U.S. Hemp Growers Association Created
The U.S. Hemp Growers Association (USHGA), www.ushempga.org, the only national grower-directed hemp trade association, was announced recently in Indianapolis.
Founded by a diverse group of leaders, the organization will provide world-class educational and market development resources, research, and networking opportunities and will unify the voice of farmers to actively engage in critically important advocacy efforts.
Founding partners that came together to create USHGA include U.S. Hemp Farming Alliance, First Crop, International Hemp Solutions, HiLo Seed, GenCanna and Farm Journal. At launch, more than 300 farmer-members of U.S. Hemp Farming Alliance will fold into USHGA.
Caren Wilcox will serve as the inaugural USHGA executive director. Wilcox has held executive roles at Hershey, the USDA and the Organic Trade Association.
USHGA will meet in late February 2020 in San Antonio to secure founding partners and to install an initial board of directors.
“I am honored to be a part of this historical moment in U.S. agriculture and lend my experience and expertise to the emerging commercial hemp industry as we develop this organization,” said Caren Wilcox, executive director for USHGA. “The forward-thinking industry leaders who have partnered on this endeavor see the potential for hemp as an agricultural commodity and understand this industry can contribute to the environment and sustainable products that benefit, at the grassroots level, farmers and consumers.”
Anyone interested in supporting U.S. agriculture’s role in industrial hemp should go to www.ushempga.org to obtain more information or to sign up as a member of the organization.
