Unlocking the USDA Hemp Report - A Tale of Two Industries
This week on the Hemp Podcast we’re looking at the 2025 Hemp Report from the USDA. The annual report attempts to provide a snapshot of the hemp industry, which, according to the report, is valued at $445 million — up 40% from last year.
That sounds amazing, but what the numbers actually show is two completely different stories about two completely different industries: industrial hemp, i.e., fiber and grain, and floral hemp, i.e., cannabinoids, medicinal and recreational products and smokable hemp flower.
As usual, the floral side of things takes up a lot of the conversation. After all, 85% of the $445 million industry was on the floral side, and people like to see that kind of growth. But numbers on the fiber and grain side tell a much more interesting and complicated tale.
So we’re digging into the numbers, while also contemplating the existential question: Are you really a hemp farmer?
Host Eric Hurlock offers the hot take that maybe if you're in this for cannabinoid extraction — regardless of the THC content — you are not a hemp farmer. You are a cannabis grower.
Historically, the word “hemp” has meant the crop you grow for industrial purposes. However, the 2018 Farm Bill opened up a legal loophole that has had major consequences for the meaning of the word “hemp,” which has led to confusion in the industry — especially among lawmakers and regulators who continue to think hemp is essentially just low-key weed.
It’s time to reclaim the word hemp for the real hemp industry: fiber and grain. Let's call floral hemp what is is: low-THC cannabis.
Questions or comments? Leave Eric Hurlock a message: 717-721-4462
Read the report yourself: https://data.nass.usda.gov/Statistics_by_State/Idaho/Publications/Census_Press_Releases/2025/HEMP.pdf
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