Industrial Hemp Podcast

Eric Hurlock, Digital Editor
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Lancaster Farming newspaper editors talk to farmers and experts about industrial hemp.

  1. 2D AGO

    Steve Groff and the Great Wall of Hemp

    HOLTWOOD, Pa. — This week on the Hemp Podcast we take a short road trip to southern Lancaster County to catch up with farmer Steve Groff. "What we're looking at here, Eric, is a metaphor for the hemp industry. We're looking broken promises and contracts that didn't come to be," Groff said, leaning against a stack of round bales of hemp at his farm in Holtwood. Twelve hundred round bales. Four bales wide. Three bales high. It extends into the field for about two tenths of a mile. It's covered in black tarps and you can see it from the road. You can probably see it from space too. Steve Groff's Great Wall of Hemp. This is his 2025 hemp crop, roughly 80 acres of fiber hemp, cut and baled last fall. His 2024 crop of 60 acres sits in silage bags, on the north side of the Great Wall like sleeping giants. "You know, you add it all up, it's a million, little over a million pounds," Groff said. And so the hemp sits. Waiting for the processing infrastructure to be built in Pennsylvania. Meanwhile, one of the silage bags was torn open by some birds, so Groff is using the hemp from that bag as mulch for his tomato operation. "I grow heirloom tomatoes in high tunnels, I have over 12,000 tomato plants, it's like, well, let's use up some of this hemp mulch here." Hemp makes a great mulch, but certainly there are better uses for a million pounds of Pennsylvania-grown fiber hemp than mulch. Denim. Houses. Paper. 8 years after the 2018 Farm Bill and we're still talking about building processing infrastructure, instead of manufacturing products. But Groff is an optimist with an eye on the future. "I still believe in the plant and hemp and what it can do. And it looks like for the fiber and grain guys, it looks we might have a decent Farm Bill coming along here." Learn More Steve Groff Pennsylvania Flax Project PA Department of Agriculture Agricultural Innovation Grant Rodale Institute — Mulching Guide News Nuggets Farm bill draft eases some rules, imposes others on hemp fiber and grain, squeezes CBD House Approves Farm Bill Without Controversial Pesticide Rules Republicans Raise Objections to Pennsylvania's Ag Innovation Fund Sponsors IND Hemp Americhanvre Forever Green A field visit with Lancaster County hemp farmer Steve Groff at Cedar Meadow Farm, where more than a million pounds of unsold hemp fiber, a four-acre seed treatment trial, and a four-inch precision planter under construction tell the story of an industry waiting on infrastructure that hasn't arrived. This episode of the Lancaster Farming Industrial Hemp Podcast features a field visit with Lancaster County hemp farmer and innovator Steve Groff at Cedar Meadow Farm in Holtwood, Pennsylvania. The conversation centers on more than a million pounds of unsold hemp fiber stacked along the farm lane — what Groff calls a metaphor for the broken promises and stalled contracts that have defined the U.S. industrial hemp industry in recent years. Across the road, blueprints for a 16,000-square-foot processing facility sit fully permitted, awaiting funding that hasn't materialized. The visit walks through a four-acre research plot where Groff is testing five biological seed treatments against a control, replicated four times, with 2,000 colored flags tracking individual hemp seedlings from emergence to harvest. The experiment targets a long-standing mystery in industrial hemp agronomy: the gap between expected and harvested plant populations, sometimes called phantom yield loss. The episode also covers Groff's heirloom tomato operation, where unsold hemp from the 2024 crop is being used as mulch on more than 12,000 plants under high tunnels. Additional topics include a four-inch precision hemp planter under construction with farmer-inventor Charlie Martin, designed to singulate seeds and produce uniform stands at a row spacing already standard in China and Europe but rare in the United States. The project came out of a Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture innovation grant. The episode also visits 30 acres of flax — Groff's first cash crop foray as part of the Pennsylvania Flax Project — and provides an update on the Green Decorticator, which has reached the CAD-drawing stage and is headed for commercial testing this summer, targeting plant-length long fiber for high-end textile markets. The episode opens with a cold open from the host's backyard garden in southeastern Pennsylvania, where a truckload of hemp mulch from Groff's farm sets up the show's central question: why is a million pounds of hemp fiber being spread on tomato beds instead of woven into denim, processed into cardboard, or manufactured into bioplastics? A news segment covers the U.S. House passage of the 2026 Farm Bill, which formally separates industrial hemp from cannabinoid hemp and tightens regulation on intoxicating products, with the Senate version still pending.

    39 min

  2. MAY 1

    Getting From HempToday to Hemp Tomorrow with Kehrt Reyher

    This week on the Hemp Show, we talk to Kehrt Reyher, CEO and publisher of HempToday, a leading source of global hemp news. An American expat from Indiana who has lived in Poland for more than 30 years, Reyher cut his teeth in journalism at U.S. newspapers like the Providence Journal and USA Today before moving overseas and launching a successful media company in Warsaw. Since founding HempToday in 2015, he has become a trusted voice covering industrial hemp policy, international markets, CBD regulation and the ongoing fight to define what "true hemp" really means. In this episode, we dig into the Lawful Hemp Protection Act introduced by Kentucky congressman Andy Barr, the future of CBD regulation in both the U.S. and Europe and why intoxicating hemp products have done lasting damage to the broader hemp industry. We discuss Poland's Institute of Natural Fibers and Medicinal Plants, the upcoming European Industrial Hemp Association conference in Poznań, Australia and New Zealand's more practical hemp policies, hemp construction materials, micro-decorticators and why hemp must find its place inside larger natural fiber and biobased building markets. As Kehrt puts it: true hemp is about fiber, food, and real industrial systems — not gas-station gummies. This episode is a wide-ranging conversation about journalism, policy, construction, agriculture and the long unfinished work of building a real hemp economy. Learn More HempToday hemptoday.net European Industrial Hemp Association Conference eiha-conference.org Institute of Natural Fibers and Medicinal Plants iwnirz.pl News Nuggets Draft bill in U.S. would wipe out intoxicants, rescue CBD, but what about 'true hemp'? hemptoday.net/draft-bill-in-u-s-would-wipe-out-intoxicants-rescue-cbd-but-what-about-true-hemp Sponsor Links IND HEMP indhemp.com King's Agriseeds kingsagriseeds.com Robot Food: In this episode of the Lancaster Farming Industrial Hemp Podcast, host Eric Hurlock sits down with Kehrt Reyher, publisher of HempToday and a longtime journalist covering the global industrial hemp industry. An American expat living in Poland for more than 30 years, Kehrt brings decades of experience from U.S. newspapers like the Providence Journal, Detroit News, and USA Today, along with deep international knowledge of hemp policy, CBD regulation, and industrial hemp supply chains across Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and the United States. The conversation focuses on the growing divide between "true hemp" and the intoxicating hemp market. Eric and Kehrt discuss the Lawful Hemp Protection Act introduced by Kentucky Congressman Andy Barr, which aims to regulate synthetic intoxicating hemp products while preserving a legal path for wellness CBD. They examine how gas-station THC products and unregulated intoxicants have damaged the hemp brand and distracted policymakers from the original promise of the 2018 Farm Bill: building markets for hemp fiber, hemp grain, animal feed, and industrial hemp processing infrastructure. Kehrt explains why he defines true hemp as the stalk and the seed—fiber, food, and industrial applications rather than cannabinoids alone. The episode explores the future of hemp construction materials, hempcrete, prefab building systems, and hemp-based bricks, along with broader conversations about biobased building materials and sustainable agriculture. They also discuss small-scale decortication systems, modular hemp processing, and why industrial hemp must compete within the larger natural fiber economy alongside flax, jute, and other bast fibers. The episode also highlights the upcoming European Industrial Hemp Association conference in Poznań, Poland, hosted at the historic Institute of Natural Fibers and Medicinal Plants. Kehrt shares why he believes Australia and New Zealand are currently leading the world in sensible hemp policy and why Europe continues to offer stronger support for bio-based materials and industrial hemp development. This is a wide-ranging conversation about journalism, regulation, sustainability, and the long-term future of industrial hemp as a serious agricultural and manufacturing sector.

    47 min
  3. Maciej Kowalski: Be Your Own Supply Chain

    APR 22

    Maciej Kowalski: Be Your Own Supply Chain

    This week on the Hemp Show we talk to Maciej Kowalski, founder and CEO of Kombinat Konopni, a hemp company in Northern Poland. We hear how he built a vertically integrated company — from planting, harvesting, processing, all the way to manufacturing finished goods — and why he would rather control the system rather than rely on supply chains that don't fully exist. "Everyone is saying about the need to build a supply chain. Yeah, that's one approach. The other is be your own supply chain," Kowaski said. His pragmatism is often guided by a healthy skepticism. "If you have a dozen intermediaries between you and the manufacturer of raw materials, there is a geometrically raising probability of someone in this chain being not honest." We talk about his farming practices and why his farmers do not need anything more than a rake and a baler to harvest the hemp stalks, because they practice "winter retting" where the hemp is left standing throughout the winter. By spring the stalks are brittle enough they can be knocked down and windrowed with a standard rake and then baled like any other crop. "Just leave the plants throughout the winter in the field — they're just going to separate on their own. If it sounds magical, it's because it is." Kowalski said. How does this affect the finished fiber in terms of strength and durability? He said winter retted hemp is slightly over-retted, so it is weaker but softer, which to Kowalski is a feature not a bug. "The biggest difficulty of introducing or reintroducing hemp as an apparel grade textile is its stiffness. So if you make it slightly weaker, but softer at the same time — that's good." We also talk about his company's recent listing on the Warsaw Stock Exchange — and why it wasn't about raising money. "We made a promise to our investors, six, five, four years ago when we were raising money, that one day you will be able to buy or sell those shares on a stock exchange," he said. "So even if I am not having anything out of it right now, it's like an essential part of keeping your word, which has two parts of it. One is just being a decent man. And the other part is being a businessperson and keeping your promises is good for business long term." Learn More kombinatkonopny.pl Maciej Kowalski on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/maciejkowalskihemp/ News Nuggets U.S. judge lets Medicare hemp pilot program proceed as critics escalate opposition hemptoday.net/u-s-judge-lets-medicare-hemp-pilot-program-proceed-as-critics-escalate-opposition USDA National Hemp Report (April 16, 2026) https://www.lancasterfarming.com/usda-hempreport2026-pdf/pdf_0d5fa8a7-4e7a-4150-87cd-af77968557a1.html NHA + HEMI Leadership Announcement https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2026/04/21/3277845/0/en/national-hemp-association-and-hemp-education-and-marketing-initiative-announce-leadership-appointments-and-national-initiative-to-advance-u-s-hemp-industry.html NIHC USDA Export Funding Announcement nihcoa.com/national-industrial-hemp-council-secures-usda-award-to-expand-global-market-opportunities-for-u-s-hemp Sponsors IND HEMP indhemp.com Forever Green hempcutter.com This episode of the Lancaster Farming Industrial Hemp Podcast features a long-form interview with Maciej Kowalski, founder of Kombinat Konopny, a vertically integrated hemp company based near Elbląg, Poland. The conversation explores industrial hemp supply chains, fiber processing, textile manufacturing, and cannabinoid product development within a single operational system. Kowalski describes a "seed to shelf" model in which hemp is grown, processed, decorticated, cottonized, spun into yarn, and manufactured into finished goods such as socks, garments, and home textiles. The discussion highlights the challenges of building hemp infrastructure in emerging markets and the limitations of fragmented supply chains in the global hemp industry. The episode also examines winter retting, a low-input fiber processing method that relies on natural field exposure over winter months to break down plant material. Kowalski explains how this approach reduces capital requirements, simplifies harvesting through "rake and bale" systems, and produces fiber suitable for textile applications. Additional topics include the Warsaw Stock Exchange listing of Kombinat Konopny, the economics of hemp textiles versus synthetic fibers like polyester, and the broader role of industrial hemp in global agriculture, manufacturing, and sustainable materials markets.

    42 min

  4. APR 16

    Dakota Hemp: Building an Industry in South Dakota

    This week on the Hemp Show, we're talking to the guys from Dakota Hemp in Wakonda, South Dakota. John Peterson and Karll Lecher are running a HempTrain decortication system, taking in bales from local farmers and turning them into fiber and hurd. We get into how the facility works, what they're producing, and what it takes to actually run a processing plant in the Midwest. We talk about how they brought farmers in, what those early meetings looked like, and how the conversation has shifted over time — from skepticism to real agronomic questions. Once farmers got over the novelty of hemp, they started asking questions about row spacing, fertility, yields, etc. Then suddenly it started to look like farming.  We also talk about where the processed hemp is going right now — animal bedding, early fiber markets — and what still needs to be built downstream to make this thing work at scale. Plus, a quick look at how U.S.-grown hemp fiber is moving into global textile systems, and why new processing capacity is coming online even in places where acreage is still small. Learn More: Dakota Hemp dakotahemp.com South Dakota Industrial Hemp Association sd-hemp.com Horizon Specialty Seeds horizonhempseeds.com HempAgra hempagra.com Complete Hemp Processing completehempprocessing.com/ Canadian Greenfield Technologies HempTrain canadiangreenfield.com/hemptrain News Nuggets IND Hemp partnership with Summit International Trading and Thien Phuoc Functional Fabric Fair Portland $1 million federal loan supports Iowa hemp processor as state production remains limited Thanks to Our Sponsors! IND Hemp indhemp.com Forever Green / KP4 Hemp Cutter hempcutter.com

    37 min

  5. APR 9

    Pushing Progress in the DC Swamp

    On this week's hemp show, we talk to a couple of hemp policy advocates who recently traveled to the swamps of D.C. in hopes of affecting change. This week we're joined by Geoff Whaling, chair of the National Hemp Association, and Andrew Bish, president of the Hemp Feed Coalition. Together they represent HEMI — the Hemp Education and Marketing Initiative — which recently released its "Pushing Progress" framework, an industry-led effort to bring some structure to federal hemp policy. The Pushing Progress framework attempts to do several things — not the least of which is to impose order on an industry that's been a swirl of chaos since its inception. First, clear lanes must be established. Fiber and grain over here, cannabinoids over there — with their own rules. Next, make it easier for agriculture to adopt this crop by removing regulatory tensions and creating real access to markets — so a farmer can plant hemp with some confidence about where it's going and how it's going to get paid. As Bish puts it, "We're coming at it from the industrial aspect, trying to figure out how we make sure that we have farmers that can successfully grow industrial hemp products and that hemp products can be in the marketplace without a tremendous amount of restriction." Then, put some guardrails around the cannabinoid side. Not to shut it down, but to bring it out of this gray area where anything goes and everything gets called hemp. And maybe most importantly, get the federal agencies on the same page — USDA, FDA, the whole alphabet — so we're not dealing with this split-screen reality where one arm of government tolerates something and another one ignores it. Because right now, we don't have a system. We have fragments. And what they're trying to do — whether you agree with every piece of it or not — is build something that actually functions like an industry. And part of that — this is important — is money. They're asking for roughly $600 million in federal funding to help stand up the infrastructure this industry still doesn't have — processing, research, supply chains. That's a lot of money. But their argument is pretty straightforward: Every major crop we take for granted today had decades of public investment behind it. Hemp didn't. So if hemp is going to become a real agricultural commodity — not just an idea — we have to decide whether we're willing to build it, or just keep talking about it. Plus, we've got a handful of news nuggets this week, including a slightly head-scratching, maybe-kind-of-important move from the FDA on CBD and a letter from seed guy Terry Moran, who read my Argentina episode and basically said, "Hold on a second…" and brought the whole conversation back down to earth. Listen up, y'all. Learn More National Hemp Association nationalhempassociation.org Hemp Feed Coalition hempfeedcoalition.org Pushing Progress Framework (PDF) https://www.lancasterfarming.com/farming-news/hemp/pushing-progress-framework/pdf_b36257bd-ea94-4edf-b0c4-7bf88272f557.html News Nuggets FDA MEMO: Hemp-Derived Cannabidiol Products in Medical Research Models https://www.lancasterfarming.com/fda-decision-memo-cbd-enforcement-discretion-memo-04012026-pdf/pdf_cf01bcc8-7753-4fc8-970c-52bcdfe807af.html HempToday: Anti-cannabis groups sue over U.S. plan allowing hemp products in healthcare programs hemptoday.net/anti-cannabis-groups-sue-over-u-s-plan-allowing-hemp-products-in-healthcare-programs/ HempToday: Polish hemp textile maker draws heavy demand in public offering on Warsaw exchange hemptoday.net/polish-hemp-textile-maker-draws-heavy-demand-in-public-offering-on-warsaw-exchange/ Thanks to our Sponsors IND Hemp indhemp.com Americhanvre Americhanvre.com

    47 min

  6. APR 3

    Cannabis Loves Community: Voices from the Industrial Hemp International Conference

    On this week's hemp show we're headed out to Colorado for the Industrial Hemp International Conference where hempsters from all across the value chain gathered to share ideas, make deals and be in community with one another. As a hemp podcaster, I had the unique opportunity to work in community with a couple of storytellers while I was there — Blaire Johnson and Jordan Berger — two independent filmmakers who teamed up for this special event. And what you'll hear on this episode is the result of that collaboration. First we talk about their respective work — including Berger's long awaited documentary film One Plant, which will premier this spring. Then we hear an audio essay — a sound collage of voices from the industry, including Winona LaDuke, Nick Furlong, Micaela Machado, Jeremy Klettke, Morris Beegle and more. This is a critical time not only for the hemp industry but for the world. As Winona LaDuke puts it, "You have a choice between a scorched path and a green path." The people building the hemp industry are choosing the green path, but it takes longer than you might think. Hemp industry veteran Joe Hickey compares it to a dance, "two step forward and then one step back." 1937 International's Nick Furlong brings new energy to the dance of hemp this year. Furlong is a multi-platinum songwriter and producer whose work spans global hits and major-label rock records. He said he has been bitten by the "hemp bug" and has focused his energy on building out the supply chain and developing opportunities for business. He said he wants to help shape the story of hemp so it intersects with pop culture — and intersects with culture in general. We also hear from Larry Serbin from Pure Fiber Innovations who talks about his much anticipated green decorticator, which he says will increase farmer's per acre income on hemp. "Currently they're earning about $800 per acre. With our machine, they're going to earn about $2,000 per acre," said Serbin. Listen to the whole show for maximum goodness. This episode features the reporting work of Blaire Johnson and Jordan Berger. Learn More One Plant oneplant.film Industrial Hemp International Conference industrialhempinternational.com Blaire Johnson blairejohnson.com Sunflower Films (Jordan Berger) sunflower.film Old Pueblo Hemp Co. oldpueblohemp.com 1937 International 1937international.com Pure Fiber Innovations purefiberinnovations.com Sponsors IND Hemp indhemp.com King's Agriseeds kingsagriseeds.com Forever Green (KP4 Hemp Cutter) hempcutter.com This episode of the Lancaster Farming Industrial Hemp Podcast features an on-the-ground audio collage from the Industrial Hemp International Conference (IHI) in Aurora, Colorado, bringing together voices from across the global hemp industry. Through interviews with farmers, builders, supply chain developers, and advocates, the episode explores the current state of industrial hemp, with a focus on fiber, grain, construction materials, and scalable infrastructure. Key themes include the challenge of building reliable supply chains, the need for processing infrastructure such as decortication, and the importance of aligning farmers, manufacturers, and markets. Speakers discuss innovations in hemp-based construction, textile production, and biocomposites, alongside emerging global supply chain efforts in regions like Pakistan. The episode highlights both optimism and realism, with industry leaders acknowledging slow but steady progress. The episode also emphasizes the role of storytelling and collaboration in advancing the hemp industry. Filmmakers Blaire Johnson and Jordan Berger contributed field interviews and visual documentation as part of their broader documentary project, One Plant. Their work captures the cultural and economic momentum behind hemp as a regenerative agricultural commodity and industrial material. Overall, the episode positions industrial hemp as a critical component of future sustainable materials systems, with applications in housing, textiles, and manufacturing. It underscores the need for policy clarity, investment in infrastructure, and coordinated industry efforts to move hemp from niche crop to mainstream agricultural and industrial commodity.

    34 min

  7. MAR 25

    Can Argentina Solve Hemp's Seed Problem?

    We've been covering industrial hemp on the podcast for eight years now, and the story of farmers getting bad seed is so common it barely feels like news anymore. It's just accepted — low germination rates, inconsistent genetics and fields that never quite come in the way they should. But this is not OK. This is not how you grow an industry. If hemp is going to scale as a commodity crop, then it must behave like one and right now, it doesn't. So when I was invited to Argentina to see a company building the SOPs for large-scale seed multiplication alongside one of the world's top hemp geneticists—working in the same regions where companies like Syngenta and Bayer produce their seed, alongside one of the world's top hemp geneticists — I went. This is an effort to solve the problem at its root. And it's happening in a place with a much deeper story than we expected. Because once you start to understand what was built there before, the future of hemp starts to look very different. See Photos From Eric Hurlock's Trip to Argentina https://www.lancasterfarming.com/hemp-podcast-cries-for-me-argentina-photos/collection_4268a512-f387-4542-9c6c-09adf37df93f.html Learn More Ananda Pampa anandapampa.com Davis Hemp Farms davishempfarms.com/about/ Parque Steverlynck https://parquesteverlynck.com.ar/ Thanks to Our Sponsors! Commonwealth Denim commonwealthdenim.com Tuscarora Mills tuscaroramills.com Canna Markets Group cannamarketsgroup.com

    30 min

  8. MAR 18

    1937 International: Hemp Textiles, Pakistan to Product

    This week on the Hemp Show, we talk with Ryan Zaczynski, co-founder of 1937 International, a company working to build global supply chains for industrial hemp. In this episode, Zaczynski talks about what it takes to move hemp beyond niche markets and into real products that people use every day — by building supply chains that connect farms, textile mills and manufacturers around the world. At the center of that effort is Pakistan, where 1937 International is working in partnership with Dr. Zafar Riaz and his team to develop hemp production and tap into one of the world's largest textile economies. We also talk about the upcoming Industrial Hemp International Conference in Denver, where 1937 International is the lead sponsor and what it means to bring new partners, new materials and new supply chains into the hemp industry. Learn More 1937 International linkedin.com/company/1937-international-corp Industrial Hemp International Conference industrialhempinternational.com News Nuggets U.S. Farm Bill revisions would modestly reshape rules for fiber and grain growers hemptoday.net/u-s-farm-bill-revisions-would-modestly-reshape-rules-for-fiber-and-grain-growers/ UK grant backs development of hemp varieties tailored for British farming hemptoday.net/uk-grant-backs-development-of-hemp-varieties-tailored-for-british-farming/ Sponsors IND Hemp indhemp.com Forever Green hempcutter.com

    21 min
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About

Lancaster Farming newspaper editors talk to farmers and experts about industrial hemp.

Information

  • Creator
    Eric Hurlock, Digital Editor
  • Years Active
    2018 - 2026
  • Episodes
    379
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2025 - Lancaster Farming
  • Show Website
    Industrial Hemp Podcast

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