Hemp in 2025: Cliff Hangers, Course Corrections and Community

Hemp in 2025: Cliff Hangers, Course Corrections and Community

Author: Eric Hurlock, Digital Editor December 30, 2025 Duration: 31:57

2025 was a year of uncertainty, contradiction and recalibration for the hemp industry.

In this year-end episode of the Lancaster Farming Industrial Hemp Podcast, host Eric Hurlock looks back on a season defined by policy whiplash, shifting definitions and hard conversations about what hemp is — and what it is not.

From rumors of executive action and the collapse of intoxicating hemp loopholes to the rescheduling of marijuana and its ripple effects across agriculture, the year ended with more questions than answers.

The episode revisits key voices from across the hemp landscape — policy advocates, farmers, processors, builders and researchers — and reflects on what the USDA data, federal decisions and on-the-ground realities revealed about the fiber, grain and building sectors.

It's also a personal moment of reflection: Nearly 50 episodes, roughly 160 guests and a year spent listening closely to the people doing the slow work of building real hemp infrastructure. As the show heads into 2026, this episode pauses long enough to take stock — and to set the stage for what comes next.

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Voices You Will Hear in This Episode

Morris Beegle

NoCo Hemp Expo

Joy Beckerman

Hemp Industries Association

Chris Fontes

High Spirits

Cameron McIntosh

Americhanvre Cast Hemp

Morgan Tweet

IND HEMP

Jeremy Klettke

Davis Hemp Farms

Lynda Mugglestone

University of Oxford

Guy Carpenter

Bear Fiber

Andre West

NC State Wilson College of Textiles

Larry Smart

Cornell University

Trey Riddle

IND HEMP

Sandra Marquardt

On the Mark Consulting

Coleman Beale

BastCore

Satish Hodage

YUJ Labs

Ding Hongliang

Hemp Fortex

Maciej Kowalski

Kombinat Konopny

Dave Cook

Tuscarora Mills

Mark D'Sa

Panda Biotech

Joseph Carringer

Canna Markets Group

Micaela Machado

Old Pueblo Hemp Co.

Danny Desjarlais

Lower Sioux Indian Community

Matt Marino

Homeland Hempcrete

Steve Allin

International Hemp Building Association

Jacob Waddell

Hemp Building Institute

Thanks to our Sponsors

IND HEMP

indhemp.com

Americhanvre Cast Hemp

americhanvre.com

King's AgriSeeds

kingsagriseeds.com

Forever Green

hempcutter.com

Sunray Hemp

Palmer, Alaska

National Hemp Association

nationalhempassociation.org

Hemp Education & Marketing Initiative (HEMI)

hempinitiatives.org


There’s a quiet revolution happening in fields and factories, and it’s centered on a single, versatile plant. Industrial Hemp Podcast, guided by Eric Hurlock, the Digital Editor at Lancaster Farming, moves beyond the headlines to explore what’s actually happening on the ground. This isn’t just theoretical discussion; it’s a direct line to the people driving the industry forward. Each episode features conversations with the farmers who are planting and harvesting these crops, facing very real agronomic challenges and opportunities. You’ll also hear from researchers, processors, and policy experts who are shaping the future of hemp for fiber, grain, and other industrial applications. The dialogue digs into the practicalities-from planting techniques and harvesting equipment to market trends, regulatory hurdles, and technological innovations that are changing the game. It’s a clear-eyed look at an agricultural sector finding its footing, reported by journalists with deep roots in farming communities. For anyone curious about the business, science, and sheer hard work behind industrial hemp, this podcast serves as an essential, grounded resource. Tune in for honest talk that cuts through the hype and gets to the root of this growing field.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 100

Industrial Hemp Podcast
Podcast Episodes
10th Annual NoCo Hemp Expo Gathers Many Voices [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:12
This week's hemp podcast is a recap of the 10th annual NoCo Hemp Expo in Estes Park, Colorado, April 11-13, where industry stakeholders gathered to collaborate, commiserate and celebrate the state of hemp in 2024. The ep…
Experimental Hemp Micro Processing With Steve Groff [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 50:04
On this week's hemp podcast, Lancaster Farming talks to Steve Groff from Cedar Meadow Farm in Holtwood, Lancaster County, where he is getting ready to plant 70 acres of industrial hemp. "This year it's all fiber. And we'…
The Bee's Knees: Ken Meyer on the Buzz About Hemp in South Dakota [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 51:49
In this week's hemp podcast, Lancaster Farming speaks with Ken Meyer, beekeeper and hemp processor from South Dakota. Meyer and his family run a fourth-generation beekeeping business as well as the state's first industri…
Right Coast Hemp Hosts Hempcrete Workshops in New Jersey [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:21
On this bonus episode of the Hemp Podcast, we talk to Mike Mercadante from Right Coast Hemp in Manahawkin, New Jersey, where the company is holding the first of a series of hands-on hempcrete work shops, May 10-12. The w…
Mill26 is Making 100% Hemp Paper in Upstate New York [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 35:46
Hemp Podcast guest James "Jimmy" Cottrell II is a fourth-generation paper maker at family-owned Cottrell Paper in Saratoga County, New York. He started cutting the grass in high school and began working at the mill after…
Good News from the National Hemp Association [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 29:32
This is a special weekend edition of the Hemp Podcast. Lancaster Farming speaks with Geoff Whaling, chair of the National Hemp Association. I will update the details of this episode soon. For now, enjoy the audio. Learn…
Jean Lotus Trains an Eagle Eye on Hemp Building Worldwide [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:01:38
Jean Lotus is an award-winning investigative journalist and publisher of HempBuild Magazine. She is based in Fort Collins, Colorado, where she has been covering the hemp industry since 2017, and is our guest on this week…

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