Hemp has been grown in Canada for a few yrs now. The main market is in the seed for oil, used in cosmetics and some health food. I have seen some hemp shirts and there is a bit of demand for the fibre, but that market is behind the seed market it seems. Seed producers use shorter growing varieties as the 8ft stuff can be murder to combine. There is even talk that the tall stuff could be great as temporary shelterbelts. The one saving grace in the hemp markets is the paranoid DEA in the US is keeping their farmers from growing it so we have a captive market.

On other ag notes, Wheat has found support at it's old lows. 3 times to this level hopefully means a triple bottom, and we head higher(?). Was at a bull sale yesterday (I know, why buy a bull when the bull is free at Agoracom?) and there is a bit of optimism with cattle producers, in the form that it can't get much worse. Cattle herds are down across N.America and have been shrinking for some time. When prices do start to rise, guys will be having to retain heifers to replenish herds, meaning even less arriving at the slaughter house, meaning hopefully even better prices. That is the hope anyways.

One cattle/grain producer I know said he does not know what to look forward to anymore. He waited all his life to see grain prices like last year, but the higher input costs took it all and he isn't making any more $ than a couple yrs ago with grain prices 30% less than now and half of what they were a yr ago. There have been several throw in the towel in my area. These are "names", families that have farmed here for generations but the feeling of hopelesness and dispair has finally gotten to them. I guess much of what I have written is a bit of a downer and may sound like whining, but those investing in ag stocks (there is a lot of interest it seems), might glean some info from it. Maybe our outlook will improve when the weather does!

Cheers!