A hemp plant in Alberta. (Jennifer Blair photo)

Regulations, versatility pull hemp in different directions in West

Crop 'still struggling with reaching its full potential'

MarketsFarm — Accounting for 60 per cent of Canada’s 1,100 cultivation licenses as of 2020, according to Health Canada, Western Canada is the country’s most important region when it comes to hemp production. But while there are more products on store shelves, more cultivars than ever before and high prices for the crop, demand for […] Read more

(Jennifer Blair photo)

Hemp industry looking forward despite hurdles

Industry 'on the edge of turning'

MarketsFarm — The number of hemp acres grown in Canada, of which more than 80 per cent are on the Prairies, have ebbed and flowed over the past few years. In 2018, 41,200 acres were planted, according to Statistics Canada, but the total more than doubled the next year to 91,100. In 2020, that number […] Read more

Burcon’s technical centre in the Fort Garry district of Winnipeg. (Glen Hallick photo)

Pea, canola protein processing plant planned for outside Winnipeg

MarketsFarm — Somewhere outside Winnipeg, a new pea and canola processing plant is scheduled to be in production by August 2020. The $65 million facility is expected to process up to 20,000 tonnes of yellow field peas annually and will be the world’s only commercial-scale food-grade canola protein production facility. No figure for the plant’s […] Read more

A hemp plant in Alberta. (Jennifer Blair photo)

Hemp acres expected to double due to crop versatility

MarketsFarm — Canada’s hemp acres are set to double in 2019, according to the most recent principal field crop acreage report from Statistics Canada. The hemp industry is experiencing somewhat of a boom as hemp products of all stripes enter mainstream consumer markets. “Health Canada is running at least double the number of hemp license […] Read more

rr(Screengrab from Manitoba Harvest corporate video via YouTube)

Tilray to buy hemp food maker Manitoba Harvest

Reuters — Shares of cannabis firm Tilray Inc. rose as much as seven per cent on Wednesday after announcing a deal to buy hemp food maker Manitoba Harvest for up to $419 million as it seeks to gain a foothold in the lucrative business. The deal comes after the U.S. farm bill, which legalized commercial […] Read more


(Jennifer Blair photo)

Red tape seen costing hemp growers market share

CNS Canada — Canadian hemp producers are missing out on a potential billion-dollar market opportunity due to government regulations, an industry group warns. Canadian hemp farmers are only permitted to use certain parts, the stalk and seeds, of the plants they grow. As a result, the growers are missing out in the market, said Kim […] Read more

(HempTrade.ca)

Market demand for Canadian hemp exceeding supply

CNS Canada — As hemp users develop more uses for the plant and its seed, so too grow the demands on the crop. It’s a demand becoming tougher to fill, according to an industry expert, as the general public becomes increasingly interested in the plant. “You talk about canola being the miracle crop? Well, hemp […] Read more