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Earlier this year, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) announced a plan to introduce new testing rules for the state’s growing hemp industry. Under the new regulations, hemp products must be tested for residual solvents, heavy metals and pesticides, in addition to making sure they contain less than 0.3% THC.

The CDPHE are planning on a gradual rollout to prevent any supply chain issues or a lab testing bottleneck, similar to what we’ve seen in other states launching new testing requirements in years past, such as Arizona or California. Well, the Colorado rollout appears to be hitting similar snags and because of supply chain issues related to instruments and consumables in laboratories, the implementation of those testing rules is somewhat delayed. What was originally supposed to be implemented over the summer was pushed back to an October 1 deadline, and that deadline has now been pushed back to 2022.

As a result of supply chain shortages and the learning curve to test for such a wide range of pesticides, Colorado is opening hemp testing to out-of-state labs in an effort to stay on schedule with the rollout. Dillon Burns, lab manager at InfiniteCAL, a cannabis testing company with locations in California and Michigan, just completed an audit with the CDPHE in their work to get certified and start conducting hemp testing for businesses in Colorado.

Burns says they’re well-acquainted with the list of pesticides because of how similar the list is to California’s requirements. “For the pesticide testing rules that were supposed to go into effect on August 1^st, it’s basically the same list as California just with slightly different action levels,” says Burns. “I would say these action limits are generally stricter – they have much lower LOQs [limits of quantification].”

Come January 1, 2022, they are expecting an additional 40 pesticides to be required under the new rules. “But currently, it’s still unclear when these regulations will actually go into effect,” says Burns. The full pesticide testing list is currently slated to be implemented on April 1, 2022.

The supply chain issues referenced above have a lot to do with what the state is asking labs to test for. Previously, most of the pesticides tested for under Colorado’s adult use and medical cannabis programs could be analyzed with an LC/MS. A handful of pesticides on the new list do require GC/MS, says Burns. It’s entirely possible that a lot of labs in Colorado just don’t have a GC/MS or are in the process of training staff and developing methods for using the new instrument. “Cleanliness of these instruments is such a priority that it takes time to acquire the right skill set for it,” says Burns.

The new testing rollout isn’t just another compliance hurdle for the cannabis industry; these rules are about protecting public health. Dillon Burns said he’s seen hiccups in California with the amount of new hemp farmers getting into the space. “The hemp products we’ve tested in California often fail for pesticides,” says Burns. It’s a lot easier in most states to get a license for growing hemp than it would be for growing adult use cannabis. “You’ll see a lot more novice growers getting into hemp farming without a background in it. They’ll fail for things they just haven’t considered, like environmental drift. We see a lot of fails in CA. Hemp is bioaccumulating so it presents a lot of problems. If they’re not required to look for it, they weren’t monitoring it.”

When asked how the market might react to the new rules, Burns was confident that Colorado knows what they’re doing. “I don’t anticipate that [a testing bottleneck] happening here. The regulators are reasonable, supportive of the industry and opening it up to out-of-state labs should help in preventing that.”

It took recently inaugurated New York Gov. Kathy Hochul less than two weeks do what former Gov. Andrew Cuomo failed to accomplish in the five months following his signing of the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act (MRTA).

Hochul nominated former Drug Policy Alliance staffer Chris Alexander for executive director of the new Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) and former New York Assemblywoman Tremaine Wright for chair of the Cannabis Control Board (CCB) during a special legislative session that convened Sept. 1.

Hochul, who became New York’s first female governor last week—after Cuomo resigned following months of sexual harassment allegations—called for the session the previous day.

Established within New York’s Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control, the OCM will operate as an independent entity with exclusive jurisdiction to oversee not only the adult-use cannabis regulatory structure but also the state’s existing medical cannabis and hemp programs. The five-member CCB will govern the office.

Hours after Hochul announced her picks to head the OCM and CCB, the Senate confirmed her appointees. Now, after months of being stalled, MRTA’s authoritative arm is free to move forward with oversight infrastructure for licensure, cultivation, production, distribution, sale and taxation.

Drug Policy Alliance Executive Director Kassandra Frederique said in a statement she applauded the nominations.

Frederique said, “By moving swiftly to establish the adult-use cannabis program after delays under her predecessor and nominating leaders who have long been involved in the fight for marijuana justice in New York, Gov. Hochul is sending a strong signal that the landmark racial and economic justice provisions we fought so hard for in the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act will be taken seriously and implemented accordingly.”

Drug Policy Alliance

Alexander, a government relations and policy manager in the cannabis sector for the past year, spent 3 1/2 years as a policy coordinator at Drug Policy Alliance from 2015-2018 and was an associate counsel to the New York Senate from 2019-2020. A New York resident from Queens, he was involved in crafting MRTA to ensure it prioritized racial and economic justice.

As OCM executive director, Alexander will oversee certain powers in the industry, such as performing inspections of any premises where cannabis or hemp are manufactured, cultivated, processed, stored, distributed or sold; prescribing forms of applications for licenses, registrations and permits; coordinating across state agencies and departments; and the like.

“I worked over the last several years leading the effort, from a variety of perspectives, to end marijuana prohibition in the state and to bring about the new regulated market and diverse industry that we have jumpstarted today,” Alexander said at a Senate Finance Committee hearing Wednesday, before the full chamber approved him as the nominee.

“I have built and led the statewide campaign to end prohibition as the policy coordinator at the Drug Policy Alliance, where we assembled a coalition of advocates, educated communities across the state and pushed you all to consider what taxing and regulating cannabis could look like,” he said. “It was in that role that I began drafting what would become the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act and eventually the cannabis law.”

Also, in his work as a government relations and policy manager for Black-owned Village and sister-company Viola, Alexander said he’s seen first-hand the challenges experienced by entrepreneurs in the space, “particularly those of color,” who have limited access to capital and are asked to navigate a “jigsaw puzzle” of laws and regulations with little to no assistance.

Drug Policy Alliance

Meanwhile, Wright represented New York’s 56th District from 2017 through 2020. During that time, the Democrat from Brooklyn was the chair of the New York State Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic and Asian Legislative Caucus. A University of Chicago Law School graduate, Wright was an associate with Paul Hastings and a staff attorney at Skadden, and she practiced as a public defender with Brooklyn Law Services.

Not to mention, Wright spent 14 years sitting on and chairing a local community planning board and 8 1/2 years as a coffee shop owner.

As CCB chairwoman, Wright will head a five-member board that has sole discretion to limit, or not to limit, the number of registrations, licenses and permits to be issued within the state in a manner that prioritizes social and economic equity applicants (with the goal of 50% awarded to such applicants), considers small business opportunities and concerns, avoids market dominance in sectors of the industry and reflects the demographics of the state. Among other functions, the board will also have discretion to issue, refuse to issue or revoke any registration, license or permit.

“This is one of those moments where we’re all coming together and we have an opportunity to create an entire industry from the bottom up, which will provide access as well as needs to people throughout this state and give them a way to participate in an industry which has the potential to be a tremendous economic engine here in our state,” Wright said during the Senate Finance Committee hearing Wednesday.

“In every single community throughout this state, cannabis has the potential to be a driver for communities to create opportunities, to create the outcomes and to shape the manner in which they want cannabis to play out in their community,” she said. “That’s what we need.”

In addition to her background as a state representative, lawyer and business owner, Wright is currently serving as New York’s first director of the Statewide Office of Financial Inclusion and Empowerment to help meet the financial services and needs of low- and middle-income New Yorkers.

Frederique said Wright and Alexander’s resumes speak from themselves.

“They both understand the deep harm that criminalization has caused to individuals and communities—especially communities of color—across the state,” Frederique said. “Their past work has reflected a commitment to working with people who have been directly impacted by prohibition and demonstrated a belief in evidence-based policies that center equity and justice.”

Democratic State Sen. Liz Krueger, the Finance Committee chair who sponsored MRTA, said in a statement she was extraordinarily pleased with the governor’s nominations.

“Their hard work, knowledge and dedication will ensure that the historic law we passed this year will be implemented the right way, with focus and equity that brings real benefits to the communities that have suffered the most under prohibition,” she said. “I am grateful to Gov. Hochul for demonstrating her seriousness of purpose and collaborative vision by moving swiftly to make such excellent nominations. The process of implementing MRTA has been delayed too long, but finally we are seeing some light at the end of the tunnel.”

It took recently inaugurated New York Gov. Kathy Hochul less than two weeks do what former Gov. Andrew Cuomo failed to accomplish in the five months following his signing of the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act (MRTA).

Hochul nominated former Drug Policy Alliance staffer Chris Alexander for executive director of the new Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) and former New York Assemblywoman Tremaine Wright for chair of the Cannabis Control Board (CCB) during a special legislative session that convened Sept. 1.

Hochul, who became New York’s first female governor last week—after Cuomo resigned following months of sexual harassment allegations—called for the session the previous day.

Established within New York’s Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control, the OCM will operate as an independent entity with exclusive jurisdiction to oversee not only the adult-use cannabis regulatory structure but also the state’s existing medical cannabis and hemp programs. The five-member CCB will govern the office.

Hours after Hochul announced her picks to head the OCM and CCB, the Senate confirmed her appointees. Now, after months of being stalled, MRTA’s authoritative arm is free to move forward with oversight infrastructure for licensure, cultivation, production, distribution, sale and taxation.

Drug Policy Alliance Executive Director Kassandra Frederique said in a statement she applauded the nominations.

Frederique said, “By moving swiftly to establish the adult-use cannabis program after delays under her predecessor and nominating leaders who have long been involved in the fight for marijuana justice in New York, Gov. Hochul is sending a strong signal that the landmark racial and economic justice provisions we fought so hard for in the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act will be taken seriously and implemented accordingly.”

Drug Policy Alliance

Alexander, a government relations and policy manager in the cannabis sector for the past year, spent 3 1/2 years as a policy coordinator at Drug Policy Alliance from 2015-2018 and was an associate counsel to the New York Senate from 2019-2020. A New York resident from Queens, he was involved in crafting MRTA to ensure it prioritized racial and economic justice.

As OCM executive director, Alexander will oversee certain powers in the industry, such as performing inspections of any premises where cannabis or hemp are manufactured, cultivated, processed, stored, distributed or sold; prescribing forms of applications for licenses, registrations and permits; coordinating across state agencies and departments; and the like.

“I worked over the last several years leading the effort, from a variety of perspectives, to end marijuana prohibition in the state and to bring about the new regulated market and diverse industry that we have jumpstarted today,” Alexander said at a Senate Finance Committee hearing Wednesday, before the full chamber approved him as the nominee.

“I have built and led the statewide campaign to end prohibition as the policy coordinator at the Drug Policy Alliance, where we assembled a coalition of advocates, educated communities across the state and pushed you all to consider what taxing and regulating cannabis could look like,” he said. “It was in that role that I began drafting what would become the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act and eventually the cannabis law.”

Also, in his work as a government relations and policy manager for Black-owned Village and sister-company Viola, Alexander said he’s seen first-hand the challenges experienced by entrepreneurs in the space, “particularly those of color,” who have limited access to capital and are asked to navigate a “jigsaw puzzle” of laws and regulations with little to no assistance.

Drug Policy Alliance

Meanwhile, Wright represented New York’s 56th District from 2017 through 2020. During that time, the Democrat from Brooklyn was the chair of the New York State Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic and Asian Legislative Caucus. A University of Chicago Law School graduate, Wright was an associate with Paul Hastings and a staff attorney at Skadden, and she practiced as a public defender with Brooklyn Law Services.

Not to mention, Wright spent 14 years sitting on and chairing a local community planning board and 8 1/2 years as a coffee shop owner.

As CCB chairwoman, Wright will head a five-member board that has sole discretion to limit, or not to limit, the number of registrations, licenses and permits to be issued within the state in a manner that prioritizes social and economic equity applicants (with the goal of 50% awarded to such applicants), considers small business opportunities and concerns, avoids market dominance in sectors of the industry and reflects the demographics of the state. Among other functions, the board will also have discretion to issue, refuse to issue or revoke any registration, license or permit.

“This is one of those moments where we’re all coming together and we have an opportunity to create an entire industry from the bottom up, which will provide access as well as needs to people throughout this state and give them a way to participate in an industry which has the potential to be a tremendous economic engine here in our state,” Wright said during the Senate Finance Committee hearing Wednesday.

“In every single community throughout this state, cannabis has the potential to be a driver for communities to create opportunities, to create the outcomes and to shape the manner in which they want cannabis to play out in their community,” she said. “That’s what we need.”

In addition to her background as a state representative, lawyer and business owner, Wright is currently serving as New York’s first director of the Statewide Office of Financial Inclusion and Empowerment to help meet the financial services and needs of low- and middle-income New Yorkers.

Frederique said Wright and Alexander’s resumes speak from themselves.

“They both understand the deep harm that criminalization has caused to individuals and communities—especially communities of color—across the state,” Frederique said. “Their past work has reflected a commitment to working with people who have been directly impacted by prohibition and demonstrated a belief in evidence-based policies that center equity and justice.”

Democratic State Sen. Liz Krueger, the Finance Committee chair who sponsored MRTA, said in a statement she was extraordinarily pleased with the governor’s nominations.

“Their hard work, knowledge and dedication will ensure that the historic law we passed this year will be implemented the right way, with focus and equity that brings real benefits to the communities that have suffered the most under prohibition,” she said. “I am grateful to Gov. Hochul for demonstrating her seriousness of purpose and collaborative vision by moving swiftly to make such excellent nominations. The process of implementing MRTA has been delayed too long, but finally we are seeing some light at the end of the tunnel.”

Pacific Northwest heat waves have been challenging growers—and their plants—since June. What do these extreme heat waves mean for hemp crop harvest this fall?

Gordon Jones is an assistant professor of general agriculture based at the Southern Oregon Research and Extension Center for Oregon State University.  Jones says well established hemp plants, transplanted in good conditions with proper root growth, can withstand a fair amount of heat stress—as long as they have access to water. 

But with extreme heat come other obstacles like reduced access to water, wildfire smoke and declining worker morale.

“On some grand level, the smoke, the heat, and the drought are connected, and we could probably have a climate change discussion at the macro scale,” says Jones. These challenges make growing hemp in extreme heat a game of survival. However, there are steps farmers can take early on to prevent heat stress and still have a successful harvest.

What is an ‘Extreme Heat Wave’?

The World Meteorological Organization states that a heat wave is when the daily maximum temperature exceeds the average maximum temperature by 9 degrees Fahrenheit for more than five consecutive days. From June 24 to June 29, Pacific Northwesterners experienced a 1-in-1,000-year heat event when temperatures peaked at 116 degrees.

In extreme heat conditions, hemp leaves droop and fold up in a protective measure. If the stress is not mediated, they will yellow and become crisp. Once a plant is matured, there’s not a lot of changes growers can make, warns Cedar Grey, founder of Siskiyou Sungrown, a CBD wellness product brand in Southern Oregon.

For hemp farmers, high temperatures aren’t the only threat to crops and farmers during extreme heat events. “When it gets to that point, your plant is in trouble,” he says. “By the time the plant is mature, I don’t think there’s a lot of wholesale changes you can make other than ensuring that your irrigation is on point.”

For some hemp farmers, irrigation is exactly the problem amidst high temperatures and other heat-related challenges.

Challenges for Growing Hemp in Extreme Heat

Heat isn’t the only problem. Water shortages, reduced or adjusted labor hours and questions around the impacts of smoke from nearby wildfires have some farmers wondering if they will reach harvest with a successful yield.

Hemp Plants Are Thirsty: Water Shortage and Restrictions

Kristina Blohkin/Adobe Stock

The Talent Irrigation District, Rogue River Valley Irrigation District and Medford Irrigation District are part of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Rogue Basin Project, where Jones focuses most of his work. These districts supply water to thousands in Oregon, and Jones says water levels have never been so low. “The irrigation season usually runs from April 15 through Oct. 15 in the ideal year,” says Jones. “This year, water from those irrigation districts was shut off at the end of July and the beginning of August.”

Ideally, hemp plants go into the ground in June in Jones’ region. Harvest normally begins in September and will run through October. To have the water shut off in July, says Jones, growers will not have an adequate water supply to grow a good yielding crop of hemp, especially those that planted towards the end of the season. Where he used to see large bushy plants, this year Jones sees smaller hemp crop. “I certainly think that that water limitation and some heat stress in June … would limit the size of the size of those plants.”

Impacts of Smoke are Not as Bad as Some Assume

Siskiyou Sungrown is one of the lucky ones, with rights to a deep well that’s kept their crop watered all season long. Grey says sunny and dry weather during harvest is a good thing for the drying process. However, extreme heat and dry conditions are ripe for wildfire—and smoke. Growers and consumers alike are wondering how much impact smoke has on hemp plants.

It is known that wildfire smoke can affect the aroma and flavor of wine grapes. Near Siskiyou, grape growers have had problems with wildfires altering the quality of grapes. However, preliminary research and consumer quality reviews, have not reported any change in aroma or flavor of cannabis grown with surrounding smoke.

“Usually it’s a story of someone looking at the front page of a newspaper on the East Coast, calling and asking, ‘Are you going to send me smoky hemp?'” says Jones. “Or somebody from a competing region saying. ‘Buy my hemp because we’ve not been affected by wildfires smoke.’ The reality is that no research or customer feedback suggests smoke is affecting the quality of hemp flower.”

Smoke can block sunlight. Less light overall can impact how a plant photosynthesizes and may result in smaller plants. In addition to heat and moisture stress, prolonged exposure reduction of sunlight due to smoke can contribute to smaller plants, Jones says.

Some consumers have wondered what impact ash fall has on hemp products. But it’s not a concern, says Jones. It can be easily blown off and won’t clog pores long-term. Not only is ash not a major issue, but every gram of ash that falls on the ground contains nutrients like calcium and potassium. The movement of nutrients across regional ecosystems can be considered a small amount of fertilization. 

Changes to Workforce

It’s not just the plants that are getting stressed out with heat and smoke. Farmworkers have adjusted their schedules and lives around the heat. Grey says some days they started at 3  a.m. to beat the heat. In response, OSHA issued emergency rules to protect workers. Beyond physical exhaustion, Grey says, his team is mentally tired of heat and smoke. “Far and away the greatest impact of the smoke is on the health and morale of the farm team,’ says Grey. “It definitely affects our routine. When we get weeks of hazardous smoke levels, everyone’s morale plummets.”

How Growers Can Protect Their Plants in Extreme Heat

Growing hemp is a continual learning process, but there are proven ways to give plants the best shot at survival for a successful harvest. Farmers’ best bet? Get plants well-established early on.

Establish Plants Early in Good Conditions

A well established plant has a great chance of holding up against extreme heat, smoke and even temporary water shortages. “When they are well established, been in the ground, and have grown good roots, they’ll be resilient,” says Jones. “That’s what we saw for those who planted in early June, a couple weeks before the heat wave. When they had gotten through transplant shock, they did fine.”

At Siskiyou Sungrown, Grey focuses on living soil and uses organic amendments and regular soil testing to foster healthy soil. “We compost all of our on-site organic matter, all of our organic waste. The roots, the stems, the leaves, we compost all of that and put that back into the soil, too, so we’re adding lots of organic matter to the soil every year.” Grey also rotates planting rows every two years and takes a dozen or more samples across fields multiple times a season to amend appropriately.

Isaac/Adobe Stock

Keep Hemp Plants Cool

If hemp plants can keep water flowing from roots to leaves, and then evaporate it into the atmosphere, much like our own sweat process, they can keep themselves cool. Jones reiterates it all comes down to the water. “There were folks who transplanted just a few days before that heat wave came,” says Jones. “And some of those fields look really poor.”

Grey also suggests planting in native soil and using a cover crop to keep plants cool. Native soil stays cooler than raised beds and pots. Grey uses a thick layer of mulch, particularly rice straw, which breaks down quickly because of its aquatic nature. This helps keeps the roots cool and moist. Other cover crops farmers can use include clover, buckwheat or oats.

Consider Backup Water Sources

If growers are in an area with water shortages, there is not a lot that can be done.

In water emergencies, there may be possibilities for farmers to gain access to other agricultural water sources like wells or ponds. “Gaining access to new agricultural water is a reasonably challenging process,” Jones says. “They are probably some rare justifications where new wells can be drilled. In some cases, people can get permission to dig a pond on their property to hold water which is something that’s handled by our watermaster’s office.”

In some cases, farmers are choosing to water only the best sections of the crop. Jones watched a farmer sacrifice smaller, weaker plants to reserve the limited water supply he had, for his more-promising crop. “He went ahead and made the decision to cull out those weaker plants … to be able to allocate all of his water to his best-looking plants, rather than trying to keep a poor-looking section of the field limping along,” says Jones. Other farmers have tried bringing water from other sources in by truckloads, but this is a tedious and likely inefficient process for large operations.

A long-term solution would involve changing irrigation infrastructures, but leaky canals and aging irrigation systems are as much a social and political conversation as it is an agricultural one. The cost of infrastructure changes would be hundreds of millions of dollars, says Jones, and a solution that growers can think about and participate in, but not likely to happen in the next few years.

Plant Varieties with Shorter Seasons Can Help Farmers Beat the Heat

Oregon gets most of its water in the fall and winter months. Jones remembers that this year, the reservoirs were not filling properly in February and March. Paying attention to those details can help growers plan, particularly with what hemp variety they choose to plant.

Most hemp growers use a daylight-sensitive variety. It gets planted in Spring, grows vegetatively until it is cued (by daylength) to flower in late summer or fall, and is harvested in September or October. That is a long season and requires water the entire time. Jones points out, however, there are hemp varieties that are daylength neutral, or autoflowering. These plants don’t need a daylength cue. Plants go in the ground and in 50-75 days, plants grow to maturity. “There were a few growers who were able to plant their [autoflowering] crop in late May to early June and were able to harvest them by the end of July just as the water was shut off,” says Jones. The caveat is that these varieties yield smaller plants, though it is still an option for growers who are anticipating a dry season.

Researchers are still exploring which varieties can grow in shorter seasons. They hope in the future they can help growers make informed seed choices in the spring.

What Does Heat Mean for Harvest?

When it comes to heat at harvest time, Grey says heat alone is not that big of an issue. If anything, air conditioning units can be brought in if indoor drying facilities get too hot. The tough part is keeping plants watered in a hot summer. If you can get your plants to survive to harvest time during extreme heat conditions, all else equal, harvest should be smooth sailing.

The Moral of the Story: Hemp is Resilient

Growers and researchers alike are working to learn about the hemp plant while they grow it and respond simultaneously to extreme conditions. “We have a very short history of this sort of field-scale hemp growing that people are doing on tens of acres. It really is a brand-new thing for the high cannabinoid, high-CBD, CBG hemp varieties that have been around just for a handful of years,” says Jones. “People are figuring out for the first time what to do when the water gets shut off in the middle of the summer.”

If farmers can get their plants well established early on and water thoroughly (while it’s available), extreme heat conditions won’t wipe out this resilient crop. Grey became concerned when they had a two-week stretch of heat that was stagnant between 95 degrees and 112 degrees, even though their plants were well established. “I was very concerned about how the plants were going to handle [the heat]. I thought we might have seen a bunch of heat stress out there. Honestly, we didn’t,” says Grey. “I’m realizing that if the plant is healthy and if conditions are right, it can obviously survive at least 112 degrees with no issues.  It’s really changed my view of the plant.”

Pacific Northwest heat waves have been challenging growers—and their plants—since June. What do these extreme heat waves mean for hemp crop harvest this fall?

Gordon Jones is an assistant professor of general agriculture based at the Southern Oregon Research and Extension Center for Oregon State University.  Jones says well established hemp plants, transplanted in good conditions with proper root growth, can withstand a fair amount of heat stress—as long as they have access to water. 

But with extreme heat come other obstacles like reduced access to water, wildfire smoke and declining worker morale.

“On some grand level, the smoke, the heat, and the drought are connected, and we could probably have a climate change discussion at the macro scale,” says Jones. These challenges make growing hemp in extreme heat a game of survival. However, there are steps farmers can take early on to prevent heat stress and still have a successful harvest.

What is an ‘Extreme Heat Wave’?

The World Meteorological Organization states that a heat wave is when the daily maximum temperature exceeds the average maximum temperature by 9 degrees Fahrenheit for more than five consecutive days. From June 24 to June 29, Pacific Northwesterners experienced a 1-in-1,000-year heat event when temperatures peaked at 116 degrees.

In extreme heat conditions, hemp leaves droop and fold up in a protective measure. If the stress is not mediated, they will yellow and become crisp. Once a plant is matured, there’s not a lot of changes growers can make, warns Cedar Grey, founder of Siskiyou Sungrown, a CBD wellness product brand in Southern Oregon.

For hemp farmers, high temperatures aren’t the only threat to crops and farmers during extreme heat events. “When it gets to that point, your plant is in trouble,” he says. “By the time the plant is mature, I don’t think there’s a lot of wholesale changes you can make other than ensuring that your irrigation is on point.”

For some hemp farmers, irrigation is exactly the problem amidst high temperatures and other heat-related challenges.

Challenges for Growing Hemp in Extreme Heat

Heat isn’t the only problem. Water shortages, reduced or adjusted labor hours and questions around the impacts of smoke from nearby wildfires have some farmers wondering if they will reach harvest with a successful yield.

Hemp Plants Are Thirsty: Water Shortage and Restrictions

Kristina Blohkin/Adobe Stock

The Talent Irrigation District, Rogue River Valley Irrigation District and Medford Irrigation District are part of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Rogue Basin Project, where Jones focuses most of his work. These districts supply water to thousands in Oregon, and Jones says water levels have never been so low. “The irrigation season usually runs from April 15 through Oct. 15 in the ideal year,” says Jones. “This year, water from those irrigation districts was shut off at the end of July and the beginning of August.”

Ideally, hemp plants go into the ground in June in Jones’ region. Harvest normally begins in September and will run through October. To have the water shut off in July, says Jones, growers will not have an adequate water supply to grow a good yielding crop of hemp, especially those that planted towards the end of the season. Where he used to see large bushy plants, this year Jones sees smaller hemp crop. “I certainly think that that water limitation and some heat stress in June … would limit the size of the size of those plants.”

Impacts of Smoke are Not as Bad as Some Assume

Siskiyou Sungrown is one of the lucky ones, with rights to a deep well that’s kept their crop watered all season long. Grey says sunny and dry weather during harvest is a good thing for the drying process. However, extreme heat and dry conditions are ripe for wildfire—and smoke. Growers and consumers alike are wondering how much impact smoke has on hemp plants.

It is known that wildfire smoke can affect the aroma and flavor of wine grapes. Near Siskiyou, grape growers have had problems with wildfires altering the quality of grapes. However, preliminary research and consumer quality reviews, have not reported any change in aroma or flavor of cannabis grown with surrounding smoke.

“Usually it’s a story of someone looking at the front page of a newspaper on the East Coast, calling and asking, ‘Are you going to send me smoky hemp?'” says Jones. “Or somebody from a competing region saying. ‘Buy my hemp because we’ve not been affected by wildfires smoke.’ The reality is that no research or customer feedback suggests smoke is affecting the quality of hemp flower.”

Smoke can block sunlight. Less light overall can impact how a plant photosynthesizes and may result in smaller plants. In addition to heat and moisture stress, prolonged exposure reduction of sunlight due to smoke can contribute to smaller plants, Jones says.

Some consumers have wondered what impact ash fall has on hemp products. But it’s not a concern, says Jones. It can be easily blown off and won’t clog pores long-term. Not only is ash not a major issue, but every gram of ash that falls on the ground contains nutrients like calcium and potassium. The movement of nutrients across regional ecosystems can be considered a small amount of fertilization. 

Changes to Workforce

It’s not just the plants that are getting stressed out with heat and smoke. Farmworkers have adjusted their schedules and lives around the heat. Grey says some days they started at 3  a.m. to beat the heat. In response, OSHA issued emergency rules to protect workers. Beyond physical exhaustion, Grey says, his team is mentally tired of heat and smoke. “Far and away the greatest impact of the smoke is on the health and morale of the farm team,’ says Grey. “It definitely affects our routine. When we get weeks of hazardous smoke levels, everyone’s morale plummets.”

How Growers Can Protect Their Plants in Extreme Heat

Growing hemp is a continual learning process, but there are proven ways to give plants the best shot at survival for a successful harvest. Farmers’ best bet? Get plants well-established early on.

Establish Plants Early in Good Conditions

A well established plant has a great chance of holding up against extreme heat, smoke and even temporary water shortages. “When they are well established, been in the ground, and have grown good roots, they’ll be resilient,” says Jones. “That’s what we saw for those who planted in early June, a couple weeks before the heat wave. When they had gotten through transplant shock, they did fine.”

At Siskiyou Sungrown, Grey focuses on living soil and uses organic amendments and regular soil testing to foster healthy soil. “We compost all of our on-site organic matter, all of our organic waste. The roots, the stems, the leaves, we compost all of that and put that back into the soil, too, so we’re adding lots of organic matter to the soil every year.” Grey also rotates planting rows every two years and takes a dozen or more samples across fields multiple times a season to amend appropriately.

Isaac/Adobe Stock

Keep Hemp Plants Cool

If hemp plants can keep water flowing from roots to leaves, and then evaporate it into the atmosphere, much like our own sweat process, they can keep themselves cool. Jones reiterates it all comes down to the water. “There were folks who transplanted just a few days before that heat wave came,” says Jones. “And some of those fields look really poor.”

Grey also suggests planting in native soil and using a cover crop to keep plants cool. Native soil stays cooler than raised beds and pots. Grey uses a thick layer of mulch, particularly rice straw, which breaks down quickly because of its aquatic nature. This helps keeps the roots cool and moist. Other cover crops farmers can use include clover, buckwheat or oats.

Consider Backup Water Sources

If growers are in an area with water shortages, there is not a lot that can be done.

In water emergencies, there may be possibilities for farmers to gain access to other agricultural water sources like wells or ponds. “Gaining access to new agricultural water is a reasonably challenging process,” Jones says. “They are probably some rare justifications where new wells can be drilled. In some cases, people can get permission to dig a pond on their property to hold water which is something that’s handled by our watermaster’s office.”

In some cases, farmers are choosing to water only the best sections of the crop. Jones watched a farmer sacrifice smaller, weaker plants to reserve the limited water supply he had, for his more-promising crop. “He went ahead and made the decision to cull out those weaker plants … to be able to allocate all of his water to his best-looking plants, rather than trying to keep a poor-looking section of the field limping along,” says Jones. Other farmers have tried bringing water from other sources in by truckloads, but this is a tedious and likely inefficient process for large operations.

A long-term solution would involve changing irrigation infrastructures, but leaky canals and aging irrigation systems are as much a social and political conversation as it is an agricultural one. The cost of infrastructure changes would be hundreds of millions of dollars, says Jones, and a solution that growers can think about and participate in, but not likely to happen in the next few years.

Plant Varieties with Shorter Seasons Can Help Farmers Beat the Heat

Oregon gets most of its water in the fall and winter months. Jones remembers that this year, the reservoirs were not filling properly in February and March. Paying attention to those details can help growers plan, particularly with what hemp variety they choose to plant.

Most hemp growers use a daylight-sensitive variety. It gets planted in Spring, grows vegetatively until it is cued (by daylength) to flower in late summer or fall, and is harvested in September or October. That is a long season and requires water the entire time. Jones points out, however, there are hemp varieties that are daylength neutral, or autoflowering. These plants don’t need a daylength cue. Plants go in the ground and in 50-75 days, plants grow to maturity. “There were a few growers who were able to plant their [autoflowering] crop in late May to early June and were able to harvest them by the end of July just as the water was shut off,” says Jones. The caveat is that these varieties yield smaller plants, though it is still an option for growers who are anticipating a dry season.

Researchers are still exploring which varieties can grow in shorter seasons. They hope in the future they can help growers make informed seed choices in the spring.

What Does Heat Mean for Harvest?

When it comes to heat at harvest time, Grey says heat alone is not that big of an issue. If anything, air conditioning units can be brought in if indoor drying facilities get too hot. The tough part is keeping plants watered in a hot summer. If you can get your plants to survive to harvest time during extreme heat conditions, all else equal, harvest should be smooth sailing.

The Moral of the Story: Hemp is Resilient

Growers and researchers alike are working to learn about the hemp plant while they grow it and respond simultaneously to extreme conditions. “We have a very short history of this sort of field-scale hemp growing that people are doing on tens of acres. It really is a brand-new thing for the high cannabinoid, high-CBD, CBG hemp varieties that have been around just for a handful of years,” says Jones. “People are figuring out for the first time what to do when the water gets shut off in the middle of the summer.”

If farmers can get their plants well established early on and water thoroughly (while it’s available), extreme heat conditions won’t wipe out this resilient crop. Grey became concerned when they had a two-week stretch of heat that was stagnant between 95 degrees and 112 degrees, even though their plants were well established. “I was very concerned about how the plants were going to handle [the heat]. I thought we might have seen a bunch of heat stress out there. Honestly, we didn’t,” says Grey. “I’m realizing that if the plant is healthy and if conditions are right, it can obviously survive at least 112 degrees with no issues.  It’s really changed my view of the plant.”

The rise in the number of optimistic regulatory frameworks instigated by various regional governments will positively anchor the forecast for the cannabidiol (CBD) market. The growing awareness regarding the benefits and effects of the product as an alternative treatment method has accelerated its preference among consumers and suppliers. Moreover, the continued advancements in the approval processes by various authorities worldwide have also made way for numerous opportunities supporting CBD market growth.

According to a report by Global Market Insights, Inc, the global CBD market size could exceed $108.8 billion by 2027.

Growing presence in cosmetics

The overall industry share from creams and roll-on products is poised to hit a 35.8% CAGR up to 2027. This is owing to the increasing scope of CBD in cosmetic applications as it is highly effective in treating skin conditions. This, as well as its anti-inflammatory characteristics from a medicinal perspective, are leading to increased demand for CBD products like creams and roll-ons.

Scope in the treatment of mental health

CBD market value from anxiety/stress applications exceeded USD 1.5 billion in 2020 due to the growing need for helping mental health. The World Health Organization reported that over 4.5% of the total population in Europe suffers from depression. This escalating anxiety and stress rate has encouraged healthcare practitioners to increasingly make use of CBD-based medications.

Higher demand for oral administration

Demand for oral cannabidiol administration held nearly 45% of the industry proportion in 2020 due to its growing preference considering the gradual relief of pain compared to other disorders. The increasing dependency on the oral administration route for product development by several manufacturers will add positive impetus to market growth.

Medical benefits of cannabis

Annual revenue of the CBD market from the segment of the market dealing with THC (and CBD) products is expected to cross USD 30.1 billion by 2027. This is largely due to its increasing penetration across various countries and regions on account of its legal status. Furthermore, the relatively higher THC content of the compound has led to its growing usage to combat medical conditions, including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, among others.

Online distribution to see a considerable footprint

The online CBD industry was responsible for more than 46% of the market in 2020. This is mainly due to the numerous advantages of online channels, like on-time delivery and adequate inventory, compared to their offline counterparts. Besides, this distribution platform minimizes the operational costs related to the maintenance of brick and mortar retail.

Australia to lead the regional landscape

Australia dominated the Asia Pacific CBD market by holding over 25% of the market share owing to the expanding geriatric population and the liberal stance of the regulating bodies in the region. The permittance to the medicinal and cosmetic use of CBD products is likely to spur regional adoption. The rising amendments in regulatory scenarios have also triggered awareness regarding the potential benefits of the product in the country. For instance, in April 2020, the Australian government released a new proposal for over-the-counter CBD in a bid to relax its narcotic scheduling whilst making it a Schedule 3 substance.

Providers of various CBD products are actively indulging in numerous growth strategies, like acquisitions and partnerships, to reinforce their market presence. For example, Mota Ventures Corp., in January 2020, acquired Spanish producer and online retailer, Sativida OU in a USD 2.2 million deal. The acquisition expanded the company’s presence in Europe and Latin America.

Although the demand for CBD is likely to experience certain hesitation from consumers in the short term, the market will witness lucrative growth in the long run. However, counterfeit and substandard quality products may potentially restrain industry expansion to some extent.