Industrial Hemp Podcast

This is part two of a ten-part podcast series documenting the European Industrial Hemp Association's 23rd Annual Conference in Poznan, Poland, at the Institute of Fiber Plants and Medicinal Medicine, June 10-12. Witold Czeszak, co-founder and head of the Polish Hemp Program at the Institute of Natural Fibers and Medical Plants, talks about Polish hemp genetics, the importance of IP protection and why he fought hard to bring the European Industrial Hemp Conference to the Institute. "I brought to the table new blood. I brought here representatives of huge companies because in general my idea is to professionalize the sector so to scale it up, keeping of course quality on the highest level," he said. Poland has been at the epicenter of hemp in Europe for decades, and with genetics like Hanola and Białobrzeskie coming out of Czesak's breeding program, Polish varieties have become standard fiber genetics around the world. Learn More Institute of Natural Fibers and Medicinal Plants (IWNIRZ) iwnirz.pl European Industrial Hemp Association (EIHA) eiha.org/ EIHA Conference eiha-conference.org/ Thanks to Our Sponsors HEMI — The Hemp Education and Marketing Initiative thegoodnessofhemp.org Bish Enterprises — FiberCut Hemp Harvesting bishenterprise.com/fibercut 1937 International 1937international.com Condor Seed condorseed.com

This is part four of a ten-part podcast series documenting the European Industrial Hemp Association's 23rd Annual Conference in Poznan, Poland, at the Institute of Fiber Plants and Medicinal Medicine, June 10-12. Jan Slaski, hemp researcher and plant breeder at InnoTech Alberta, has spent nearly a quarter-century developing industrial hemp on the Canadian prairies. He came to Canada from Poland in 1993 and started hemp research in 2001, testing nearly 90 varieties from around the world to find what worked on the Canadian prairies. His team at InnoTech Alberta addresses the entire value chain — from seed to final product — across genetics, agronomy, processing and engineering. But Slaski's real battle has been cultural, not agronomic. People conflate industrial hemp (low-THC fiber crops) with cannabis (high-THC intoxicating plants). Even at trade shows, visitors holding hemp seeds ask if they'll get high. "This thing between hemp and cannabis, because you know, just like a word matters, how people perceive reality, you know they perceive through words, right?" he said. For 25 years, Slaski has been destigmatizing industrial hemp — fighting regulatory confusion and consumer misunderstanding. His current focus is artificial intelligence applied to hemp breeding. Using drone technology and computer vision, his team is developing tools to automatically identify male plants in seed production — work currently done by hand. Beyond genetics, Slaski emphasizes that reliable feedstock matters most. In Canada, hemp breaks disease cycles that devastate canola. Farmers generate income while improving soil health. The conference message: industrial hemp has moved from abstract "world-saving" rhetoric to practical business. Learn More InnoTech Alberta https://www.inotechalberta.ca International Seed Standards Global Congress https://www.worldseed.org Institute of Natural Fibers and Medicinal Plants (IWNIRZ) https://iwnirz.pl Institute of Natural Fibers and Medicinal Plants (IWNIRZ) iwnirz.pl European Industrial Hemp Association (EIHA) eiha.org/ EIHA Conference eiha-conference.org/ Thanks to Our Sponsors Condor Seed condorseed.com HEMI — The Hemp Education and Marketing Initiative thegoodnessofhemp.org Bish Enterprises — FiberCut Hemp Harvesting bishenterprise.com/fibercut 1937 International 1937international.com

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.

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

Long before we talked about hemp as a commodity crop with profound industrial potential, hemp was something simpler: a plant grown in soil, worked by human hands and shaped into useful things. This week on the Hemp Show our guest is Laura Sullivan — hemp farmer, Extension educator at the University of Vermont and fiber artist whose work explores hemp not as a commodity but as a material with cultural and ecological meaning. Laura recently completed her Master of Fine Arts, using hemp fiber grown on the research farm to create garments and installations that blur the boundary between agriculture and art. "I've been working in science for over five years now and I have seen a lot of really great data come out that has changed absolutely nothing about how we operate in our world where we have so many solutions at our fingertips and yet no way to implement them," Sullivan said. "So I thought that art could reach people in a way that white papers and data and graphs and science don't always seem to." In one of Sullivan's pieces, hemp garments embedded with seeds were watered until they sprouted, making visible the idea that clothing, like food, begins in the field. Sullivan notes that synthetic fiber now dominates the global textile system, and that most of it originates not from farms but from fossil fuels. "Synthetic fiber currently makes up about 70% of textiles globally," she said. "Synthetic fiber is any fiber that is made of plastic, which is derived from oil. Alternatively, we have this other group of fibers — derived from the soil… and to the soil they can return." Her work also draws on mythology, ancestry and traditional fiber practices, using hemp and wool to create large-scale symbolic pieces that connect ancient textile traditions with modern agricultural realities. Plus, News Nuggets and a very special visit from everyone's favorite Kentucky hemp flooring guy, Greg Wilson, who looks at hemp like this: "You gotta grow it, you gotta make it and you gotta sell it. And I look at our business model and I always say, if you've got two hands, you can't carry three buckets." See Laura's Work: https://www.lancasterfarming.com/view-photos-of-laura-sullivans-hemp-fiber-fashion-collection/collection_67508afa-178d-4d69-845b-3cc412aec702.html Learn More University of Vermont Extension Hemp Program www.uvm.edu/extension/nwcrops/hemp Vermont College of Fine Arts https://vcfa.edu/ News Nuggets European hemp stalwart HempFlax Group is departing Romania after historic 14-year run https://hemptoday.net/european-hemp-stalwart-hempflax-group-is-departing-romania-after-historic-14-year-run/ Sask Polytechnic and EnviroWay develop biodegradable plastics from hemp and flax fiber waste https://www.packaginginsights.com/news/sask-polytech-enviroway-biodegradable-plastics.html Time for a little home hemp? https://www.echo.net.au/2026/02/time-for-a-little-home-hemp/ Sponsors HEMI www.hempinitiatives.org/ King's Agriseeds https://kingsagriseeds.com/ Forever Green Equipment – KP4 Hemp Cutter https://hempcutter.com/ HempWood https://hempwood.com/

This week on the Hemp Show, we widen the lens. Hemp is more than a crop — it's part of a larger material system that connects farms, forests, manufacturers, builders and cities. Architect and urban researcher Kaja Kühl joins the podcast to explain why she calls hemp and straw "indicator species" — materials that signal the health of a regional building ecosystem. Through her Bio-Based Materials & Construction Resources Map, she has been documenting the farms, processors and builders already working across the Northeast. In this conversation, we explore what it would take to scale regenerative construction from rural landscapes into dense urban markets — and why regional supply chains may matter more than centralized industrial models. We discuss: • Hempcrete as a carbon-storing wall system • Why moisture regulation and indoor air quality may be hemp's most overlooked strengths • Straw panel manufacturing and collaborative scaling models • The advantages — and challenges — of building in a dense Northeastern region • Housing as long-term carbon storage infrastructure Kühl also reflects on building two carbon-zero hemp homes in New York's Hudson Valley and what she learned working alongside early-stage material startups. As federal climate policy shifts, atmospheric carbon does not. If emissions oversight weakens, land-based carbon strategies — including fiber crops like hemp — only grow more consequential. This episode situates hemp inside a broader conversation about how we build, where materials come from and how regional economies can store carbon in the walls around us. News Nuggets Farm Bill / Hemp Language U.S. House Agriculture Committee – Farm, Food and National Security Act of 2026 (Draft Bill Information) National Hemp Association – Industry Response & Policy Updates USDA Hemp Production Program EPA Endangerment Finding EPA 2009 Endangerment Finding (Clean Air Act) Clean Air Act Overview (EPA) Learn More You Are the City – Kaja Kühl's Practice Bio-Based Materials & Construction Resources Map City College of New York – Architecture Columbia University GSAPP Bio-Based Materials Collective https://biobasedcollective.org Thanks to our Sponsor IND HEMP

This week on the Industrial Hemp Podcast, host Eric Hurlock is joined by Lancaster Farming staff reporter Dan Sullivan to talk about one Pennsylvania farmer's decision that's captured national attention. Farmer Mervin Raudabaugh Jr. turned down millions of dollars in development money to preserve his Cumberland County farm for future generations. Sullivan explains how he found the story, why it resonated with people in and out of agriculture and what it says about the challenges farmers face regarding preserving their land. From there the show turns to upcoming events for the hemp community in the next few months, with a focus on education and connection. Listeners hear from Maylin Murdoch about Cornell's 2026 hemp webinar series that will be focused on how hemp is measured and evaluated in the field and in the lab. Andrew Bish, president of the Hemp Feed Coalition, joins us to talk about a monthly webinar series that highlights research into hemp as an animal feed ingredient. Fiber artist, hemp farmer and extension educator Laura Sullivan gives us a preview of a four-week online short course at the University of Vermont that will be focused on growing fiber hemp for textiles and building materials. The webinar series are free. See registration links below. And finally, we talk hemp with Morris Beegle, who introduces Industrial Hemp International, a new Denver-based conference that has evolved from the former NoCo Hemp Expo. The new show has an emphasis on fiber, grain and international supply chains. Learn More Dan Sullivan's story — Data center developers offered farmer $60k per acre; He preserved the land instead lancasterfarming.com/farming-news/conservation/data-center-developers-offered-farmer-60k-per-acre-he-preserved-the-land-instead/article_a4c0fc64-53ca-45cf-9f3e-d323515b2555.html Cornell Hemp Webinar Series January 28 – May 6, 2026 | Every other Wednesday (1–2 p.m. ET). A free, biweekly webinar series from Cornell AgriTech focused on how hemp is measured — from field data and lab standards to fiber testing, post-harvest practices, and life-cycle assessment. hemp.cals.cornell.edu/2025/12/24/2026-cornell-hemp-webinar-series-register-now/ Hemp Feed Coalition Webinar Series Ongoing throughout 2026 | Monthly, third Thursday. A free, monthly research-focused webinar series examining hemp as animal feed, featuring researchers working on poultry, dairy, companion animals, and cannabinoid measurement. hempfeedcoalition.org/webinar-series/ University of Vermont Fiber Hemp Short Course February 24 – March 17, 2026 | Tuesdays (4 weeks). A free, four-week online short course from UVM Extension focused on growing fiber hemp for textiles and building materials, with sessions on agronomy, harvesting, and regional manufacturing. events.uvm.edu/event/fiber-hemp-production-short-course Industrial Hemp International (IHI) March 25–27, 2026 | Denver, Colorado. A two-day conference (plus opening night) focused on industrial hemp fiber, grain, and international supply chains, evolving out of the former NoCo Hemp Expo. industrialhempinternational.com/ Sponsored By IND HEMP indhemp.com Americhanvre Cast Hemp americhanvre.com King's Agriseeds kingsagriseeds.com Hemp Cutter hempcutter.com