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.

Hemp Industry Daily seeks industry input for annual business survey

Published August 20, 2019

Hemp Industry Daily has launched its second annual survey of hemp industry executives and investors, an undertaking that’s intended to help the Colorado-based company provide key market, financial and operational data for businesses and entrepreneurs. Owners, founders and executives of hemp operations – from growers and processors to retailers, as well as investors funding hemp […]

MI creates emergency hemp testing rules while states await USDA direction

Published August 16, 2019

Michigan regulators have adopted rules that create testing standards for farmers’ first crop of industrial hemp. A pilot program was launched this year allowing for the growing and processing of hemp in the state. The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) announced emergency rules that establish sampling and analytical testing methods for measuring […]

Beyond the Dispensary: 5 strategies CBD brands use to make deals with mainstream retailers

Published August 16, 2019 | By Laura Drotleff

Mainstream retailers are contributing to the validation of the CBD category as national store chains continue to join the movement, driven by consumer demand and interest.

Damaging hailstorm hits Oregon hemp farms, causes potentially millions in losses

Published August 14, 2019 | By Laura Drotleff

Hemp farmers in Central Oregon were faced with a situation no grower wants to see on Aug. 9, when severe thunderstorms in the area dumped golf ball-sized hail onto their fields. Deschutes County Farm Bureau President Matt Cyrus, who also operates Triple C Farms, a hemp farm near Sisters, estimates that 400-500 acres between Cline […]

Chinese tariffs having minimal effects on US hemp industry, experts say

Published August 12, 2019 | By Laura Drotleff

Most American farmers are in full-fledged panic mode after companies in China suspended their use of U.S. agricultural products in response to tariffs imposed by the Trump administration on Chinese goods. But the nascent U.S. hemp industry shouldn’t worry, economists and trade experts told Hemp Industry Daily. A $5.9 billion market, China is one of […]

Oregon hemp farm partners suing former associate for alleged theft

Published August 9, 2019

Business partners involved with an Oregon hemp farm are taking a former partner to court over allegations he stole from the farm to make and sell CBD oil worth more than $500,000. Bakers Ranch Botanicals in Deschutes County, Oregon, filed a lawsuit seeking $950,000 in damages against Michael Schook and corporate entities affiliated with Schook […]

Hemp in California: Clock ticking to get bills to governor’s desk

Published August 9, 2019 | By Laura Drotleff

California has lagged behind other states in passing hemp policy. That could change in the next month.

No Wyoming hemp cultivation in 2019, but THC testing close, governor says

Published August 7, 2019

Though Wyoming farmers can’t yet grow hemp, the state said its lab to test the crop for THC is almost ready. Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon and the state Department of Agriculture sent an update this week to would-be hemp farmers reminding them that production remains illegal until federal agriculture authorities set national rules and then approve […]

Nebraska farm equipment dealer sues state over hemp license rejection

Published August 7, 2019

A Nebraska farm equipment manufacturer and dealer who was denied a license to grow hemp in 2019 is suing the state Department of Agriculture and its director. Jacob Bish, head of public relations at Giltner-based Bish Enterprises and Hemp Harvest Works, was one of 176 applicants seeking to grow hemp this year, the first of […]

US hempseed supply to be stored in New York repository

Published August 5, 2019

Work has begun on creating the nation’s only hempseed bank in New York’s Finger Lakes region. The Industrial Hemp Germplasm Repository will be established at Cornell University’s agricultural research facility in Geneva. U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York announced the launch of the new facility, saying he worked to secure $500,000 in […]

Canadian cannabis producer Cronos to invest $300 million in US hemp market

Published August 2, 2019 | By Laura Drotleff

Cronos Group, a Canadian vertically integrated marijuana company with international production and distribution, announced Friday it will buy four operating subsidiaries from Redwood Holding Group for $300 million. Based in Los Angeles, Redwood produces, markets and distributes hemp-derived CBD products, including skin care, bath items and gummies, throughout the United States under the Lord Jones […]

Alaska governor cuts funding for hemp program, cites no existing industry

Published August 2, 2019

After developing proposed rules in June for its 2019 hemp production regulations, Alaska officials have determined a state industrial hemp program may not be worth funding. Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy cut $375,000 from the state budget for Alaska’s industrial hemp program, saying there is “no existing industry to support a state-funded program.” Under a bill […]