Hemp's New Horizon: Innovation and Sustainability with Ryan McKeever

11 Jul 2024 · 39 min
39:20

In this episode of the Conscious Design podcast, host Ian Peterman interviews filmmaker, hemp farmer, and entrepreneur Ryan McKeever. McKeever recounts his entry into the hemp world in 2014 as a TV reporter covering Charlotte’s Web, his transition to hands‑on CBD farming in 2018, and the rapid boom‑then‑crash of the 2019 CBD biomass market that saw prices plunge from $25 lb⁻¹ to $0.85 lb⁻¹. He describes how he used his storytelling background to document the industry, create a proprietary hemp genetics line, and connect farmers with extractors, which helped launch the first wave of Delta‑8 products. The conversation then shifts to the post‑COVID reset and the emergence of industrial hemp verticals such as hempcrete, fiber, animal bedding, and minor cannabinoids. McKeever identifies a core “trust deficit” – the absence of standardized certification, commodity exchanges, and reliable escrow mechanisms – that deters investors. He highlights Trusted Harvest Exchange, a nascent platform aiming to provide a certified supply‑chain, escrowed payments, and carbon‑credit accounting to restore confidence. The discussion also covers carbon sequestration as a secondary revenue stream for growers, the role of government grants and military contracts in de‑risking development, and practical advice for newcomers: balance passion for the plant with solid business strategy, understand the evolving regulatory landscape, and leverage emerging verticals. The episode ends with McKeever sharing contact points for his CBD, mushroom, and minor‑cannabinoid ventures and encouraging listeners to explore the growing hemp ecosystem.

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