Labor Day is supposed to be about honoring the people who work.
Not just the people behind desks, in boardrooms or on conference calls — but the people who get up early, put on their boots, work with their hands and produce something tangible.
That certainly describes the American farmer.
And this Labor Day, we want to give some special recognition to a group of farmers who have been sticking their necks out in a very young and very challenging industry: America’s hemp farmers.
Growing hemp isn't simply planting a crop and waiting for harvest.
Hemp farmers have dealt with changing regulations, uncertain markets, limited processing infrastructure, compliance requirements, unpredictable genetics, weather, pests and the same rising costs faced by every other farmer.
Then comes harvest.
And after all that work, there still needs to be someone ready to buy the crop.
That takes a certain kind of person.
Farmers Have Always Been Entrepreneurs
We sometimes talk about farmers as though farming and business are two different things.
They aren't.
A farmer makes investment decisions, manages equipment, watches commodity prices, studies markets, manages employees and contractors, evaluates risk and quite literally bets money on the weather.
Hemp adds another layer of uncertainty.
The modern American hemp industry is still developing its markets for fiber, grain, building materials, animal products, bioplastics, biochar, energy, extracts and countless other potential uses.
Someone has to go first.
Someone has to grow the acres.
Someone has to figure out the equipment.
Someone has to build the processing capacity.
And someone has to take the risk before the market is fully established.
That's exactly what hemp farmers across Michigan and the United States have been doing.
Here's to the People Who Actually Do the Work
That is also why Labor Day is a good opportunity to recognize the work of the mikeroweWORKS Foundation.
Founded by Mike Rowe, the organization has spent years making the case that skilled work deserves considerably more respect than our culture sometimes gives it.
Through its Work Ethic Scholarship Program and advocacy for skilled trades, mikeroweWORKS encourages people to learn useful skills, take pride in their work and pursue careers that keep America building, fixing, maintaining and producing.
That's a message the hemp industry should understand.
Because if industrial hemp succeeds in America, it won't happen because somebody wrote a clever business plan.
It will happen because farmers grew it.
Mechanics kept the equipment running.
Truck drivers hauled it.
Welders built machinery.
Electricians wired processing facilities.
Builders found new ways to use hemp materials.
Researchers solved problems.
Entrepreneurs created markets.
And thousands of people were willing to get their hands dirty figuring out how to turn an agricultural crop into useful American products.
That's work.
And it's work worth celebrating.
To Our Hemp Farmers: Thank You
So this Labor Day, iHemp Michigan raises a glass — or perhaps a bale — to the farmers who continue to believe in this crop.
To those who planted when the market wasn't certain.
To those who harvested when processing options were scarce.
To those who adapted when the rules changed.
To those who tried something that didn't work, learned from it and planted again.
And especially to the men and women who continue sticking their necks out because they believe hemp can become a meaningful part of American agriculture and manufacturing.
We believe that too.
There is still a tremendous amount of work ahead.
Fortunately, work has never scared a farmer.
Happy Labor Day from iHemp Michigan.
Grow Hemp. Build Markets. Make Things in America.