In our July forecast released last week, we discussed the impacts of weather on the 2020 crop, relative to supply, which ultimately influences hemp pricing.  It has been an unusually wet and hot growing season for much of the US, and now tropical storms are increasing in frequency as we charge into August and September, the most active period for hurricanes.  This period corresponds with hemp flowers adding bulk and density, and farmers are encountering insidious fungal diseases like southern blight on flowers, and fusarium, impacting roots and foliage.

Louisiana is seeing mortality of 20% or more in their crop this year, where 100 farmers have registered about 2500 acres.  South Texas was hit by hurricane Hanna a couple of weeks ago, with several inches of rainfall reported in most areas.  The entire Gulf Coast has been wet, but farther north into the interior there have been rain…