December 21, 2022
Contact: media@thehia.org
707.874.3648
New Hemp Fiber and Hurd Supply Chain Map Available
Hemp Nonprofits Collaborate to Create Valuable Resources for Farmers, Processors, Manufacturers and Other Hemp Fiber and Hurd Businesses
VANCOUVER, Washington – The Hemp Industries Association today unveiled the product of several months of collaboration between the HIA, the Global Hemp Association, the Midwest Hemp Council, and the US Hemp Building Association: A first-of-its-kind, comprehensive, and searchable map of businesses operating across the North American hemp fiber and hurd supply chain. Hemp fiber (or bast) and hurd are versatile components of the stalk of the industrial hemp plant, with famously numerous potential applications. Despite that potential, a lack of infrastructure, knowledge, and processing facilities have combined to hamper the growth of this segment of the hemp industry since growing the crop was federally legalized in 2018. The project, which combined research conducted by each contributing organization, was spearheaded by the HIA’s Fiber and Hurd Council, will be a freely available resource for potential hemp farmers, processors, and other businesses along the hemp fiber and hurd supply chain. “The concept began with the goal of helping someone contemplating adding fiber hemp to their crop rotations to find out if there is a processing facility nearby that could purchase their hemp,” said HIA’s Executive Director, Jody McGinness, “When we discovered that other groups were working along the same lines, we reached out to try to combine our efforts, and the result was a far more complete picture of the fiber and hurd supply chain than we even anticipated.”
The map includes listings of active processors with details about the businesses fiber processing capacity, products, available services, and the geographical range from which they source hemp for production. Due to its bulk, fiber hemp in particular is impractical to store for long and ship long distances, so most processing facilities have a defined range from which they can efficiently purchase hemp, which is reflected in a radius around the business listing on the map itself. A user can click a “show me on the map” button and quickly determine whether they fall within one or more processor’s sourcing radius. The initial map includes less than 30 identified active businesses, but is expected to grow substantially in the coming years as new facilities come online. Zev Paiss, HIA’s Fiber and Hurd Board Director and Chairperson of the Fiber and Hurd Council, described the future potential of the map this way: “While this interactive fiber and hurd map will help identify existing business, I suspect it will be even more helpful for those looking to create new business opportunities in currently underserved locations.”
Active processors and other businesses along the hemp fiber and hurd supply chain are invited to submit or revise their map entries here on a complimentary basis: https://thehia.org/map.
ABOUT THE HEMP INDUSTRIES ASSOCIATION
Founded nearly 30 years ago by a group of hemp business owners and activists, The Hemp Industries Association is a nonprofit trade association with business, farming, and individual members that serves all facets of the U.S. hemp industry through advocacy, education, and by expanding opportunities. Committed to realizing hemp’s full potential as an agricultural commodity, the association’s mission statement reads: “To advance the hemp economy and educate the market for the benefit of our members, the public, and the planet.”
ABOUT THE GLOBAL HEMP ASSOCIATION
GHA is the network for hemp professionals. Our members are vetted and active, many with decades of experience in the hemp industry. Unity and collaboration are key drivers that power GHA. Our members, partners, and associates come from locations across the planet —a shared planet that needs our help to mitigate climate change, in part with hemp. GHA recognizes the challenges, needs, and opportunities within the hemp industry, and the importance of working together on the critical issues at hand to strengthen the hemp industry supply chain and help each player involved to make a meaningful impact.
ABOUT THE MIDWEST HEMP COUNCIL
Midwest Hemp Council members are involved in farming, processing, testing, hemp research, manufacturing, distribution, marketing and education. We welcome all individuals, companies and corporations to share our vision of building and promoting the entire hemp supply chain. Our mission is to stand as a credible information center, a trusted policy advocate and a dedicated trade organization for the hemp industry in Indiana and beyond.
ABOUT US HEMP BUILDING ASSOCIATION
US Hemp Building Association is a membership organization dedicated to support and advocate for hemp building professionals, projects, and materials in the United States. The purpose of the USHBA is to support and advocate for hemp building professionals, projects and materials in the United States. To facilitate thorough education the establishment, stabilization, and growth of a thriving American hemp building Industry.