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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.

South Dakota governor legalizes hemp but says coronavirus could affect program budget

Published March 30, 2020

Hemp production is legal in South Dakota after a year-long battle between Gov. Kristin Noem and lawmakers. Noem signed the industrial hemp production bill Friday, which takes effect immediately and includes $3.5 million to set up South Dakota’s state production program. South Dakota farmers will have to wait to produce hemp until the state receives U.S. […]

Texas hemp processor to open in Houston

Published March 27, 2020

A hemp processor and extractor in Texas is working to establish operations in Houston. Bayou City Hemp Co., founded by Houston natives Ben Meggs and Jeromy Sherman, has applied for hemp processing licenses through the Texas Department of Agriculture. Additionally, Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller appointed Sherman to serve on a state hemp advisory council. […]

How to promote CBD products while complying with federal laws

Published March 27, 2020 | By Laura Drotleff

CBD is currently the fastest-growing segment in the cannabis industry, with new companies jumping into the market almost daily and retailers from big-box chains to mom-and-pops eager to stock their shelves with the hot, in-demand products.

Hemp season is only as good as the varieties farmers put in the ground

Published March 26, 2020

Hemp Industry Daily’s first Variety Yearbook is a comprehensive look at the newest hemp genetics on the market. Consider it your buyer’s guide for sourcing hemp genetics this year and a resource to look back on as you prepare for subsequent seasons.

States split on following USDA hemp rules in 2020

Published March 26, 2020 | By Laura Drotleff

More states have declared that they’re going to stick with their own rules for the 2020 hemp production season, rather than follow federal guidelines on the new crop. To date, 20 states have said they will follow the 2014 pilot rules this growing season, outnumbering the 12 that have so far received U.S. Department of […]

Hemp farmers, businesses could benefit from US coronavirus economic stimulus package

Published March 25, 2020 | By Laura Drotleff

Farmers who produce hemp, along with other hemp businesses, could see relief from the coronavirus economic stimulus deal that the U.S. Congress reached early Wednesday. In the largest economic rescue package in American history, the Senate and the White House reached a deal to spend $2 trillion to keep the U.S. economy afloat. The deal, […]

Alaska regulators use social media to introduce new rules in the age of coronavirus

Published March 25, 2020

Agriculture officials in Alaska are trying to limit in-person trips to the Division of Agriculture, so they used a social media broadcast to lay out new rules for the state’s hemp program this week. Alaska’s Industrial Hemp Pilot Program, which will operate under the 2014 Farm Bill pilot program rules through Oct. 31, becomes effective […]

Iowa hemp production plan approved by USDA

Published March 23, 2020

Farmers in Iowa cheered Friday when the state agriculture department announced its hemp production plan has been approved by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and license applications will be accepted starting April 1.

Charlotte’s Web to acquire Abacus Health Products for $68M

Published March 23, 2020

A major Colorado CBD maker will purchase a Rhode Island company that makes CBD topical products, the two companies announced Monday. Charlotte’s Web, a producer of hemp-derived CBD wellness products based in Boulder, Colorado, will acquire Abacus Health Products of Woonsocket, Rhode Island. for implied total equity consideration of approximately CA$99 million ($68.2 million). Under […]

Coronavirus uncertainty prompts hemp farmers to lock down seeds, but some see turbulence ahead

Published March 23, 2020 | By Laura Drotleff

Farmers had been holding off on buying hempseed and young plants this spring. But as the global coronavirus outbreak continues to ravage the U.S. economy and municipalities and states have begun to mandate shelter-in-place orders, producers have been reaching out to confirm their orders and are eager to get their crops planted this season, according […]

USDA secretary calls hemp rules a ‘draft,’ sparking industry optimism

Published March 18, 2020 | By Laura Drotleff

Hemp farmers and industry members cheered in late February when federal agriculture officials lifted enforcement action requiring that hemp be tested in U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration-registered labs and the disposal portion of the interim final rule. Now they might have reason to cheer again, according to industry insiders. That’s because Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue told […]

Uncertain future for CBD, continued competition drive down CV Sciences’ fourth-quarter sales

Published March 17, 2020 | By Laura Drotleff

CV Sciences, a San Diego-based CBD manufacturer that makes topical treatments sold nationwide, saw sales drop by 34% in the most recent fiscal quarter as the company blamed an overheated market for missing analyst expectations. “The category is simply over-branded,” CEO Joseph Dowling told investors Monday about the quarter that ended Dec. 31. During the […]