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House Agriculture Committee approves anti-ESG ‘Farmers Protection Act’
A fiery debate over ESG regulations took place in the House Agriculture Committee on Wednesday.
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Victory for N.C. hemp industry as N.C. Senate passes bill keeping it legal
Hemp farmers and retailers across North Carolina rejoiced Wednesday afternoon as the Senate voted 41-2 in favor of S.B. 455, Conform Hemp with Federal Law, keeping hemp legal in the state, and removing it from State Controlled Substances Act.
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Lawmakers call to fight SEC rule devastating to small farms
The North Carolina House recently voted 78-31 in favor of a resolution urging Congress to oppose a proposed Securities and Exchange rule that could potentially hurt small farms.. Lawmakers say the rule would require small farms to report their greenhouse gas emissions, something they are not equipped to do.
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Rising prices of fertilizer and diesel affecting farmers
Farmers across the country, including North Carolina, are “taking it on the chin” when it comes to diesel and fertilizer prices, which have risen to unprecedented levels. The U.S. is dependent on and a major importer of foreign fertilizer. Factors driving costs up include Russia’s war with Ukraine, a limited supply of the relevant minerals...
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General Assembly to consider bill preventing boys and men from competing on female sports teams
The General Assembly will soon consider a bill that seeks to protect women’s sports by preventing boys and men from being allowed to compete on female teams in middle school, high school and college. House Bill 358 would require public schools fielding sports teams to identify teams as male, female, or co-ed. The same would...
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Senate passes farm bill with delayed hemp ban, House action awaits
The General Assembly is one step closer to settling the smokable hemp dispute after months of deliberation. In a 40-10 vote Monday, Oct. 28, the Senate passed the farm bill, which includes a provision to ban smokable hemp in June 2020. Law enforcement officials have been pushing to ban the smokable hemp flower because it’s...
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Farm Bill compromise delays hemp ban until June 2020
Lawmakers have reached a compromise on smokable hemp, but their agreement may not make everyone in the hemp community happy. For now. Sen. Brent Jackson, R-Sampson, and Rep. Jimmy Dixon, R-Duplin, have agreed to a June 1, 2020, smokable hemp ban, an Oct. 24 conference committee report shows. Legislators since March have debated about how...
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Timing, extent of hemp ban keep farm bill in limbo
Smokable hemp continues to stall lawmakers trying to pass the farm bill. The Senate unanimously voted Tuesday, Oct. 1, to reject the House’s version of the 2019 Farm Act, which would ban smokable hemp by May 2020. Now, it’s up to the House and Senate on whether they will appoint conferees to sort out the...
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Dispute over smokable hemp puts farm bill in limbo
North Carolina’s farm bill has passed the House, but it now may be frozen in the Senate. Senate Bill 315, “North Carolina Farm Act of 2019,” was approved Wednesday, Aug. 21, by a 63-48 vote, but only after House members revised the omnibus legislation to outlaw the sale and use of dried, smokable hemp flowers...
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Smokable hemp rules likely to be settled in court, Dixon says
If passed, North Carolina’s hotly contested hemp law will probably end up in court, says the state legislator leading efforts to ban the plant’s smokable flower. Meanwhile, a new statewide poll shows voters wish the government would stay out of the weeds. A new version of Senate Bill 315, North Carolina Farm Act of 2019,...
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Legislation clarifying definition of smokable hemp causes more confusion
The future of smokable hemp in North Carolina remains unsettled, nearly a month after lawmakers last took it up. Two Senate bills dealing with hemp are stuck in the House Rules Committee. One, Senate Bill 352, would effectively ban smokable hemp in December. Senate Bill 315 — the farm bill — could either transfer language...
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Fiery talk from lawmakers over hemp regulations burns out quickly
Fiery arguments over hemp regulation smoldered out Wednesday, July 24, when House members reversed feverish efforts to criminalize the plant’s smokable flower. In discussion that left some members scratching their heads, Rep. Jimmy Dixon, R-Duplin, backed away from arguments that smokable hemp should be instantly banned. Last week, Dixon carved up parts of Senate Bill...
