The staff of Hemp Industry Daily is attending the World Ag Expo in Tulare, California. We asked members of the hemp industry: How will farmers cope with the USDA’s hemp rules in 2020?
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"I don't think I want to take the risk of having to throw away my whole farm or go to jail because my product has gone slightly off. There's not going to be very much hemp grown this year because of this. People with money are going to wait for everything to be settled."
– John Eller, hemp farmer, Corning, California
"Industry leaders and organizations from across the hemp economy ... are discussing our options, and we are going to protect the farmers. Whatever that means in terms of what our administrative or other legal remedies are, we will be pursuing."
– Joy Beckerman, president, Hemp Industries Association
“My prediction is that there will be less hemp grown this summer because of the issues that farmers and businesses have faced processing their product into a sellable form. There is so much uncertainty now. ... We planted over 3,000 acres in 2019, but this next year, I don't think we're going to do that."
– Mark Samuels, left, co-founder, Primordia, Brawley, California