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The hemp opportunity: How does organic fit in?

Organic Trade Association’s annual conference day to offer in-depth sessions on the new market

Maggie McNeil
(
mmcneil@ota.com
(202) 403-8514
(202) 615-7997
)
Washington , DC
US
 (
March 20, 2019
) — 

Industrialized hemp became legal in the U.S. with the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill, and it is already a $1-billion market with sales projected to double by 2022. But hemp is a highly regulated and complex crop to grow and market. The Organic Trade Association’s “Bold Ideas & Critical Conversations” 2019 annual conference on May 22 will sort through the marketing and regulatory details of this new market, and take a deep dive look at the opportunity for the organic sector to take an early leadership position in this fast-growing sector.

The ”Hemp Opportunity” track will feature three educational sessions: a high-level explanation of terminologies and a review of how the law of the land changed with the Farm Bill passage; a comprehensive look at the evolving regulatory framework for hemp; and a panel of organic hemp growers from diverse growing regions and backgrounds who will share their unique experiences in getting into this new market.

Confirmed moderators and speakers for the sessions include Gwendolyn Wyard, Vice President of Regulatory and Technical Affairs for the Organic Trade Association; Rend Al-Mondhiry, Senior Counsel at Amin Talati Upadhye and an expert on ingredient and labeling issues for dietary supplement and food industries; Jonathan Miller, attorney with Frost, Brown and Todd and legal counsel for the U.S. Hemp Roundtable; Steven Hoffman, Founder and Managing Director of Compass Natural; and organic hemp grower Chris Jagger of Oregon.

“The organic sector can get an early and profitable foothold into the hemp market, but it first needs to understand the regulations, develop and communicate agronomic best practices, and establish the infrastructure necessary to bring the crop to market,” said Laura Batcha, CEO and Executive Director of the Organic Trade Association.

For more information on the Bold Ideas & Critical Conversations conference and on OrganicWeekDC, see this page. 

Leading Edge Thinking. Better Solutions.

Bold Ideas & Critical Conversations.


The Organic Trade Association (OTA) is the membership-based business association for organic agriculture and products in North America. OTA is the leading voice for the organic trade in the United States, representing over 9,500 organic businesses across 50 states. Its members include growers, shippers, processors, certifiers, farmers' associations, distributors, importers, exporters, consultants, retailers and others. OTA’s Board of Directors is democratically elected by its members. OTA's mission is to promote and protect ORGANIC with a unifying voice that serves and engages its diverse members from farm to marketplace.