On this week's show, we talk with Morris Beegle, founder of the Noco Hemp Expo, the largest industrial hemp convention in North America.

The tenth annual expo will be held April 11-13 in Estes Park, Colorado.

"It's really a beautiful mountain resort location where we can get 2,000-3,000 people up there and basically take over the town," Beegle said.

He expects it to be a good meet-up, full of constructive conversations on how to shape the industry, develop supply chains, influence regulation and do business.

The Noco Expo has become an important part of the development of the hemp industry domestically and internationally.

Different sectors of the industry have different priorities, and Noco provides the chance industry players "try to figure out our internal issues and how do we move this industry forward and try to position ourselves politically and harmonize our message," he said.

"And also harmonize ourselves with what's going on in Europe and Asia," he added.

Beegle just returned from a whirlwind trip, first attending the Asia International Hemp Expo in Bangkok, Thailand, followed by a cannabis convention in Las Vegas, Nevada, called MJBizCon.

On this week's episode, he shares his experiences from both conventions as well as his thoughts on the state of the hemp industry as 2023 winds down, and where the industry is headed in 2024.

Looking into his crystal ball, he sees "more support for the industrial hemp side of things through government grants, through the USDA. I think that there is a support mechanism there that will be more beneficial than it has been in the past."

He said his crystal ball is a bit foggy due to the uncertainty around the 2024 presidential election and the sticky political mess we call Congress.

"I think that we're going to be in for quite a year next year," he said, "so everybody better hold tight and stay focused and try to stay as positive as possible."

Buy Tickets for the 10th Annual NoCo Hemp Expo in Estes park, Co, April 11-13

https://www.nocohempexpo.com/

Apply to become a speaker or presenter at Noco

https://letstalkhemp.net/

News Nuggets

New York Lawmakers Send Governor Bill To Allow Hemp Seeds In Food For Pets, Horses And Llamas

https://www.marijuanamoment.net/new-york-lawmakers-send-governor-bill-to-allow-hemp-seeds-in-food-for-pets-horses-and-llamas/

U.S. commodities platform that traded industrial hemp shuts down as investor pulls back

https://hemptoday.net/u-s-commodities-platform-that-traded-industrial-hemp-shuts-down

Lower Sioux in Minnesota need homes — so they are building them from hemp

https://grist.org/indigenous/hempcrete-lower-sioux-housing/

Rich Folks Import This Building Material. A Minnesota Tribe Makes Its Own.

https://www.motherjones.com/environment/2023/12/minnesota-tribe-mdewakanton-band-dakota-hempcrete-sustainable-wellness-architecture/

Their Cape Cod Home Isn't Small, but Its Carbon Footprint Is

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/01/realestate/sustainable-home-massachusetts-climate.html

Thanks to our Sponsors! IND HEMP

https://indhemp.com/

National Hemp Association

https://nationalhempassociation.org/