With mandatory reporting to the FSA, we now have better data on hemp production from the USDA. The 2021 crop was valued at $821 million, a far cry from where we want to be.
Big takeaways from the report include:
- Planted acres 54,152
- Harvested acres 33,480
- Floral hemp production 19.7 million pounds
- Hemp grain production 4.37 million pounds
- 530 pounds per acre*
- Hemp fiber production 33.2 million pounds
- Hemp seed production 1.86 million pounds
Hemp grown for CBD is still outpacing fiber and grain – for now. The infrastructure needs built for processing and fair regulation is needed to allow grain for animal feed. In future years the fiber and grain production will dwarf CBD and other cannabinoids.
*Side note. Last night on the iHemp Hour we interviewed Jeff Kostuik of Verve Seed Solutions. Jeff has been a long time contributor to iHemp Michigan, having spoke at each of our Expo’s including our very first event at UM Flint in January of 2019. At the time Jeff was with Hemp Genetics International which recently merged with Verve. He shared that in the early days of growing grain in Canada they produced similar yeilds of 500 lbs per acre and now they have yeilds in excess of 1,000 lbs up to 2,000 lbs per acre!
Again, we will all be smarter next season!
Hemp Today release a great article that reviews the USDA report which you can find at the link below.
To view the full report from the USDA, use the button below.
