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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.

What is hemp? Industry members debate which cultivars fit federal definition

Published July 12, 2019 | By Laura Drotleff

As the hemp industry waits for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to finish its federal hemp production rules in time for the 2020 planting season, hemp companies are speculating whether the agency will further define which varieties and cultivars will be permissible under the 2018 Farm Bill. Even though it’s been seven months since […]

After hemp veto, South Dakota studying merits, drawbacks of allowing production

Published July 11, 2019 | By Hemp Industry Daily staff

State regulators in South Dakota have devoted the summer of 2019 to learning about hemp after Gov. Kristi Noem’s veto of a measure that would have allowed for hemp production in 2019. South Dakota is one of the only Western states that has not passed legislation to enable hemp production by 2019. Lawmakers and an […]

Hemptown acquires nutraceutical maker, moves into consumer packaged goods

Published July 10, 2019

Hemptown Organics Corp., a vertically integrated, multistate hemp producer based in Central Point, Oregon, has acquired longtime nutraceutical manufacturer Kirkman Group for $5 million. With $6 million in existing annual revenue, Kirkman operates a 25,000-square-foot nutraceutical manufacturing facility that is Current Good Manufacturing Process (CGMP)-certified and licensed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, according […]

Conventional greenhouse producers increasingly pivoting into hemp sector

Published July 9, 2019 | By Laura Drotleff

Large-scale greenhouse growers are swiftly entering the hemp market as they look for higher margins than they get from traditional produce and ornamental plants. It’s no secret that interest in hemp production is booming, and producers from all agricultural sectors are joining in the frenzy to grow the new crop as a hedge against the […]

New York City’s official CBD ban targeting food, drinks takes effect

Published July 5, 2019

New York City implemented a citywide ban this week prohibiting businesses from selling food and drinks containing CBD. The ban took effect just a few days after New York state lawmakers passed a bill allowing for some CBD products but not settling a process for putting it in food. After the U.S. Food and Drug Administration […]

South Carolina regulators clear pesticides for hemp production

Published July 5, 2019

Hemp farmers in South Carolina now have temporary access to an arsenal of pesticides for the 2019 production season after state regulators approved a list of products suitable for hemp cultivation. The move eliminates a hurdle farmers have faced since the crop was cleared for production in the state earlier this year. Regulators from the […]

Indiana CBD retailers suing state over smokable hemp ban

Published July 5, 2019

Hoping to gain a new business opportunity, Indiana CBD retailers are turning to the federal court system to overturn the state’s ban on smokable hemp products. Seven hemp-derived CBD retailers filed the lawsuit in Southern Indiana District Court in cooperation with the Midwest Hemp Council, the Courthouse News Service reported. The ban took effect July […]

Smokable hemp ban in North Carolina could be law by December

Published July 1, 2019

The North Carolina House Agriculture Committee approved a bill that supports a ban on smokable hemp. The House committee on Friday moved the legislation forward, including a smokable hemp ban that would take effect Dec.1. The ban, part of a bill outlining the state’s hemp program in accordance with the 2018 Farm Bill, passed the […]

How to prepare for new hemp production rules coming next month

Published July 1, 2019 | By Laura Drotleff

With one month left before the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) releases much-anticipated federal hemp production rules, the industry needs to start planning and preparing now for the 2020 season, hemp business experts say. With the USDA saying it expects to have regulations ready by August, Hemp Industry Daily reached out to legal experts to find […]

Banking, financing remain serious struggle for hemp, CBD businesses

Published June 28, 2019 | By Laura Drotleff

Hemp farmers and businesses continue to have difficulty financing their operations and securing banking services, despite federal lawmakers’ calls for them to be treated as lawful, legitimate businesses under the 2018 Farm Bill. Because of a lack of clear federal banking regulations and uncertainty from financial institutions, hemp and CBD businesses are finding that while one […]

Florida governor signs state hemp program into law

Published June 26, 2019

After months of preparation, the state of Florida is ready to move ahead with commercial hemp production under a bill signed Tuesday by Gov. Ron DeSantis. Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried said hemp in Florida is needed to help farmers harmed by hurricanes and diseases that have affected citrus, the state’s largest commodity. Hurricane Michael […]

USDA: Hemp production rules will be ready by August

Published June 25, 2019

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) says it will complete federal rules for domestic hemp production by August. Although states and tribes began submitting their plans to the USDA for review starting the day after the 2018 Farm Bill was signed in December, the agency said in February it wouldn’t finalize rules until the 2020 growing season. Under […]