Carr attended the Montana Hemp Summit in August and was impressed with the level of cooperation and collaboration among the U.S. hemp industry in the grain and fiber sectors.

“What probably stood out to me the most was the willingness of IND HEMP and others to actually work together for the benefit of the industry,” he said.

“Even though we’re way down here in New Zealand, there’s a huge opportunity for us to share learnings and to actually share information around what has worked and what hasn’t worked, because when you’re dealing with a product like hemp — and particularly hemp fiber — you know, you’re very reliant, as most people will note, on Mother Nature.”

Carr said the biggest challenge the industry faces, in New Zealand and abroad, is making it profitable for producers.

“Because if the crop is not sustainably profitable, then we are not going to have that supply base in the future,” he said. “We need to ensure that all of the financial metrics go back and start with the farmer.”