Last weekend, Central Oregon was pummeled by hail causing widespread losses to local hemp farmers. Take a look:
? Sound up! ?
— WeatherNation (@WeatherNation) August 10, 2019
Intense #hail Friday covered the ground in Tumalo, #Oregon!
More storms for the northwest U.S. today – we’re tracking it on WeatherNation pic.twitter.com/FIXkd60Xnw
August 10th, four inches of hail near Bend, OR pic.twitter.com/JwC2mRaWvp
— Oregon Designer (@Easycure) August 11, 2019
Awesome time lapse of a severe #thunderstorm that dumped heavy rain & #hail in Bend, #Oregon Friday afternoon.#ORwx #SevereWeather pic.twitter.com/81BwccrMBO
— WeatherNation (@WeatherNation) August 10, 2019
Unfortunately the estimated damages to hemp crops are over $20M. Local farmer Jeanne Moir-Payne said,
“We lost around 40% of our crop. Fortunately it wasn’t worse. I only know of one farm in the area with insurance and everyone is waiting to see what happens there.”
Jeanne Moir-Payne
Insurance in the hemp industry is incredibly expensive, and no one trusts that it will actually pay out yet.
Another local farmer, John Swanson of Backporch Hemp, said
“30 acres. 16 minutes. That’s all it took. The storm stripped the plants all the way down to the stalk. This is our third year of farming and never would have imagined this heavy of a loss. We are hopeful that plants can recover enough to yield 10% of our estimates. Our operation expansion and expenses for 2019 topped $300k. We are now looking at a loss of revenue in excess of $2M. It’s heartbreaking.”
John Swanson of Backporch Hemp
With the current lack of hemp crop insurance offerings available, and the high cost of the currently available options, there is little farmers can do to protect themselves from natural disasters.
If you are looking to make a difference and help to lower the costs of crop insurance coverage for hemp farmers, or want the US Government to offer assistance to hemp farmers, contact your local congressman.
Tyana Daley
