While exploring which crops to plant, finding a niche market is always a good thing. The legalization which made growing industrial hemp legal again has brought the potential of many of these niche markets to the United States.
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SCOTTSBLUFF – While exploring which crops to plant, finding a niche market is always a good thing. The legalization which made growing industrial hemp legal again has brought the potential of many of these niche markets to the United States. One of these markets is fiber production.
Industrial hemp fiber is produced by separating the fiber from the core wood contained in the stalk of the hemp plant. The stalks are put through a line of machines to separate the two materials in a process called decortication. The fiber must be cleaned and refined a number of times, as the wood is heavily embedded in the fiber.
Currently, fiber production is an under-explored option in the
United States.
John Lupien, Founder and CEO of Hemp Fast Forward, said in regards to the current U.S. fiber market, “Right now it’s just animal bedding.”
Growing industrial hemp for fiber is easier than some other crops with a much shorter growing period and opportunities for multiple markets from a single plant.
There are many different products that can be produced with hemp fiber including paper, clothing, building materials and car parts, dependent upon how it is processed. The core wood has also been found to be extremely absorbent, which opens up a possibility for hemp fiber to be used to clean up oil spills.
One major hurdle which still has to be overcome before a hemp fiber industry can get rolling in the United States is the lack of infrastructure for processing, marketing and more.
“There’s a lot of cart before the horse in the fiber space.” Lupien said. “The market wants the product, but they’re not going to invest in what needs to happen to bring it
In international production, there are mandates that create markets such as reducing the weight in cars.
Lupien said, “China is where we have all the textile fiber production for hemp right now.” However, he explained that most of the processes were small and labor intensive.
Lupien and his team are working to develop a more commercial scale process for fiber. However he admitted that risks would have to be taken for the fiber market to become profitable. Above all, it will take time.
