Agweek
By Michael Johnson
MINNEAPOLIS — Industrial hemp withstands extreme weather, fixes soils, is starting to see broader feed approval and is helping build bio-based construction options in the upper Midwest. That’s why some are looking to make hemp a bigger part of the current agricultural landscape.
U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., is confident that the industrial hemp funding in a Senate-passed appropriations bill will soon pass in the House and start to help build the industrial hemp industry in Minnesota.
Klobuchar secured an amendment in the agriculture funding bill that passed the Senate earlier this month to allocate $1 million for the USDA Cereal Disease Lab located at the University of Minnesota. Included in this funding is $500,000 to establish a new research partnership focused on industrial hemp fiber, which would support Minnesota industrial hemp farmers and processors. This legislation now goes to the House of Representatives for a vote before it can be signed into law.
“And that will make sure that the USDA and its partners like AURI can improve opportunities for Minnesota's industrial hemp growers by expanding processing opportunities and making their businesses more competitive through innovation,” Klobuchar said.
She addressed the need for this research in a press conference on Monday, Aug. 18, with Shannon Schlecht, executive director of the Agricultural Utilization Research Institute; Charles Levine, founder of Hemp Acres in Waconia, Minnesota; and Craig LaPlante, a Crookston, Minnesota, farmer.
According to Klobuchar, there were about 2,000 acres of hemp grown in 2024. That increased to about 3,000 acres in 2025. To continue to see that kind of growth is going to take research that can show how industrial hemp can be processed into many products for the marketplace, including feed, bedding, protein, oil and fiber. A growth in processing facilities would have to follow along with added acres.
Klobuchar said a key to growing the industry is making sure that industrial hemp is fully utilized.
“Think about all the processing of other things, and because this is a relatively new but old crop, we have to make sure we have updated processing, and that's critical for our own farmers in our state to take advantage of it,” Klobuchar said.
The industrial hemp market was valued at over $445 million in 2024 , up from $290 million in 2023, according to USDA data. Klobuchar said building up a hemp industry could help Minnesota lead as it does in other ag areas.
“We already are, but I always want to look around the corner and make sure that we have the next best thing, and it will increase access to a sustainable crop, but it needs a reliable market,” Klobuchar said. “And so that's a lot about this investment in research.”
The other half of the $1 million grant includes $500,000 to support mycotoxin research at the University of Minnesota.
“This is important for Minnesota's consumers, obviously, because it's a food health issue, and research into the prevention of these toxins as part of our cereal lab that's already been going strong for years at the University of Minnesota, will protect crops grown across our state and our country,” she added.
Schlecht mentioned that AURI is always focused on adding value to ag products and they stand ready to find new uses for the crop. He mentioned a multi-year project that already took place where industrial hemp was used to create soil erosion control that could replace plastic products and imported products with a more sustainable option.
Developments have already helped to give hemp stronger footing including the state’s Technical Advisory Group that gave approval of hempcrete and strawbales for residential construction in July 2025. Another group, Association of American Feed Control Officials, approved the use of hempseed meal for feeding laying hens in the U.S. in 2024.
LaPlante said he welcomes the possibilities of hemp as he has grown it three times so far. He said the crop helps break up his rotations and stabilize the soils from erosion.
“So it's a very stabilizing crop, and it can give a lot of potential diversity to our income base in northern Minnesota, as well,” LaPlante said.
LaPlante added that hemp handles the cold weather of northwest Minnesota and holds up better to strong winds, heat and drought than more conventional crops. They can grow a crop of hemp in three and a half months or less due to the long daylight hours in his region.
Levine’s focus is on helping to build up the manufacturing side of hemp. He mentioned that while industrial hemp is fairly new to the Minnesota market, it’s been in use in Canada for 30 years, 40 years in Europe and 50 years in China.
“So there's a lot of data that exists out there and manufacturing in place and other places in the world to show that this is a very viable crop, and it's great to see that it's finally happening here,” Levine said.
Building with industrial hemp creates a carbon negative home over its lifetime, Levine said.