News & Articles
Stay at the forefront of the industry with the latest updates on hemp advocacy, agricultural breakthroughs, and sustainable innovation in Michigan.
Subscribe
Hempcrete just cleared a major hurdle. The International Code Council has recommended approval of hempcrete for inclusion in the U.S. International Residential Code—a landmark achievement years in the making. On this episode of iHemp Hour, Jacob Waddell of the US Hemp Building Association shares the victory, while Kim Croes of Fiberfork announces she’s one of only 14 people in the U.S. trained in hempcrete spray application and will be building Michigan’s first permitted hempcrete home this July. Learn about hurd quality standards, spray application efficiency (60-75% faster than traditional methods), and how you can help advance hemp building in your state.
Get hands-on with hempcrete! Join us for a FREE workshop on Saturday, April 30th at Grow Green MI in Whitmore Lake. Learn to mix and apply this revolutionary carbon-negative building material—now officially recognized in the U.S. building code. All ages welcome, and one lucky participant takes home a handcrafted hemp dog house! No experience necessary—just bring your curiosity and clothes you don’t mind getting dirty.
On this week’s iHemp Hour, Lab Director Josh Smith (ABKO Labs) dropped some eye-opening insights:
30-60% of CBD products on shelves are just vegetable oil ⚠️ Most Delta-8 products contain ~10% Delta-9 THC
The vast majority of hemp products are only tested for potency—not pesticides, heavy metals, or solvents
Josh breaks down: Testing costs ($50 potency, $470 full panel)
What different test results actually tell you
Why you should start GMP prep NOW ⚖️ The legal Delta-9 gummy loophole
Hemp Building Materials Clear Hurdle for Inclusion in U.S. Building Codes
April 7, 2022
This week in New York, the International Code Council (ICC) approved Hemp-lime (Hempcrete), Proposal_RB316-22 for the International Residential Code (IRC). This is the first step toward the ICC’s formal adoption of hempcrete as an officially recognized residential building material!
We learn about financing for hemp infrastructure with Bob More.
Hempcrete Panels: The Future of Sustainable Home Construction On this episode of iHemp Hour, we sat down with Matt from Homeland Hempcrete to explore how prefabricated hempcrete panels are making […] …
If we can get through the approval process in two weeks, we have a very, very good chance of getting this all the way through.” — Jacob Waddell, Executive Director of the US Hemp Building Association, on their historic IRC submission. In this iHemp Hour, we dive deep into hempcrete’s journey toward mainstream building code acceptance, the science behind hemp-lime binders, and why the fiber and grain industries must thrive for hemp building to succeed. Plus: an update on USHBA board member Sergey Kovalenkov, who remains in Ukraine helping refugees while his family safely crossed into Romania. This is the conversation every hemp building enthusiast needs to hear.
Governor Whitmer signed Executive Reorganization Order 2022-1, assigning the regulation of processing, distributing, and selling hemp to the soon-to-be-renamed Marijuana Regulatory Agency (MRA). On April 13, 2022, the ERO will go into effect and the MRA will become the Cannabis Regulatory Agency (CRA). On this date, authority over hemp processors and handlers under the Industrial Hemp Research and Development Act (IHRDA) will shift to the new CRA.
“I don’t think that type of oversight is as necessary on the hemp side of things.” — MRA Director Andrew Brisbo on Michigan’s lighter-touch approach to hemp regulation. In this landmark iHemp Hour, we sat down with the head of Michigan’s soon-to-be Cannabis Regulatory Agency to discuss what Executive Order 2022-1 means for hemp processors, retailers, and farmers. Good news: No metric system required. No license needed to sell hemp products online. And a fee structure that respects agriculture, not prohibition. This is the conversation every Michigan hemp stakeholder needs to hear.