NM Navajo Nation farmers fight back on alleged illegal hemp farms

[grulla]

Rachel Knapp
Sep 16, 2020

SHIPROCK, N.M. (KRQE) – Navajo Nation farmers are calling for help, saying their land is being used to create dozens of illegal hemp farms without their permission. Community members are saying there’s a slew of problems with these hemp farms: from not getting permission from the Navajo Nation, not being regulated, and saying it’s also causing environmental problems. “We’re here to protect our kids, we need to get Dineh Benally and his cannabis farms out,” said Navajo Nation protesters.

Continue reading at:
https://www.krqe.com/news/new-mexico...al-hemp-farms/

[grulla]

Reading the article, I get the impression that there is a lot of "confusion" between growing hemp VS growing MJ. NM charges $1000.00 for a hemp growing permit.

If growing hemp organically is not all that necessary (like some cotton), I would think that obtaining large amounts of cow manure from CAFO dairies for fertile mulch, especially in arid lands with little rain and lots of water rights laws and regulations, could be cost effective and beneficial???

[Islander]

First, the choice of cattle manure versus horse manure would depend upon the nitrogen requirements of the crop, since those two differ significantly. But more importantly, would you want your medicine contaminated with the manure from animals raised on GMO crops? Hemp is grown primarily for its CBD content, a powerful medicinal, and I would assume that organic methods are a requirement.

[grulla]

I was thinking hemp being grown more for fabrics and garments.

[Islander]

I think that has become more common in Canada where the hemp crop has been legal for years. Here the emphasis is now on CBD, for which the demand has grown exponentially. That's where the real money is.

[grulla]

I think that has become more common in Canada where the hemp crop has been legal for years. Here the emphasis is now on CBD, for which the demand has grown exponentially. That's where the real money is.

With all that is going ahead with hemp farming in the U.S., I cannot imagine it is all for the benefit of providing CBD oil??? https://duckduckgo.com/?q=U.S.+hemp+...ages&ia=images

[Julieanne]

Hempcrete, a combination of hemp and concrete, is an up-and-coming building material that builders can't get enough of in Australia. But you need far more acreage to make money from it than growing for oil. Friends of mine are growing for seed as there is still a high demand. Some of the left over material is made into a version of Rick Simpson oil.

[Islander]

Grulla, your images prove nothing. I could send you the same photos from my own state. A better site would be one that identifies what percentage of acreage in the country is used to produce hemp for which purpose. That would help to clarify the difference between industrial production and medical production.
Ahem. The administrator just gave you an assignment.

[grulla]

Ahem. The administrator just gave you an assignment.

My main point was that all those graphics of hemp farming must provide much more than CBD oil. I did a ducksearch of <hemp utility industrial products> to help demonstrate hemp (other than CBD oil) applications. https://duckduckgo.com/?q=hemp+utili...ages&ia=images

[Islander]

Yes, we are aware of the multitude of industrial uses, from clothing and utility bags to rope and even bridges. What I was hoping for was a table or a graphic of statistics or percentages for the variety of uses to which hemp is put. Interested?

[grulla]

I don't have the time or desire to dredge up all these hemp farming statistics. All I have suggested is that there has to be other hemp farming than CBD oil. Here is an article that states that there are basically 3 choices in hemp producton; "There are three primary industrial hemp crops: oil, seed, and fiber."
https://www.bonafideseeds.com/how-mu...ofit-per-acre/