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
Inside the Trojan Horse of Intoxicating Hemp [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 57:55
This week on the Hemp Podcast, we have a long conversation about hemp-derived intoxicating cannabinoids with Chris Fontes, president of the U.S. Hemp Authority and founder of Trojan Horse Cannabis and High Spirits Bevera…
Spring Hemp Preview: Webinars, Short Courses, and Conferences [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 53:49
This week on the Industrial Hemp Podcast, host Eric Hurlock is joined by Lancaster Farming staff reporter Dan Sullivan to talk about one Pennsylvania farmer's decision that's captured national attention. Farmer Mervin Ra…
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We're back. Season 9 of the Hemp Show is here. In this season opener of the Lancaster Farming Industrial Hemp Podcast, we'll take you inside a hearing organized by the Center for Rural Pennsylvania that was meant to expl…
In the Hemp Studio with Farmer Steve Groff [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 48:49
We have a special in-studio guest this week on the Industrial Hemp Show. Steve Groff, third-generation Lancaster County farmer and hemp innovator from Holtwood, Pennsylvania, stopped by the Hemp Studio at the Lancaster F…
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Duration: 46:31
This week on the Lancaster Farming Industrial Hemp Podcast, we take a close look at the biggest federal hemp policy shift since the 2018 Farm Bill and what it means for the industry. Our guests on the show are Danielle B…
CBD Farmer & Hemp Builder React to New Federal Hemp Definition [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 54:02
Congress changed the definition of hemp this week, clarifying the original intent of the 2018 Farm Bill and closing the intoxicating-hemp loophole that enabled a nationwide market of unregulated semi-synthetic THC produc…
Code, Carbon and Hemp-Lime Construction with Jake Waddell [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 51:49
This week on the Hemp Show, we're talking to Jake Waddell from the Hemp Building Institute about the future of hemp construction, building codes and embodied carbon. Hemp-lime construction has come a long way — from earl…
Oh, For The Love of Farming... [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 24:41
This special edition of the Lancaster Farming Industrial Hemp Podcast celebrates the 70th anniversary of Lancaster Farming Newspaper, which has been reporting on agriculture since 1955. Recorded at Penn State's Ag Progre…
The Winds of Cansayapi (Part Three) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 48:31
Welcome to part three of our Cansayapi Trilogy in which we explore the 13th International Hemp Building Symposium, held Oct. 3-5, 2025, at the Lower Sioux Indian Community in Southwestern Minnesota. Part Three opens wher…