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Over the past several years as row crop prices declined, farmers and landowners across the nation have searched for alternative crops that might improve the financial bottom line. With the passage of the 2014 and 2018 farm bills, industrial hemp became one of those possible alternative crops. The 2014 farm bill established industrial hemp (hemp with a tetrahydrocannabinol [THC] concentration of 0.3% or less) as a potential crop, separating it from its illegal relative, marijuana.

A new study from a multidisciplinary team led by Iowa State University agronomists shows that significant portions of Iowa farmland consistently lose money and could influence many farmers to change how they use some of the acres they devote to corn and soybeans.