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Laura Drotleff

Laura has specialized in agricultural journalism for the past 20 years. Most recently she served as the editor of a B2B publication and multimedia properties focused on productivity, efficiency and profitability in commercial greenhouse cultivation. She has reported on multiple aspects of specialty crops including floriculture, fruit, vegetables, citrus and cannabis. She also has served extensively on various horticulture industry association boards. Laura is a Michigan State University graduate and is based in Cleveland, Ohio.

Trade coalition asks SBA to include hemp farmers in coronavirus stimulus loan package

Published April 14, 2020

A coalition of hemp trade associations wants assurance that farmers – and particularly hemp farmers – will be eligible for key assistance programs under to help with business disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Eight hemp organizations sent a joint letter to Small Business Administration Administrator Jovita Carranza on behalf of the 17,000 licensed hemp farmers […]

Ohio deems CBD businesses nonessential

Published April 14, 2020

An Ohio agency focused on conflict management has decided which businesses in the state are essential during the coronavirus pandemic – and retailers selling CBD are reportedly not among them.

Hemp and CBD companies step up to donate hand sanitizer, supplies in battle against coronavirus

Published April 10, 2020 | By Laura Drotleff

Private and public companies nationwide have rallied to donate money and supplies in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic – hemp and CBD companies among them. At such an unprecedented time in world history, hemp and CBD companies are pitching in and doing their part by: Donating medical supplies like gloves and masks Donating profits […]

Federal Reserve’s new loan programs include $600 billion to support businesses

Published April 9, 2020

More money may be available to hemp businesses as the Federal Reserve announced plans on Thursday to release up to $2.3 trillion in loans to help the U.S. economy through disruptions caused by the coronavirus crisis. The announcement came just moments after the U.S. government reported that 6.6 million new jobless claims were filed last week. […]

Hemp food producers overcome challenges on sourcing local ingredients, winning grocery shelf space

Published April 9, 2020 | By Anna Robaton-Winthrop

Necessity, they say, is the mother of invention. Just ask Carla Boyd, who first started cooking with hemp ingredients to manage food allergies and eventually launched a company built around her recipes.

Farmers missing out on small business coronavirus relief package, Congress says

Published April 7, 2020 | By Laura Drotleff

Farmers who say they’re not getting needed assistance from federal coronavirus relief are looking to Congress to change an oversight keeping them from accessing help from the Small Business Administration. Eighty-six members of Congress wrote to SBA administrator Jovita Carranza on Thursday asking for “immediate attention and swift action” to ensure that farms receive the economic relief […]

Alaska’s hemp industry set to go live through online-only registrations

Published April 3, 2020

Farmers, processors and retailers in Alaska can start applying for hemp registrations Monday after the industry officially launches on April 4. Due to the coronavirus outbreak, all registrations must be submitted electronically through the Alaska Division of Agriculture’s website. Agriculture officials in Alaska used a social media broadcast to lay out new rules for the […]

Two Canadian plant companies form JV to supply 12 million hemp clones from tissue culture

Published April 3, 2020

Hemp growers will have more young plant options to choose from as a result of a new joint venture between Vancouver-based plant company 3 Rivers Biotech and JRT Nurseries, a plant grower with locations in Aldergrove, British Columbia, and Lynden, Washington. The two companies will work together to produce and supply hemp plants grown from […]

Collective Growth Corp. delays IPO due to uncertain stock markets during coronavirus outbreak

Published April 3, 2020

The initial public offering for “blank check” company Collective Growth Corp. continues to be delayed on the Nasdaq because of the volatile stock market and uncertainty caused by the global coronavirus outbreak. The newly organized company, led by former Canopy Growth Corp. executives Bruce Linton, Tim Saunders and Geoff Whaling, was established in hopes of […]

Green Growth Brands places struggling CBD business into receivership

Published April 3, 2020

The CBD business side of Columbus, Ohio-based cannabis retailer Green Growth Brands is going into receivership, just a few weeks after it said it wants to sell the struggling business. The company announced Friday that it filed a motion to appoint a receiver with the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas in Ohio. Green Growth […]

South Carolina, West Virginia receive USDA approval for hemp production plans while Indiana extends pilot

Published April 2, 2020

Two Southern states have received federal approval for their hemp production plans under the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s interim final rule for the 2020 season, while a Midwestern state has chosen to extend its 2014 pilot program. The USDA approved plans for South Carolina and West Virginia, bringing the total number of states approved under […]

Is CBD retail ‘essential’? Shuttered hemp retailers fight to stay open alongside grocery, marijuana stores

Published April 2, 2020 | By Laura Drotleff

Hemp production has been classified as “essential” by the federal government during the coronavirus pandemic. But the classification doesn’t extend to retailers selling hemp and CBD — and some retailers told to shut down during the coronavirus response are asking authorities to reconsider and designate them “essential” businesses. They point out that many states classify medical […]