More than 45,000 acres of hemp were planted across the United States last year. Only 550 of those were in Missouri.鈥�
Nationwide, that鈥檚 the most hemp that鈥檚 been planted , and the lowest Missouri levels ever recorded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture鈥檚 National Agricultural Statistics Service.鈥�
The USDA NASS began collecting hemp data in 2021, three years after the U.S. legalized the crop in the 2018 Farm Bill. The omnibus agriculture bill defined hemp as any cannabis plant with less than 0.3% of delta-9 THC, one of the intoxicating chemicals found in marijuana.鈥�
Eleazar Gonzales is an agricultural economist with Lincoln University in Jefferson City. He does industry analysis as part of the university鈥檚 hemp program, which works on developing best practices, genetics and markets for hemp production.鈥�
Last year, he was optimistic about Missouri hemp production. But multiple factors have caused some hemp farmers to stop their operations.鈥�
鈥淢ost of the farmers who started with hemp 鈥� they lost money,鈥� Gonzales said.鈥�
Missouri was one of the country鈥檚 top producers of hemp in the early 20th century. But after a de facto ban in the 1930s, the already-declining market was annihilated and supply chains atrophied. Trying to build them back has been a challenge. Today, there are hardly any companies that process hemp in Missouri.鈥�
鈥淚t is not profitable to go 200 or 300 miles to find a processor,鈥� Gonzales said.鈥�
Lincoln鈥檚 Hemp Institute has been working on expanding markets. They paid farmers to plant hemp and helped them connect with one of the only hemp processors in the state, Midwest Natural Fiber.鈥�
But many farmers wouldn鈥檛 grow hemp if they were paid to 鈥� literally.鈥�
"There is a cost 鈥� opportunity cost 鈥� to grow something else,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t is more profitable to grow corn or soybean, other crops. They will not grow hemp."
The program also worked on developing variants that are optimal for Missouri鈥檚 climate and soil, the lack of which is another side-effect of the near-century of hemp鈥檚 hiatus. Farmers also need variants that don鈥檛 run the risk of violating the legal limit of delta-9 THC.鈥�
鈥淢ore than 0.3% concentration, you are going to have to destroy your plantation,鈥濃�� Gonzales said.鈥�
Hemp-derived drugs have been a profitable, and controversial, sector of the hemp industry. While cannabis with delta-9 THC is federally illegal, there are other chemicals that produce similar effects. Plus, there is technology to convert some of these chemicals into delta-9. The legal status of both of these types of drugs has been described by some as the 鈥渉emp loophole.鈥�
Some Missouri officials have been trying to crack down on these drugs. Last summer, then-Governor Mike Parson announced a sweeping ban 鈥� though it was stripped down weeks later. For years, lawmakers have made attempts at efforts that some in the hemp industry say would effectively kill their businesses, such as limiting the sale of hemp-derived products to marijuana dispensaries.鈥�
These efforts may have scared some farmers off, Gonzales said.鈥�
鈥淚t's risky to grow hemp still and without a very clear policy about regulations to grow it, you are not going to take the risk,鈥� he said.鈥�
Other states have seen large increases, driving a national boom in hemp production last year. More than 45,000 acres of hemp were planted in 2024, up by 64% from 2023.
鈥淭hat means somebody is learning something these six years,鈥� Gonzales said.鈥�
Overall, 15 states saw an increase in planted hemp, and 12 saw a decrease. Other states don鈥檛 have data available, because they had too few producers in either or both years to publish anonymized data.鈥�
Missouri also saw a sharp decrease in the amount of hemp that was actually harvested from the field. Only 210鈥� acres were harvested last year, down from 1410 acres in 2023. Gonzales said Lincoln University and its partners lost 300 acres of the hemp鈥痯lanted last year due to frost.鈥�
鈥淲e are learning from the mistakes, but we are still dealing with hemp policies, with genetics, with markets and substitute products.鈥�
One federal effort to bolster the hemp market was centered at Lincoln. program focused on developing markets and varieties of hemp.
But the program鈥檚 funding is in jeopardy. The Department of Agriculture it is suspending the Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities Initiative.
Some projects will be continued under a new name, but those will only be ones that had 鈥渁 minimum of鈥� 65% of federal funds鈥� going directly to farmers.鈥�
Gonzales hasn鈥檛 heard whether Lincoln鈥檚 program will continue, but he believes meeting the 65% goal is unlikely, and therefore the grant may be discontinued. The project offers farmers $100 per acre of hemp, but even assuming every Missouri hemp farmer was part of the program 鈥� which they aren鈥檛 鈥撯�痺ould mean just $230,000 in subsidies in 2023 and 2024.鈥�
That鈥檇 be just 23% of the $1 million and a smaller fraction of the $5 million the university has been promised 鈥� far short of the 65% requirement.
