This week’s iHemp Hour brought together two powerhouse guests working at the intersection of sustainable agriculture, entrepreneurship, veterans’ initiatives, and hemp innovation. Our conversation centered on the Global Hemp Innovation Challenge, a worldwide competition celebrating breakthrough ideas in hemp across multiple industries — from building materials and fiber technologies to food, therapeutics, and advanced manufacturing.

Joining us were:

🌱 John from Montana

Hemp consultant, forestry/fiber specialist, and lead organizer for the Hemp Innovation Challenge.

Chuck Vollmer

Founder of Jobenomics, a national grassroots movement focused on mass-producing micro-businesses and empowering veterans, minorities, rural communities, and underserved populations.

Together, they covered how innovation, entrepreneurship, global competition, and community building all converge through hemp.

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The Global Hemp Innovation Challenge: A Worldwide Stage for Hemp

John opened the conversation with a deep dive into the Hemp Innovation Challenge, a competition already drawing entries from 65 countries. The Challenge culminates on the world stage at the World Ag Expo in Tulare, California — with more than 100,000 farmers attending.

📅 Key Deadline

Entries close January 22, 2022, immediately following the Midwest iHemp Expo in Lansing. Projects submitted by that date will be evaluated by the Challenge’s judging panel.

🌍 Why This Challenge Matters

• Global press exposure

• Recognition at the largest ag expo in the world

• Access to buyers, investors, and industry partners

• Validation and vetting from international judges

• Potential cash prizes, with totals growing as new sponsors join

• A platform to showcase innovations in fiber, food, technology, medicine, building materials, finance, and more

John described the Challenge as a rare opportunity for innovators to get in front of a massive agricultural audience:

“You could never individually meet 100,000 farmers — but this event lets you do it in one week.”

🔗 How to Enter

HempInnovation.space
You can submit an innovation, become a sponsor, or learn more about categories and judging.

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Seven Categories of Innovation

While categories may expand as new sponsors come onboard, the current structure includes:

• Concept

• Proof of Concept

• Working Prototype

• Scalable Product

• Ready to Launch

• Launch (Year 1)

• Profit Stage / Commercial Maturity

Additional industry-specific categories include:

• Technology

• Food & Beverages

• Medicine

• Building Materials

• Finance

• Sustainability

• Soil Remediation

If you have a product entering the Hempies Awards at the iHemp Expo — you should also enter the Hemp Innovation Challenge.

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Why Innovation Matters: From Montana to Michigan

John shared the broader context behind the Challenge:

• Montana has a rich agricultural history and one of the largest veteran populations per capita in the U.S.

• The state faces major land, mining, and forestry remediation needs — areas where hemp can play a transformational role.

• Montana State University operates a national-caliber fiber lab.

• There is growing momentum for hempcrete, biocomposites, insulation, textiles, and regenerative farming.

He also highlighted:

• The PBS documentary “The Seed and Fiber of Wealth,” which he helped sponsor

• The growing demand for organic building materials

• The role of hemp in soil remediation and sequestration

• The importance of collaboration between hemp, wool growers, and the broader sustainable fiber industries

John noted that the softest hemp fibers in textile applications are grown around 5% THC, making today’s 0.3% legal limit a barrier to innovation — a conversation gaining attention nationwide.

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Jobenomics: Mass-Producing Micro-Businesses & Hemp-Based Communities

Chuck Vollmer followed with an inspiring overview of Jobenomics, a movement that has reached more than 30 million people through books, community chapters, and the Jobenomics America TV show.

Jobenomics focuses on:

• Building micro-business ecosystems

• Empowering veterans, minorities, women, and youth

• Revitalizing rural and underserved communities

• Creating circular agricultural economies

• Using hemp as a tool for regeneration, employment, and community building

🚜 Circular Agriculture & Soil Remediation

Chuck outlined programs where hemp, cane, and other crops are used to:

• Remediate chemically damaged soils

• Lift rural farmers out of poverty

• Create new local industries

• Stem youth migration from rural areas

• Build educational and digital workforce programs in farm communities

🇺🇸 Veterans: The Backbone of a New Agricultural Workforce

Chuck shared powerful details about veterans’ economic potential:

• 18 million veterans in the U.S.

• Most don’t know they can access $5 million small business loans

• Many qualify for 0% down, low-interest funding

• Vets can also access funding for four-plex housing units, allowing them to become landowners and build passive income

• PTSD and depression can be alleviated through agricultural work, nature, and structured community environments

The Jobenomics plan includes building veteran-led hemp villages, where:

• Housing

• Indoor agriculture facilities

• Processing centers

• Training hubs

• E-commerce programs

• Community infrastructure

…are developed as a unified economic system.

This concept aligns directly with long-term goals of the HERO Project and others working to support veterans through agricultural entrepreneurship.

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Connecting Hemp, Innovation, and Community Transformation

Both guests emphasized how hemp is uniquely positioned to:

• Restore degraded land

• Create new manufacturing jobs

• Offer veterans meaningful work and purpose

• Rebuild rural communities

• Provide environmentally friendly alternatives in construction, textiles, food, and plastics

• Attract global competition, investment, and media attention

The Hemp Innovation Challenge becomes the global spotlight for these advancements — while Jobenomics provides the roadmap to activate them locally.

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Upcoming Events & Opportunities

🌾 Midwest iHemp Expo

📍 Lansing Center
📅 January 21–22
Includes the Hempies Awards and the U.S. Hemp Authority Certification course on Jan 20.

🌍 Hemp Innovation Challenge Deadline

📅 January 22
🔗 HempInnovation.space

🍽 Hemp Recipe of the Week: Pumpkin Spice Hemp Heart Oatmeal

A warm, protein-rich seasonal breakfast featuring hemp hearts, almond milk, monk fruit, and pumpkin spice.

You can find this and other hemp recipes on our website.