I attended the South Dakota State Fair last weekend before last, where my family camped and exhibited cattle. In addition to deep-fried fair food and carnival rides, the fair also hosted a panel of speakers to discuss a hot topic in agriculture right now: Hemp.

In 2018, 38 states considered legislation on the regulations of industrial hemp. The focus on this agricultural commodity stems from a guideline passed in the 2018 farm bill that changed federal policy regarding industrial hemp, including the removal of hemp from the Controlled Substances Act and the consideration of it as an agricultural product.

Additionally, the bill legalized hemp under certain restrictions and expanded the definition of industrial hemp from the 2014 farm bill.

Currently, the United States imports $60 million of hemp each year. Research firm Cowen and Co. estimates hemp sales will reach upwards of $12 billion-$16 billion in the U.S. by 2025.

As of 2019, there are 10 states where cannabis, including both marijuana and hemp, are legal for recreational and medicinal use. These states include Alaska, California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington.

In my home state, a veto from Gov. Kristi Noem stopped a bill from legalizing industrial hemp production in South Dakota; however, with the federal stamp of approval and the state’s Native American reservations gearing up to produce and process hemp on their sovereign lands, whether my state’s citizens like it or not, hemp is going to come here.

And, likely, your state is having the same discussions. Proponents, in a banter that sings a little like, “Well, Johnny is doing it, so why can’t I?” are urging naysayers to stop lumping industrial hemp in with the drug marijuana. However, that’s easier said than done.

Listening to the panel at the state fair, a police officer explained how drug dogs cannot distinguish between marijuana and hemp, as they both come from the cannabis plant. Meanwhile, the field test technologies to test hemp for THC levels would cost the state millions of dollars.

Plus, he argued, legalizing hemp inherently makes it easier for pot smokers and harder for law enforcement officers to enforce current laws on the books. After all, recreational and medicinal use of marijuana isn’t legal in South Dakota.

And, he said, the legalization of hemp in other states has already placed officers in South Dakota in tricky situations. A traffic stop this July was made of a Colorado hemp farmer hauling his product to a processor in Minnesota – perfectly legal in those states, but what about interstate commerce and South Dakota’s own laws?

As you can see, the waters are murky and the questions are many. How does a state proceed with caution and avoid the challenges other states are currently facing?

What’s more, are states that are slow to adapt missing out on an opportunity to help fledgling farmers? Wouldn’t another cash crop – one that promises between $1,000-14,000 per acre – be beneficial to those struggling to make a living raising corn and soybeans?

That’s what proponents say, and they are pushing for the state to open the doors for industrial hemp.

According to a USDA study, industrial hemp can be used as an ingredient in more than 17,000 products, including twine, hempcrete, clothing, cosmetics, cattle feed, and granola bars, just to name a few. As a farmer, I have no interest in growing hemp or entering into that market. In fact, my first instinct was to run in the other direction, and I was glad South Dakota had said no to this cash crop.

However, in the fair and free market economy we enjoy in the United States, this panel explained to me the benefits of industrial hemp and how this might create new streams of revenue for farming families.

Unfortunately, I wrap up this column without a strong opinion either way. Admittedly, after listening to the panel I have more questions than answers about how industrial hemp works, not just from an agricultural perspective, but from the vantage point of human health and public safety.

I suspect it’s not the golden egg that proponents are claiming it is; yet, it’s probably not the bogeyman that opponents are saying it is, either. To that end, I would love to hear your thoughts on this topic. Email me at amanda.radke@live.com and let me know – are you pro-hemp or not?

The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of Farm World. Readers with questions or comments for Amanda Radke may write to her in care of this publication.