On the Hill with Klein, Week 5

It has been a crazy week at the State Capitol. We are one week away from the first funnel so many of the last-minute bills are being pushed through committee and subcommittee. The House Republicans also released our own budget projections for the year this week. As usual I attempt to address topics of interest and look at new issues I have not addressed before. That being said, this week I will be talking about hemp production and its possibilities in Iowa.

On Tuesday, the Iowa House Agriculture Committee had a presentation about the economic potential for industrial hemp production for fiber, energy and food purposes. Industrial hemp is a hemp plant that does not contain measurable amounts of the chemical intoxicant found in illegal marijuana. Prior to the mid-20th century it was widely grown in the United States for purposes of providing fiber for rope production that was essential to the naval operations in World War I and World War II. The demand for hemp derived rope was subsequently replaced by South Asian sourced products and synthetic materials after World War II ended. At the same time, starting around 1930, there was growing concern about illegal use of marijuana as an illegal intoxicant developed and it appeared that one of the ways to grow illegal products was to conceal in legitimate industrial hemp fields where it was difficult to detect. When other options to the use of hemp for rope production developed, the federal government made the growing of hemp illegal and it stayed illegal until the 2014 federal farm bill when a provision was enacted that remove federal restrictions on the domestic cultivation of industrial hemp. Specifically, that bill removes hemp from the Schedule I controlled substance list under the Controlled Substances Act of 1970, and defines it as a non-drug so long as it contained less than 0.3 percent tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).

The presentation to the House Agriculture Committee was made by two persons from ?Heartland Hemp? farm Mike Lewis and Boris Shcharansky from Kentucky. They distributed a fact-sheet and highlighted aspects of it by noting that the re-emergence and re-introduction of ?industrial hemp? cultivation could be a positive step for Iowa. It may stimulate and encourage new diversified economic and agricultural development in Iowa, and because of Iowa?s talented farmers, rich soil, and great growing weather could help Iowa develop as a leader in this emerging market. As the hemp industry grows in the United States, they opined that Iowa has the unique opportunity to be the leader of this industry and direct its development and future. The speaker and their handout noted that there is a historical precedent for industrial hemp in Iowa as more than 43,000 acres of this crop were grown in northern Iowa in 1943. The hemp grown from this ?war crop? was used to manufacture textiles, rope, hygiene products and other materials for the Allied forces.

The speaker touted that hemp stalk harvests can yield 16,000 pounds of biomass per acre on average, compared to corn, which yields 8,500 pounds per acre on average, which could generate 640 gallons of hemp-based ethanol per-acre compared to 340 gallons of corn-based ethanol per acre. However, these corn figures appear only to consider the grain aspect; and current Iowa ethanol plants produce 2.8 gallons of ethanol per bushel per acre ethanol generation from corn to more than 500 gallons per acre harvest of corn grain. Mr. Lewis, in response to a question by a Committee member on what the gross revenue they were generating per acre of hemp, stated-- around $7,000 an acre, with the caveat that they were adding value to the raw hemp production on their farm by processing the raw field harvest into food, fuel and fiber. They further responded that this productivity was created by harvesting the annual crop twice in a crop year, the first a vegetative harvest for fiber and biomass and about 50 to 60 days after planting and the second a grain harvest in the fall for seed that was producing 1,200 to 1.400 pounds of seeds. These seeds/grain was the sold for human consumption for $2.35 a pound which generate grain cash values of $2,500 per acre compared to corn?s $800-$1,000. They also commented on potential soil and water quality enhancement aspects of the crop as its deep tap root penetrates deep into topsoil creating aeration for subsequent crops and creating a pathways for less vigorous crops in subsequent year to access deep soil moisture and nutrients. They further noted hemp planting and seed harvest can use the same equipment that is used to for corn and soybean fields and to harvest the biomass they used an old-fashion sickle mower. In closing they noted that industrial hemp products now represent a $620-million market in the U.S. which is the largest consumer of hemp products in the world and in part to meet this soaring U.S. demand, Canadian licensed industrial hemp acreage has grown from 20,000 acres in 2009 to more than 100,000 acres in 2015. They noted that their initial attempts to grow the crop was thwarted by federal seizure of their planting seeds as it crossed state borders and hence was interstate commerce but that legal obstacle was worked out for subsequent crops and retention of a portion of the harvested seed for subsequent year plantings.

Nearly two decades ago, in 1997 there was legislation (HF 402 and SF 340) before the Iowa General Assembly to have provided for research by Iowa State University regarding the production and marketing of industrial hemp which had a percentage of tetrahydrocannabinol of not more than 1 percent. The bill proposed to not withstand Iowa?s controlled substance act at the time and authorized the university to collaborate with agencies of the United States government in order to produce and possess industrial hemp according to the terms and conditions required by the law. The bill authorized the university to conduct research regarding the production of high quality seed varieties, the feasibility of producing industrial hemp in this state as a profitable cash crop, the development of good production practices, the need for and availability of suitable equipment and machinery, and market conditions affecting the economic viability of industrial hemp production. HF-402 and its identical Senate companion SF-340 died in the House following pointed discussion by agents of the federal government to House Leaders and bill managers who expressed strong federal concerns that illegal marijuana would be grown in the midst of the legal industrial hemp field to avoid detection and eradication. However, since that time, the development of the drone, genetic modification organisms and advanced optics technology make it plausible to cost-effectively surveil potential industrial hemp fields for illegal marijuana inter-plantings that might address the valid federal drug enforcement concerns on this matter.

It is always a pleasure to represent the wonderful people of House District 78. If you ever need anything, do not hesitate to reach out. Send me an email at jarad.klein@legis.iowa.gov or call or text my cell phone at 515-689-5430. Please do include your name and address so I can be sure to get back to the wonderful people of House District 78 first.