The Lansing Convention Center was electric. In January 2020, just months after Michigan’s first legal hemp harvest in decades, the air buzzed with the energy of a new beginning. Over 1,000 farmers, entrepreneurs, and investors from as far as California and Oregon packed the halls for the first-ever Midwest iHemp Expo, a landmark event that signaled the dawn of a new agricultural era in our state.

This wasn’t just a conference; it was the start of a movement. The VIP tickets sold out weeks in advance, and with nearly 80 exhibitors on the floor, the message was clear: Michigan was ready to build a new industry from the ground up.

A Year of Lessons, A Future of Opportunity

The 2019 growing season was a learning experience for everyone. As iHemp Michigan’s own Dave Crabill told Michigan Public Radio, the first year was like “‘Ready, Fire, Aim.’” Early adopters navigated a landscape with few resources, learning hard lessons about genetics, harvesting, and processing.

The expo was the strategic shift the industry needed. It was a place to move from firing blind to aiming with precision. Sessions and speakers focused on the critical questions: What are the right genetics for our climate? What is the right equipment for harvesting and processing? How can we ensure a successful and profitable harvest in 2020?

The Hard Realities of a New Market

The enthusiasm was balanced with a healthy dose of reality. The initial “green rush” had led to an oversupply, causing CBD biomass prices to be cut in half, as reported by Brownfield Ag News. Farmers who had invested heavily were facing a tough market.

This highlighted a crucial challenge discussed throughout the expo: the urgent need for processing infrastructure. As the MLive article pointed out, many farmers were still relying on tedious manual labor to harvest their crops. The industry’s ability to scale depended on developing large-scale processing for not just CBD, but for the huge emerging markets of industrial fiber and grain.

More Than Just CBD

While the CBD boom ignited the initial spark, the true long-term vision for Michigan hemp was a major theme of the expo. The future isn’t just in oils and extracts, but in building materials, textiles, bioplastics, and animal feed. The conversations and connections happening on the expo floor were about building the supply chains for a diversified, resilient, and world-changing industry.

As one farmer told WLNS, “We’re at the very beginning stages of what’s going to be a huge industry.”

The Road Ahead

The first Midwest iHemp Expo was more than an event; it was a declaration. It proved that Michigan has the passion, the agricultural heritage, and the collaborative spirit to become a national leader in industrial hemp. The path forward requires education, advocacy, and community.

iHemp Michigan was founded to be the central hub for this movement. We connect farmers with processors, researchers with entrepreneurs, and policymakers with the people on the ground. The challenges are real, but the opportunities are immense. By working together, we can build a thriving industry for generations to come.

Are you ready to be a part of it? Join the community that’s building the future of Michigan agriculture.

Become a member of iHemp Michigan today.