The CBD Fizzle

The green fields of Kansas once bore the promise of a CBD oil gold rush when hemp cultivation was legalized. 

However, as the luster of CBD fades, Kansas farmers are switching lanes, exploring the versatile avenues hemp offers.

The state of Kansas embraced the hemp wave in 2019 with over 200 farmers signing up for the newly legalized crop cultivation. 

A significant chunk of this cultivation aimed at quenching the thirst for CBD oil, a product hailed for its health benefits and culinary applications. 

However, fast forward to now, only 41 farmers secured licenses to grow hemp this year, marking a stark decline in the hemp-for-CBD production.

Sarah Stephens, the helm at Midwest Hemp Technologies, underscores the shift in the tide, pointing out a noticeable reduction in CBD-centric hemp cultivation. 

Yet, it’s not all gloomy on the hemp horizon. 

The market for hemp fiber and grain is witnessing a gentle surge, opening new doors of opportunity for the Kansas farmer. 

While the CBD market shrinks, the fiber and grain side of hemp is blossoming with an increase in both growers and acres dedicated to it.

The United States government had thrown open the gates for hemp cultivation in 2018, putting CBD on a legal pedestal across the states. 

Kansas joined the hemp bandwagon the following year, with many farmers drawn towards the lucrative CBD market, especially in the backdrop of stringent marijuana laws in the state.

However, the winds changed direction as neighboring states like Missouri loosened their marijuana laws, potentially making products derived from marijuana more appealing to consumers. 

This shift seems to have cast a shadow on the CBD demand, nudging it off its pedestal. 

The numbers tell the tale – from a whopping 90% of hemp produced for CBD oil in Kansas between 2019 and 2020, the figures plummeted to less than 5% this year.

Despite the CBD market hitting a rough patch, the hemp story in Kansas is far from over. 

The crop’s versatility is its biggest ally, offering a bounty of uses beyond CBD. 

The hemp plant’s fibrous nature lends itself well to the textile industry, and its grains hold promise for the animal feed sector.

Melissa Nelson of South Bend Industrial Hemp stands testament to this shift. 

Her processing facility veered away from the CBD craze, focusing instead on harnessing hemp for fiber. 

Today, as many Kansas farmers feel the CBD pinch, Nelson’s business is thriving on the fiber front, particularly in creating robust animal bedding from hemp stalks, a much stronger alternative to the standard straw bedding.

The narrative is clear – while CBD may have lost its sheen, the hemp saga in Kansas is evolving, with farmers now sowing seeds in the fertile grounds of fiber and grain production. 

Additionally, there’s an untapped market of hemp grain food products largely imported from Canada, which Kansas could potentially cater to.

Sarah Stephens along with a group of hemp producers in Kansas are on a mission to enlighten farmers about these alternative hemp markets. 

They believe with the right education, landmasses, and farmer expertise, Kansas could morph into a significant producer in the fiber and grain hemp industry.

The transition from CBD to other hemp markets is more than a survival tactic; it’s a glimpse into the resilient and adaptive spirit of the Kansas farmer. 

Despite the CBD downturn, the hemp fields in Kansas are far from barren; they are just embracing a new narrative, one of fiber and grain.