SAN FRANCISCO, CA — The 17th annual convention of the Hemp Industries Association (HIA) will be held on November 8th at the Holiday Inn Civic Center in San Francisco, CA. The HIA represents a fast growing and environmentally sustainable industry that is creating new jobs, with an estimated $400 million in sales in 2009, despite a federal policy that outlaws hemp farming. Business leaders of the North American hemp industry will meet in San Francisco to map out plans for bringing back hemp farming in the United States, to present updates on industry developments, and to share new data about expanding markets.
The long lost diaries of former USDA Chief Botanist Lyster Dewey, discovered by the HIA and featured in The Washington Post during the first annual Hemp History Week in May 2010, will be on display at the convention as an example of the organization’s recent efforts to educate the public about America’s rich history with industrial hemp, despite over 50 years having passed since the last commercial hemp crop was grown in the United States. The diaries and personal photos of the USDA’s top expert on fiber production for more than 40 years reveal a treasure trove of information on hemp farming research by the U.S. Government from the 1890’s to the 1940’s. Excerpts of the newly discovered diaries will be read aloud by HIA Executive Director, Eric Steenstra, and will be available for viewing by convention attendees and members of the media.
Speakers at this years HIA convention will include natural product industry leaders, such as David Bronner, President of Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps; Heather Howitt, founder of Oregon Chai and Meriwether Group. The convention will also feature branding expert David Gauger of Gauger + Associates as well as Mario Machnicki, an expert in green building who will address the benefits of hemp based concrete in building construction.
Confirmed 2010 HIA Annual Convention Speakers are as follows:
David Bronner, Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps – Going Fair Trade: The Challenges of Setting Up Sustainable and Fair Supply Chains and Having Them Certified
David Gauger, Gauger + Associates – Strategies for Branding Hemp Products
Anndrea Hermann, Hemp Oil Canada – Canadian & Hemp Farming Update
John Roulac, Nutiva – Success and Growth in the Natural Products Industry
Heather Howitt, Meriwether Group – Venture Capital & Entrepreneurship
Mario Machnicki, American Limetec – Hemcrete® and the Potential Market for Hemp in Building Construction
Christina Volgyesi, HIA – Hemp History Week 2010 Report and 2011 Update
Eric Steenstra, Executive Director of HIA – Presenting the Diaries and Photos of former USDA Chief Botanist, Lyster Dewey
The convention will also include a presentation on plans for the second annual national public education campaign, Hemp History Week – May 2-8, 2011. Designed to renew strong support for the re-legalization of industrial hemp farming in the United States, the first annual event was a success with nearly 200 events in 32 states nationwide. Supported by leading natural product brands such as Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps, French Meadow Bakery, Manitoba Harvest, Merry Hempsters, Nature’s Path, Nutiva, Living Harvest Foods and Sequel Naturals, the second annual campaign aims to feature events nationwide with the participation of over 500 retail stores across the country. The campaign is endorsed by Dr. Andrew Weil and Supermarket Guru Phil Lempert, among others. For further information, go to: http://www.HempHistoryWeek.com.
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Vote Hemp is a national non-profit organization dedicated to the acceptance of and a free market for industrial hemp and to changes in current law to allow U.S. farmers to once again grow hemp commercially.