Hemp on the Hill and the Silver Screen

Hemp on the Hill and the Silver Screen

Author: Eric Hurlock, Digital Editor September 11, 2026 Duration: 35:47

This week's Hemp Podcast is divided into two parts.

First, we take a look at the recent changes in U.S. hemp policy in a conversation with Rachel Umansky-Castro, the agriculture reporter for Bloomberg Government, who has spent the summer covering the fight over the federal definition of hemp. She walks us through what's been happening in D.C. lately, who the various lobbying groups are and what they ultimately want from federal policy.

"There are so many divisions among these lawmakers, and it's clear that the hemp issue has split members of the same party, " Umansky-Castro said.

Last week, Congress used a continuing resolution to push the so-called Mitch McConnell deadline from November to December 11, and Umansky-Castro explains what that extra month does and doesn't buy the industry.

In part two of the show, we check in with Tennessee filmmaker Jordan Berger, whose documentary, "One Plant," is finally finished after several years of production.

"The plant itself, you know, it touches on everything. And this thing started as a series because there's just so much, but we ultimately made it one film," Berger said.

One Plant premieres at the Nashville Film Festival on September 26, 2026. From there, the film travels around the country to other festivals, with stops in Bozeman, MT; Santa Cruz, CA; and Minneapolis, MN.

On October 24, the Lancaster Farming Industrial Hemp Podcast will host a double screening of One Plant in Lancaster, PA, at the Zoetropolis Theatre with a Q&A and time to meet others from the film and the Pennsylvania hemp community. Doors open at 11:30 a.m., tickets are available on Eventbrite at the link below.

Learn More

Get Tickets — ONE PLANT in Lancaster 

eventbrite.com

ONE PLANT Lancaster Screening, Oct 24 

oneplant.film/lancaster

Bloomberg Government
news.bgov.com/

Rachel Umansky-Castro — Bloomberg Government

news.bgov.com/author/rachel-umansky-castro-25432161

Hemp Ban Delay Passed by Congress After Blowback From Hardliners

news.bgov.com/bloomberg-government-news/hemp-ban-delay-passed-by-congress-after-blowback-from-hardliners

Nashville Film Festival — World Premiere, Sept 26

nashvillefilmfestival.org/2026-festival

Bozeman Film Festival — Oct 10

bozemanfilmfestival.org

Santa Cruz Film Festival — Oct 17

santacruzfilmfestivals.org

 

NIHC Global Summit — "Seed to Style," FIT, NYC

nihcglobalsummit.com

Choose Your Change — Farm to Fabric Hemp Textile Symposium 

chooseyourchange.org

Sponsors

Jungmaven — hemp clothing, made in the USA

jungmaven.com

IND Hemp — Fort Benton, Montana

indhemp.com


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: 50

Industrial Hemp Podcast
Podcast Episodes
Hemp Grain for Fuel: Wendy Mosher of New West Genetics [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:35
New West Genetics has been focused on crop improvement in the hemp industry since 2014. In July of 2021, the Lancaster Farming National Hemp Tour paid a visit to the New West headquarters in Fort Collins, Colorado, where…
Melissa Nelson of South Bend Industrial Hemp on Five Years of Growth [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:48
This week on the Hemp Show, we're revisiting some of the folks we met during our National Hemp Tour of 2021. Five years ago this summer the Industrial Hemp Podcast hit the road to map the industry as it was then. Hemp fa…
Seed to Style: Inside the NIHC Summit with Patrick Atagi [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 23:32
This week on the Industrial Hemp Podcast, we talk to Patrick Atagi, president and CEO of the National Industrial Hemp Council, the organization that's hosting the Seed to Style hemp fiber summit in conjunction with the F…
Counting the Blessings of HempWood with Greg Wilson [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:16
This week on The Hemp Show, we check in with Greg Wilson from Hempwood in Murray, Kentucky where, five years ago, Lancaster Farming's National Hemp Tour made its first stop. A lot has happened with Hempwood since then, a…
The National Hemp Tour 5 Years On [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:39
This week on the hemp podcast we take a ride in the RV Time Machine. We're going back five years, back to the National Hemp Tour in the summer of 2021, when we took the podcast on the road — and took my family too. We tr…
The Fiber King In-Field Decorticator [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:34
On this week's show, we catch up with Lancaster County farmer, hemp innovator and cover-crop coach Steve Groff to hear about the progress on two machines that have been years in the making and, he thinks, are finally abo…
Hemp Week in the Hempire State [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:43
This week on the Hemp Show we're digging into a few of the calendar items we mentioned on last week's show, specifically the run of events in New York state next month. On September 15, Cornell's 10th Annual Grain and Fi…
News Nuggets and Upcoming Hemp Events [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 15:11
On this week's Hemp Show we are focusing on recent news stories and upcoming hemp events, including the Farm-to-Fabric Hemp Textile Symposium in New York City, September 18-20. See the full list of events below. Plus a h…
From Field to Foot: Making Hemp Socks in Poland [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 39:24
This week's Hemp Show takes us once more back to Poland, where Maciej Kowalski gives us a tour of his vertically integrated hemp textile company in Elbląg, a small town in Northern Poland, not too far from the Baltic Sea…
Hempcrete Hero: Little House on the Podcast [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 32:52
We have an outbuilding at home — we call it the Little House. It's a small old barn that sits out in our back yard, maybe 25 feet from the back door. It was a barn for animals at one point, then a garage, then an apartme…