American Hemp Farmer

March 2, 2020
Fine (Hemp Bound) shares his own experiences with hemp farming, which is “about to become the fastest agricultural industry ever to reach a billion dollars in annual sales,” in this educational outing. From a practical farming perspective, it’s a boon, as “for the first time in generations... a family can make a living while hand-harvesting on small acreage.” Fine covers the crucial points of hemp farming, from “soil building” to the type of seed to buy (open-source). Readers will learn what to expect to pay for seed, about weeding (it’s relaxing), and how to overcome “mid-season panic attacks” about the harvest. Fine explores hand harvesting (“can people do as good a job as John Deere”?) and describes processing hemp in a commercial kitchen and the various extraction methods involved. More generally, he discusses the value of work co-ops, having “a compelling backstory” for one’s product (“I cultivate hemp because...”), and studying the exemplary example of small-business management provided by craft breweries. For anyone interested in hemp cultivation or simply learning more about the newest “gold rush” crop, this is well worth picking up.

April 1, 2020
This book's subtitle, especially, might lead readers to think they're embarking on a rollicking odyssey into a subterranean, drug-fueled, law-bending world of cannabis growing, but this book is really a conversational guide for the horticulture geek interested in cultivating hemp, which was legalized nationwide with the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill. Turns out the ban on hemp growing in 1937 by the federal government was a mere blip in humanity's 10,000-year-long cultivation of the non-psychoactive herb, which can feed, clothe, and house us, and possibly return our planet's failing topsoil to robust health. Making the case that grower-entrepreneurs consider managing their crop all the way to store shelves?more profit in that?Fine starts with the critical development of soil, then moves on to the selection and planting of seed, the transplanting of starts, weeding, watering, harvesting, extracting (for cannabidiol, or CBD), and preparing the hemp product for retail sale. His text is discursive but also helpfully specific and will soothe and encourage any would-be grower.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)

May 1, 2020

The expansion of the hemp economy is a gold rush scenario, but journalist and hemp farmer Fine is passionate about a possible future in which farmers are the ones who benefit, and most important, in his view, this helps alleviate climate change. Part agronomy manual, part gonzo farm journalism, this book gives a strong grounding in the historical, legal, and economic realities of hemp and its applications. It is not a straightforward introduction, but rather it includes a number of lengthy sidebars and a large cast of recurring characters, such as the author's herd of goats. Fine's aim is to convince farmers and legislators not to repeat the mistakes of the past by allowing farmers to control more of the process from seed breeding, distribution, and processing, and much of his rhetorical approach is to tell readers about his own forays into those areas, with often comic results. Ultimately, the arguments are compelling and sometimes inspiring and the advice is practical. VERDICT An essential book for the aspiring hemp farmer, there is much to consider here for anyone interested in organic farming, drug policy, and community organizing.--Margaret Heller, Loyola Univ. Chicago Libs.

Copyright 2020 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.