown in the U.S. was used to eradicate Canada Thistle from corn fields. Two LaCrosse County, Wisconsin farmers obtained Licenses for hemp cover crops for the spring 1958 planting.

     The exemption for hemp in 21 U.S.C. 802(16) was carried over from the Marihuana Tax Act, but the registration provisions of the Act were not. Up until the decision in LEARY v. UNITED STATES, and the subsequent passage of the CSA, a farmer could have applied for and received a Producer of Marihuana Special Tax Stamp for $1.00. Now one would need to go through a mind numbing DEA Drug Registration, a process not intended for farmers, with high fees.

     The North Dakota Department of Agriculture has asked DEA to waive registration for hemp growers as part of their Hemp Farming program. We will see if they get a response from DEA.

Eden Project Eco Hemp Cricket Box

2006-12-31T14:08:00.000-05:00

Some people, like Los Angeles Times staff writer Chris Foster, just can't get past the giggle factor in hemp. In yesterday's Morning Briefing Mr. Foster pokes fun at the new eco-friendly box (athletic cup) made by the Eden Project as an offshoot of their Eco Surfboard project, made from their hemp.

The BBC News covered the Eco Cricket Box their story "Cricketer tests eco-friendly box" as did the Metro in "One in the eye for the super box." The Metro's story has more and better pictures.

Go Hemp

2006-12-29T01:23:00.000-05:00

Hemp foods got a mention in the USA Today story "Here's what's on our plates in 2007." Not surprising to me as it is the food to watch in 2007 and Phil Lempert of SupermarketGuru more than agrees.

Nutiva's Berry Pomegranate HempShake received an 89 in a recent SupermarketGuru New Product Hits & Misses. Rumour has it that Phil Lempert is also going to be on TV sometime next month featuring hemp food products.

Chinese Hemp Acreage

2006-12-16T15:03:00.000-05:00

Fibre2fashion reports that China cultivates 0.797 million hectares of hemp, which is about 1,968,590 acres, and has a fibre output of about 0.6 million tons.

The report also states that the five year plan is to increase fibre output to 1.5 million tons, which is equal to 1,992,500 hectares, or 4,921,475 acres. To put that in perspective, that's an area 93% of the size of the U.S. state of Massachusetts.

Open Directory Project Back Online

2006-12-19T15:54:00.000-05:00

I went to do a Google search today, but could not find what I was looking for. Up until late October my preferred search engine was the Open Directory Project (ODP). Their search and editing servers had a major crash and lost a lot of data, including all pending directory submissions. They are back. What does this have to do with hemp you ask?

Well, the Hemp Report has the answer. It is over six years old, but just as relevant today as when it was published. Please read the story by ODP volunteer editor industrialhemp Hemp and the Open Directory Project, learn all about it, and submit your web site. The only thing that I can recommend is to do a hemp search in the ODP to find the best categories to make a submission to. Your hemp related business will be better for it!

North Dakota Hemp Farming

2006-12-15T15:44:00.000-05:00

The North Dakota Department of Agriculture has put up a Hemp Farming page. It looks like a place-holder with a few downloads and links for now. I hope that there are more good things to come.

Living Harvest Hempmilk

2006-11-27T13:38:00.000-05:00

Hemp foods have always had a huge potential, but six years ago it looked like there was not going to be a hemp foods market in the United States. Because of the hard work from many people hemp foods remained legal. Building up the processing infrastructure and educating the marketplace is slowly paying big dividends. As of October 16th the Health Canada Industrial Hemp Statistics 2006 show that 20,554 hectares (50,768 acres) of hemp were licensed this year. Many new products have been created with all of this hemp. One of the things that many people, me included, have longed for is hemp milk. The wait is just about over.

Slated to be introduced in January of 2007 Living Harvest Hempmilk will be one of the first hemp milks on the market. I was lucky enough to get advance samples to to try. My favourite is the Chocolate. I just finished a glass of Cafe Altura Peruvian Fair Trade Dark Roast coffee with Living Harvest Hempmilk Chocolate instead of my regular organic raw milk. What a wonderful flavor combination! My kids really like the Chocolate flavor, too. The Vanilla has a great mouthfeel and flavor without being too sweet. The Original has just the right balance of texture and flavor without being beany like soy milk or watery like rice milk. Both of the latter flavors are excellent on cereal and are wonderful on our Crunchy Granola and Special Oatmeal. 2007 looks like it will be a great year for hemp foods!

Kucinich Runs For President Again

2006-12-13T18:49:00.000-05:00

Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich announced his candidacy for president of the United States yesterday in Cleveland, Ohio. Here is an AP story from earlier today: Kucinich enters '08 race for president

While many see this as a long-shot bid Congressman Kucinich will bring many issues to the table, including hemp, that would otherwise be ignored.

Note: I was a delegate to the Maine State Democratic Convention representing Congressman Kucinich and I helped edit his hemp issue position piece linked above.