Manufacturers want to use fiber hemp in textiles and other products. Manufacturing demand for fiber hemp is seen as strong. There aren’t enough farmers producing hemp to satisfy market demand.
Floral hemp, for the most part, has lost its luster due to weaker demand for CBD, but that doesn’t mean hemp is forgotten. There is a renewed interest in fiber hemp thanks to strong manufacturing demand.
“I think fiber hemp has a really special place in some states. That’s not to say floral hemp or CBD doesn’t fit. It fits very well. The market just wasn’t there. We’re seeing tremendous growth in fiber hemp,” says David Suchoff, North Carolina State University Alternative Crops Extension Specialist.
Suchoff and other speakers highlighted the market potential for fiber hemp at an April 13 seminar on new and emerging crops sponsored by the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
Suchoff noted that manufacturers want to use fiber hemp in textiles and other products, but there aren’t enough farmers producing hemp to satisfy market demand. Manufacturers don’t have enough biomass available to make products and they don’t want to invest in the manufacturing process if they don’t have the hemp to process.
“We have farmers saying, ‘I’d love to grow it, but I have nowhere to sell it.’ It’s a classic chicken and egg story,” Suchoff said. Still, he is bullish on the future of fiber hemp because more hemp processors are coming into North Caroline and the textile industry is well suited to process hemp. Plus, the state is well suited for producing hemp, particularly in the historical tobacco-producing counties.
Suchoff believes the hemp industry is poised for growth in North Carolina due to more processing infrastructure and the historic textile industry that wants to use hemp. He says there is a great deal of excitement for the potential of growing, processing, and creating fiber hemp products all within the same state.
EDITOR’S TAKE:
North Carolina is not the only state with potential to grow fiber hemp. There are several areas of the country where it was grown to support the war effort during WWII. Suchoff, however, is right about the chicken and the egg scenario. Which comes first - the production of fiber hemp or the processing. As one might expect the answer is likely finding a way to attract investment so they can grow simultaneously over time.
Once again, this story reminds us that in order for something, even relationships, to grow, conditions need to be right for that to happen. So, do you take the first step to contact farmers/ranchers in your area, or can we help push them into your store in search of AgPack? The correct answer: It takes both of these approaches to really make the relationship work and grow. Reach out with your service and parts specials, especially during times that are most critical in your particular area. Make sure your team identifies them as farmers or ranchers when they do come into your dealership. Make sure you’re signed up for AgTruckTrader.com, so they get to know your dealership and what inventory you have available. And we’ll do our part through a national advertising campaign that pushes farmers/ranchers to visit your dealership. Let’s make it work by working together!
