Even if the consumer demand for a product is there and farmers are growing the crop, the supply chain link between the farmer and the consumer needs to have capacity to process and develop the product. This will likely take some time.
The inclusion of hemp in the 2018 farm bill has many people — both inside and outside the agriculture sector — racing to figure out the potential market for this relatively new (well, new to the U.S., at least) agriculture product.
Hemp’s proponents are growing more optimistic and vocal each year about hemp as a potential game changer for U.S. agriculture.