by Hempington Post | Feb 23, 2019
For the sustainability of our environment, Bees LOVE HEMP is huge news.
Farmers (and Sen. Mitch McConnell) aren’t the only ones who are excited about hemp. According to a recent study, the crop also attracts a variety of bees—and that can help inform ecologically sustainable agriculture practices.
For the study, published this month in the journal Biomass and Bioenergy, researchers at Colorado State University set up 10 traps at industrial hemp fields in northern Colorado and collected bees over the course of five days during peak flowering season.
There are few other crops that pollinate in the region during the same timeframe, so the team wanted to know whether the non-psychoactive cannabis cousin of marijuana represented “a potentially valuable source of pollen for foraging bees,” which play a critical role in maintaining “sustainable productivity in natural and agricultural ecosystems.”
When the researchers looked at their collection, they found almost 2,000 bees from 23 different bee genera. Most of those (38 percent) were classic honeybees, but there were also specialized genera such as Melissodes bimaculata and Peponapis pruinosa that turned up in surprisingly “high proportions.”
The sample also indicated that hemp flowers are uniquely attractive to bees because previous reports looking at bee abundance and diversity for crops like genetically modified canola flowers didn’t produce the same volume or variety.
“Industrial hemp can play an important role in providing sustained nutritional options for bees during the cropping season.”
The study could prove helpful as ecologists attempt to address declining bee populations. The insects “continue to face debilitating challenges due to a number of different stressors,” the researchers wrote, but chief among them is the overall health of their respective habitats.
Finding a suitable pollinating crop to improve their habitats is, therefore, critical to the lives of bees and the ecosystems they occupy. Hemp “can thus be an ecologically valuable crop whose flowers are attractive to managed honey bees and a wide range of wild bees,” the researchers concluded.
“In addition, access to crucial phytochemicals through pollen and nectar from diverse plant sources is important for improved survival and pathogen tolerance in honey bees,” the team wrote. “Further studies analyzing the nutritive value of hemp pollen, would provide strong evidence in support of the ecological benefits.”
But the study also includes a warning: as hemp cultivation expands, which experts expect it will significantly since it has recently been federally legalized, there will be an increased risk of insect pests infecting the crop. And so the researchers said they “strongly urge that the information generated in this study on the diversity and abundance of bees on hemp be used to develop an integrated pest management plan designed to protect pollinators while controlling pests.”
Bees Like Hemp, And That’s Great News For The Environment
by Hempington Post | Feb 12, 2019
When talking about Climate Change and what we can do to reverse it, Hemp will lead the way with new sustainable non-toxic products and textiles.
We at HempingtonPost are very excited to share the announcement of this first America Plastic Company, based right in Boulder Colorado. We’re doing flips here because we know, Hemp Plastic is a huge game changer!
A bit of Plastic History!
A long time ago, humans invented a malleable, pliable, utterly unique substance called plastic. Once commercially derived from fossil fuels, the plastic revolution was born. In the early 20th century, plastics increasingly become the go-to for all product development. By the 1920’s, nearly every house in the developed world was relying on plastic products for everyday use. Plastic has come a long way since those early petrochemical plastic days. Today, the world is starting to wake up to the possibilities of bioplastics, specifically hemp plastic.
Never heard of hemp plastic? You are not alone. It’s a relatively new phenomenon and joins other renewable sources of plastic such as corn, flaxseed, and wood cellulose. Interestingly, the concept of hemp plastic has been around for more than half a century. Only recently has it caught on. Didn’t you know that Henry Ford built a hemp plastic car in the 1940s?
Bioplastic Statistics
Despite how often you might come across a corn plastic cup or a hemp piece of disposable cutlery, the reality is bioplastics still only make up a fraction of the market. According to the most recent statistics, only one percent of global plastic production is organic. That means only one percent of 320 million tons produced annually.
Even that statistic is a bit misleading, because of the 2.05 million tones produced annually, less than 50 percent of those are biodegradable. Some are only bio-based. Biobased plastics have less environmental impact during production but are not recyclable, nor biodegradable. Asia is by far the largest producer of all bioplastics, with 56 percent of the global output. The United States is second to last regarding production; it has a long way to the top.
Not surprisingly, the most significant driver of bioplastics is the demand for environmentally friendly packaging options. The number of plastic bags floating around the ocean has got even non-environmentalists nervous. The second largest application in 2017 for bioplastics is for textiles, followed closely by uses in the automotive industry and consumer goods.
Bioplastics, like hemp plastic, are good for the environment in many different ways. They obviously take far less time to break down in the environment. They also produce 30 to 80 percent fewer emissions than their fossil fuel cousins. Depending on type of production, hemp plastics are recyclable, biodegradable, and free of toxins.
HEMP Bio-DeGradable Plastics End World Pollution 4EVER !!!
by Hempington Post | Feb 12, 2019
February 7, 2014 marked the passing of the original Federal Farm Bill, inviting new agricultural freedoms and encouraging a world of ecological alternatives in North America. On this day, exactly 5 years later, THE HEMP PLASTIC COMPANY (THPC), specialist in eco-friendly materials for packaging and parts, proudly announces an historic breakthrough:
Hemp Plastic Commercialization.
With this announcement, Hemp plastic straws, water bottles, plastic bags, jars and virtually anything found in fossil fuel based resin may now be competitively made from hemp plastic.
Modern polymer is generally made from fossil fuels – taking millions of years to create and ages to degrade, polluting our oceans and land. In comparison, Cannabis Hemp is a renewable, industrial plant material, offering a welcome, green alternative to raw polymer.
In 1930, Henry Ford was first known to use hemp as a prototype bioplastic in car fenders, and THPC co-founder Paul Benhaim began creating marketable hemp bioplastic formulas back in the 1990’s.
Today, THE HEMP PLASTIC COMPANY proudly announces the first full scale commercial production of hemp based bioplastics, ideal for nearly any application where fossil fuel resin is used.
Unlike other bioplastics using vegetable materials as filler, THPC has developed a revolutionary process to separate the various parts of the hemp plant, adding them individually to the bioplastics as needed to enhance the polymer properties. THPC can add benefits such as fiber strength, and tap into natural flexibility attributes which are found within the hemp plant, then ultimately shared with this innovative polymer.
Manufacturers may now choose biodegradable, renewable, sustainable (in some cases, even compostable) plant based alternatives, suitable for thermalform, blow in, injection mold or film, hemp plastic effectively reduces plastic pollution down to a design decision.
THPC’s unique eco-polymer breakthrough marks a first for North America, made with up to 100% bio material. At this price, the breakthrough represents a game changer for the worlds manufacturers who were previously reliant on fossil fuel based plastic.
The convergence of demand, technology and the deregulation of hemp material opens the door for this new range of alternative polymer solutions, and THE HEMP PLASTIC COMPANY is poised to supply manufacturers worldwide. With over 50 million lbs. of polymer capacity per harvest, this breakthrough represents a supply far larger than any previously available.
“We welcome North America’s new hemp farmers who are bringing back this valuable crop. We also remain particularly thankful to our investors and our dedicated early adopters who drive our innovations. Every ounce of hemp we use, is an ounce of petroleum based plastic we did not use. This represents the catalyst linking all of our designers, suppliers and buyers” explained Kevin Tubbs, Co-Founder, and Chief Business Development Officer of THE HEMP PLASTIC COMPANY.
Environmentalists are calling hemp plastic an eco-friendly game changer in the packaging industry, a revolutionary step forward because petroleum based plastic has been one of the major causes of pollution around the world.
“We welcome manufacturers from all industries to make their products a little easier on the planet.” explains Co-Founder and Chairman Paul Benhaim, noted hemp industry leader, author of 9 books on industrial hemp, global keynote speaker, as well as CEO of Elixinol Global Ltd, an Australian ASX Public listed Company (ASX:EXL, OTCQX: ELLXF). Mr Benhaim was inspired to work with hemp plastics when noting plastic pollution in the pristine Himalayas and was fueled further when learning about the Great Ocean Garbage Patches – some now as big as countries.
THE HEMP PLASTIC COMPANY is working with farmers, processors, chemical compounders, injection molders, film extruders and packaging makers to commercialize the unusual bio plastics. While custom polymer from hemp is available for all clients, the 4 primary options provide alternatives for most manufacturers:
HEMPPropylene ™ for injection molds, thermal forming etc.
HEMPEthylene ™ for films and injection molds.
HEMP-ABS™ for high impact needs.
HEMP-PLA™, 100% bio material for 3D printers etc.
THE HEMP PLASTIC COMPANY is poised to revolutionize the multibillion dollar parts and packaging industry, by offering a previously unavailable, ecofriendly alternative.
by Hempington Post | Feb 8, 2019
The high-profile hemp seizures have the booming CBD industry wondering how much they can trust the Farm Bill’s guarantee that “no state or Indian tribe shall prohibit the transportation or shipment of hemp or hemp products.”
Hemp entrepreneurs are facing jail time and hefty legal fees for transporting the plant across state lines, despite a federal guarantee that states can’t block legal hemp transport.
Massive police seizures in Idaho and Oklahoma raised questions about how state and local law enforcement are supposed to tell the difference between hemp and marijuana.
Since the Farm Bill passed:
- Four men working for a hemp-transportation company, Patriot Shield National Transport, were stopped in Pawhuska, Oklahoma, for running a red light. All four were charged with drug crimes for allegedly carrying some 18,000 pounds of Kentucky cannabis destined for Panacea Life Sciences, a CBD manufacturer in Louisville, Colorado. The men said they were carrying legal hemp; federal drug authorities say the plants had too much THC to be considered hemp and not marijuana.
- An Oregon truck driver was arrested in Boise, Idaho, for carrying roughly 6,700 pounds of cannabis from Oregon to Big Sky Scientific, a CBD manufacturer in Aurora, Colorado.
The cases suggest that local and state law enforcement don’t understand that interstate commerce is legal now for the plant.
The cases also raise an uncomfortable prospect for the booming CBD industry: raw cannabis materials destined for CBD extraction can start out as legal hemp – testing at or below 0.3% THC – but it can mature during storage or transport so that the material becomes illegal marijuana.“We had a license for every single box in the truck,” Dickinson said. “We still believe that what we were carrying was legal hemp – and even if it wasn’t, we did our due diligence.”In the Idaho case, for example, a Big Sky official said the company will be hurt even if the hemp is released and Idaho concedes the commerce was legal, because supply-chain disruptions can hurt any new business.
“They’re paying attorney’s fees for something that was settled in federal law,” Watkins said. “They have contracts to fulfill. This is a burgeoning market.”
Patriot Shield’s Dickinson said its hemp-shipping business
has gone ice cold while folks await an Oklahoma resolution.
“Any local law enforcement can mess with any hemp shipment and delay it until the hemp is destroyed,” he noted.
Some CBD companies say they’re sticking within state borders to guard against improper police seizures.
Michael Falcone, CEO of Southern Tier Hemp in Binghamton, New York, said his company plans to extract only hemp grown in his state.
Keeping the hemp local saves money and gives law enforcement time to figure out hemp-transportation laws in the Farm Bill, he said.
“The issue we are all facing right now is that this is so new,” Falcone said. “A regulatory framework is being built as we speak.”
Published February 6, 2019 | By Hemp Industry Daily staff
by Hempington Post | Feb 8, 2019
Texas country music legend Willie Nelson and his family debuted a “hemp-infused” product line, Willie’s Remedy.
One of Texas’ most prized icons and pro-marijuana advocate, Willie Nelson, announced Monday he and his family were debuting a hemp-infused product line called “Willie’s Remedy.”
The first product to be released: hemp-infused whole-bean coffee.
Nelson has long been a U.S. farming activist, leading a charge for utilizing American-grown in Willie’s Remedy, which features non-intoxicating hemp-based products designed for health-conscious consumers of all ages, according to a press release.
“Hemp production in America was stifled for so long, but it could now make all the difference for small independent farmers,” Nelson said. “Hemp isn’t just good for our farmers and our economy, it’s good for our soil, our environment — and our health.”
The first product to be released in the line, Willie’s Remedy Whole Bean Coffee, is infused with certified organic hemp oil grown in Colorado. The coffee blend is made up of three different bean varietals: Castillo, Colombia and Caturra. The product can be found online here for purchase in all 50 states.
The line of hemp-infused products were introduced as an extension of the Nelson family’s last business venture: Willie’s Reserve.
“The Willie’s Remedy line is a purposeful departure from Willie’s Reserve,” Annie Nelson, Willie’s wife, said in a press release. “It’s not about getting high, but it’s still all about Willie and the benefits we believe cannabis has to offer. Willie and I are proud to offer quality, American-sourced hemp wellness options for people of his generation, our kids’ generation and everyone in between.”
The CBD product line — launching in 2019 — is committed to supporting American farmers and environmental stewardship, while offering consumers simple ways to access the health benefits of hemp.
“We first organized Farm Aid in 1985 to call attention to the loss of family farms and raise funds to keep farm families on their land,” Willie Nelson said. “I’ve worked with these communities for decades. When it comes to creating sustainable jobs for American farmers and manufacturers, hemp is the answer.”
This story first appeared on kvue.com
