The hemp event of the summer is taking place in Raleigh, North Carolina, July 15-17.
It's the Global Industrial Hemp Fiber Summit, hosted by the Wilson College of Textiles, in conjunction with the National Industrial Hemp Council.
This week on the Hemp Show, we'll talk to the lead organizer of the event, Guy Carpenter.
Unlike other events focused on industrial hemp, this summit centers squarely on hemp fiber and the industries that are growing up around fiber: textiles, apparel, denim, upholstery, non-wovens, construction, hempcrete, insulation, acoustic panels, automotive, biocomposites, door panels, dashboards, paper, packaging, bioenergy, bioplastics and more.
Just don't expect cannabinoids, CBD, Delta-8, hemp-derived intoxicants, or any discussion of the floral side of cannabis.
According to Carpenter, this event is all about building the fiber industry.
"If you have any interest whatsoever in starting a business in our industry and figuring out how to make it work and also figuring out what are the starting points, what are the roadblocks, what are the opportunities … this is the place to be," he said.
The three-day event will include panel discussions with industry experts, as well as field trips to NC State hemp fields, local manufacturing centers and the largest and newest hemp processing facility on the East Coast, recently opened by Biophil Natural Fibers in Lumberton, North Carolina.
Carpenter said the summit will cover "everything from seed to decortication … whatever type of segment of the fiber you want to use, we're going to have people here who are experts at it."
Carpenter has dedicated his life to natural fibers. He's worked in fashion and apparel, international textile manufacturing, and policy development. After the Army and the Peace Corps, his professional journey in the apparel industry took him all over the world, eventually studying hemp fiber production in China. His vast industry knowledge is a pivotal resource as his home state of North Carolina ramps up hemp for textiles.
He brings an unmatched experience and credibility as the organizer of the summit.
Carpenter said this event follows in the tradition of the Montana Hemp Summit, hosted by IND Hemp in previous years, which means the summit will be less of a celebration of hemp and more of a working session to move the industry forward, and the people who attend are the people building the industry.
"They're not just out there promoting hemp for its magical powers or its halo of goodness… but figuring out ways to make money from it," he said. "This is the place to be."
Also this week, we read a few hemp excerpts from USDA's 1913 Yearbook.
Register for the NIHC Global Industrial Hemp Fiber Summit here:
https://www.globalindustrialfibersummit.com
Read the USDA Yearbook of Agriculture, 1913 — Chapter on Hemp by Lyster Dewey:
https://archive.org/details/yearbookofusdept1913unit/page/282/mode/2up
News Nuggets
Texas Legislature Moves to Ban THC Hemp Products
https://www.texastribune.org/2025/05/21/texas-house-thc-hemp-senate-bill-3-ban/
Moldova Plants First Legal Hemp Fields
https://hempgazette.com/news/moldova-hemp-fields-hg2123/
Germany Introduces Hemp Flower Tax Stamps
https://hemptoday.net/german-hemp-flower-stamps/
Texas Poultry Farm Transforms to Hemp Cultivation
https://www.publicnewsservice.org/story/texas-farmers-move-from-poultry-to-hemp/a83734-1
Thanks to our sponsors:
IND HEMP
https://www.indhemp.com
Forever Green – Distributors of the KP4 Hemp Cutter
https://www.hempcutter.com
National Hemp Association
https://nationalhempassociation.org
