American Hemp Farmer: Adventures and Misadventures in the Cannabis Trade

by Doug Fine

Hemp is the non-psychoactive variant of cannabis, one of humanity's oldest plant allies, and the industry surrounding it has quietly become the fastest ever to generate a billion dollars of annual revenue in North America. From fiber to seed to oil to the currently ubiquitous cannabinoid CBD, hemp could lead the way toward a new, regenerative economy--but only if we do it right. Following the success of his first book, Hemp Bound, journalist, author, and "neo-rugged individualist goat herder" Doug Fine put his money where his mouth was, getting his hands dirty with healthy soil and sticky with terpenes en route to growing his own hemp crop and creating his own hemp product. In American Hemp Farmer, Doug shares his adventures and misadventures as a farmer and entrepreneur, all the while laying out a vision for how hemp can help right the wrongs of twentieth-century agriculture, and how you can be a part of it.

Genres: Nonfiction, Agriculture

240 pages, Paperback

Published April 28, 2020

About the author

After graduating from Stanford, Doug Fine strapped on a backpack and traveled to five continents, reporting from remote perches in Burma, Rwanda, Laos, Guatemala and Tajikistan. He is a correspondent for NPR and PRI. His work has appeared in the Washington Post, Wired, Salon, US News and World Report, Christian Science Monitor, and Outside Magazine. A native of Long Island, Fine now lives in an obscure valley in Southern New Mexico alongside many goats and a few coyotes.

Reviews

[Clif Hostetler · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author of this book is an advocate for growing hemp. His enthusiasm can be partly excused because growing the crop (non-psychoactive variety) has only recently been legalized after being mostly outlawed in the USA for the past ninety years. It was temporarily legalized during WWII when hemp supplies from SE Asia were cutoff. Thus it is a new player on the farm scene.

Of course there are the traditional uses for hemp such as rope, paper, and textiles. Modern chemistry has opened the possibilities of biodegradable plastics, paint, and insulation. Energy and food needs have also raised the uses as biofuel, food, and animal feed. However, the product that is apparently causing most of the recent retail market excitement is hemp derived Cannabidiol (CBD).

That was news to me so I had to check Wikipedia to see what purpose CBD served. As best I can figure it is the modern version of snake oil. It can cure whatever ails you.

I'm not interested in growing hemp myself so the author's musings on ways farmers could profit from raising it were of limited interest to me. However, his tales of visiting hemp growers and collectives in various parts of the country plus his recounting of personal experiences dealing with undependable farm machinery made for an entertaining read. I grew up on a farm and have had my own experiences with unreliable equipment.

I'm not prepared or qualified to challenge claims made by this book, but I am nevertheless suspicious of some of its claims and numbers. It is true that the author cautions against the gold rush mentality leading to excessive expectations. But the book then proceeds to describe a fast growing agricultural industry whose potential future is grander than anyone can yet imagine. The following quotation from the books summarizes his message about the future for hemp:

But even if you’ve come to this book looking for the Powerball numbers required for a CBD jackpot, I hope you’ll approach these pages with an open mind, ultimately absorbing the following message very carefully: Yes, the CBD market is predicted to grow to $1.65 billion by 2022 from $291 million in 2017. But, as with previous gold rushes, independent farmers (the prospectors) won’t be earning most of it, unless we market our own products regionally, rather than wholesale our harvests to glean whatever far-off commodities markets dictate.

In others words, the author is warning to avoid the "middleman," but if history is a guide that is where the money will be made. That's my interpretation, not the author's. The author's message is that the grower needs to be their own middleman which in my opinion is the path toward working hard and probably not getting rich.

One of the claims made by the book is that hemp growing is good regenerative farming. It also claims hemp farming to be a way to sequester carbon. The author is making that claim where the whole plant is being harvested (both seed and stalk) and is needing to be replanted annually. All that remains from one season to the next for possible sequestering are the roots.

In my opinion regenerative agriculture and sequestering are not unique features of growing hemp. It's a function of farming practices that can be applied to any crop. But if you really want to sequester and be regenerative you need a perennial crop. For more information, consult the the following:

Regenerative Agriculture and the Soil Carbon Solution

The following is a link to a podcast interview with Wes Jackson founder of the The Land Institute in Kansas, a leading center for the study of the sustainable agriculture movement.
https://soundcloud.com/michael-johnso....

I need to give credit to members of the Agri-Culture Book Group in Bonner Springs for making me aware of the above links.

[Leonardo Etcheto · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the book. Written in my favorite conversational yet highly informative style, where it feels very much like you are sitting down with the author as he spins his tale. Confirmed for me that I do not want to be a commercial farmer, but should do more to ensure I help the local independents by buying their produce. Farming is a lot of work, though he describes it as being very rewarding when done with purpose.
I do think I want to be a gentleman dirt farmer. The focus on getting healthy dirt I really liked and will be implementing in my little suburban slice of heaven and then in the back forty at our business. I want to create a premier semi wild bee and butterfly garden. I share his vision that if we are able to create lots more sustainable (economically and environmentally) independent farms we will all be better of. Let people have the freedom to choose what to grow and how to market it. He seems very reasonable in his talks of how to implement solid legislation that will lay the groundwork. I had to laugh a lot when he described the hazards of a co-op while he remains a champion of the form. People are always the problem in business, and amazingly enough success makes it more so.
I very much recommend reading this book if you are at all curious about farming or hemp or being an independent business owner. He does not sugar coat it and does a good job of presenting the price along with the rewards.

[James Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Became curious about nutritional hemp after discovering hemp protein as the only low sodium option. Then learned about the superfood characteristics of hemp seeds. This led to many rabbit holes about modern growing techniques, legalization, CBD, medical marijuana, recreational marijuana, and legislative battles associated with the crop. Did you know the founding fathers of this country including George Washington grew hemp? During times of war growing hemp was mandatory for some farmers for the production of products like rope and parachute cords.

Most interesting was the “new school” methods of farming and marketing in a traditional industry that is the second oldest profession in the history of the world. Many parallels to baseball as data and tech was integrated into a traditional sport. Great book if you are interested in gardening and farming. Probably too far of a stretch to appreciate the content if not.

[Melissa Ward · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book. Growing up in the age of the war against drugs, there is a sense that cannabis is bad or wrong. Personally, when I let that go and developed a relationship with this plant, I have found great understanding and joy in learning about hemp. My dad was a great farmer of this crop, and I found myself missing and appreciating his great knowledge and history that I don't really know.

Very enjoyable and easy to read book about a plant that we have evolved with. It ties into my drive to milk ruminates and make cheese. Real life is lived when not following someone else's narrative.

[Michaela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting. Not sure if Americans will go for artisanal hemp oil, especially if can only be used cold, but fascinating other applications and products. Wisconsin's testing policy is rather punitive. Somehow I just see most Americans running out to buy the $10 bottle of oil at the big box stores without any medical double-blind testing of it's efficacy. Hope I'm wrong.

[Mike Parsons · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read

Doug Fine hit a home run with this book. If you are wanting to learn about Hemp farming this is the book for you! Kick your learning mode in high gear and prepare to be educated!

[Vicky Ramakka · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sure to become the bible for current and future Hemp growers. Author imparts complex information with great humor. Comprehensive description of hemp growing from soil health to marketing and distribution.

[Chadwick Watters · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved learning more about hemp farming but I wasn’t won over by his writing style.

[Daniel Pearse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really well done, informative, and with plenty of practical advice. Worth reading and studying if you want to add hemp to your garden or farm.

[Marion Irwin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This felt like two different books. I loved the first book which caught me up with the changing farming laws, the how tos and personalities of the emerging hemp growing world (Clarification: Although this is the same plant, hemp is distinguished in this country as having less than .03 of THC, the psychoactive component which gets people high). Fry makes a lot of claims for the plant as being very sustainable agriculturally. That was interesting. Also he gave a lot of great suggestions for people considering getting into that business, as well as his personal experience working with a variety of farmers who shared their experiences with the plant.

The last third of the book didn't flow as well for me, and felt a little bit like an infomercial. I took it back to the library today. Maybe I will go back later and finish that part, but it wasn't nearly as compelling as the first 2/3 of the book.