Hemp generates a higher net income per acre than corn. It can be grown from northern Canada to central America. Every part of the plant has an industrial or food use. Some compare its potential to that of soybeans, the last important commodity crop introduced into the United States back in the 1920s. We're still at the beginning of this new era of industrial hemp.
Crop yields are still modest.
Seed prices are high. Textile and paper mills are learning how to modify their machinery to most effectively use this new fiber. Chemical companies are still analyzing the unusual properties of hemp oil. The learning curve will continue. The only question is whether American farmers and American industry will be part of it.