EMAIL: laurad@staging-hempindustrydaily.kinsta.cloud
PHONE: 720.213.5963

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.

Florida ag department now regulating hemp and CBD products with new rules, permits

Published January 7, 2020

Agriculture officials in Florida are now tracking and regulating CBD and hemp products, a change prompted by a state law that took effect Jan. 1. Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried and the state Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services oversee products containing hemp and CBD ingredients that are consumed by humans and animals. They also […]

New task force sets out to standardize hemp sampling methods, analysis

Published January 6, 2020 | By Laura Drotleff

There are benchmarks and standards for nearly everything when it comes to agricultural production, but not everyone is always using the same methods or using them in the same tactical way – especially in a nascent industry such as hemp. That’s why a new task force commissioned by the Hemp Industries Association (HIA) is aiming […]

SC tells animal feed, pet treat firms to reformulate products with hemp, CBD

Published January 6, 2020

Pet treats and animal food containing hemp derivatives, including CBD, are still not allowed under federal law, and South Carolina agriculture officials say they will start cracking down on companies selling them this month. The South Carolina Department of Agriculture (SCDA) plans to notify consumers and animal feed manufacturers that hemp and CBD are not […]

‘Great opportunity to share knowledge and research’: Q&A with Caren Wilcox, head of fledgling US Hemp Growers Association

Published January 3, 2020 | By Laura Drotleff

In agriculture, it’s rare that a new commodity presents such new opportunities for farmers and businesses in the way hemp has. And the nascent industry has experienced its share of growing pains since the 2014 Farm Bill established a pilot research program for the crop in the United States and the 2018 Farm Bill made […]

South Carolina traffic stop underscores problems of transportation protocols for police, hemp industry

Published January 2, 2020 | By Laura Drotleff

Police in South Carolina are saying suspicious behavior by drivers, unprofessional shipping practices and unsatisfactory paperwork caused them to seize a 183-pound shipment of hemp in December that they thought was marijuana. But the Texas hemp distributor who bought the hemp and the North Carolina supplier are saying the police aren’t being truthful – about […]

CBD retailer gets hemp shipment back from NYPD

Published December 28, 2019

The owner of a CBD store in Brooklyn, New York, has claimed a shipment of hemp that was seized by the New York Police Department last month when officers confused it with marijuana. Oren Levy, who owns Green Angel CBD, said his brother Ronen picked up the 106 pounds of hemp from the NYPD on […]

PA processor gets green light to reopen limited operations but must pay fine

Published December 27, 2019

A Pennsylvania hemp-processing center that was closed after repeat air-quality warnings from the state has been fined and given permission to reopen on a limited basis. Under the terms of a Dec. 24 agreement with the state, the Jeannette facility owned by Patriot Shield Security will be fined $29,000 for air-quality violations, according to the […]

What they’re saying: Diverse audience weighs in on USDA’s hemp regulations

Published December 24, 2019 | By Laura Drotleff

Here’s what the hemp industry is saying about the USDA’s interim final rule for federal hemp production.

North Carolina hemp farm’s 183-pound load bound for Texas seized in South Carolina

Published December 23, 2019

Police in South Carolina have seized a shipment of 183 pounds of cannabis, believing it to be marijuana, but a hemp distributor said the product is hemp. Glen McDonald, a distributor from Texas, said he paid $20,000-$30,000 for 70 to 100 pounds of hemp from Bio Lab Global, a hemp farm based in Charlotte, North […]

USDA issues new crop insurance program for 2020 hemp production season

Published December 23, 2019

Federal agriculture authorities on Monday unveiled a new pilot crop insurance program for hemp producers. The Risk Management Agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is offering a new option for protecting hemp crops that will provide Actual Production History coverage under 508(h) Multi-Peril Crop Insurance for eligible producers growing fiber, grain and flower. […]

What they’re saying: 7 issues hemp farmers are having with USDA’s production rules

Published December 23, 2019 | By Laura Drotleff

In its open call for comments on federal hemp production regulations, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has so far received more than 1,200 responses.

Oregon regulators ban CBD in alcoholic beverages

Published December 20, 2019

A regulatory agency in Oregon announced a policy Friday that bans the manufacture, distribution and sale of alcoholic beverages containing CBD. However, according to state law, commerce of compliant, nonalcoholic, hemp-derived CBD products is allowed as long as they pass pesticide, solvent and potency tests under the Oregon Department of Agriculture, which regulates such products. […]