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Michigan’s hemp industry wants to enhance supply chains

A group of industrial hemp supporters is calling on Michigan’s governor to bridge the gap between farmers and industries.

The group is asking Governor Whitmer to create a Hemp Business Innovation Committee and forum to highlight the uses of hemp and connect innovators to corporations to improve supply chains.  The business and agriculture collaborative could also track the use of hemp and its industrial applications which ultimately reduce carbon emissions.

Gary Schuler is CEO of Grand Rapids-based GTF Solutions, which upcycles food and plant waste into new uses, and led the effort.

“Why don’t we lead the new industrial revolution utilizing organic material for various industrial applications and really try to track new jobs created, new business startups, and what is the environmental impact that using hemp into industrial settings could really have?”

The group of more than 250 farmers and industry supporters hopes Michigan can become a national leader in the manufacturing of industrial hemp.

iHemp Michigan, along with Michigan State University, Michigan Tech and bipartisan leaders in Michigan’s House have also expressed interest in leading a committee.

Schuler spoke with Brownfield during the recent Midwest iHemp Expo and is currently in the process of securing centers to mill hemp stalks for use in bioplastics by the 2020 harvest season.

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