Email: press@oc.usda.gov
Perdue Announces Additional Hurricane and Wildfire Recovery Details
(Washington, D.C., May 1, 2018) – Under the direction of President Donald J. Trump, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today announced new details on eligibility for a new U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) disaster program, 2017 Wildfires and Hurricanes Indemnity Program (2017 WHIP). In total, USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) will deploy up to $2.36 billion that Congress appropriated through the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 to help producers with recovery of their agricultural operations in at least nine states with hurricane damage and states impacted by wildfire. Following the announcement, Secretary Perdue issued this statement:
“Last year our nation experienced some of the most significant disasters we have seen in decades, some back-to-back, at the most critical time in their production year. While USDA has a suite of disaster programs as well as crop insurance available to help producers manage their risk, Congress felt it was important to provide extra assistance to our nation’s farms and ranches that were the hardest hit last year,” Secretary Perdue said. “At President Trump’s direction, our team is working as quickly as possible to make this new program available to farmers in need. Our aim is to provide excellent customer service, building on efforts which began the day the storm hit.”
Payment = Expected Value of the Crop x WHIP Factor - Value of Crop Harvested - Insurance Indemnity
The WHIP factor ranges from 65 percent to 95 percent. Producers who did not insure their crops in 2017 will receive a 65 percent WHIP Factor. Insured producers, or producers who had NAP, will receive between 70 percent and 95 percent WHIP Factors; those purchasing higher levels of coverage will receive higher WHIP Factors.
Drought, wildfires and other disasters continue to impact farmers and ranchers, and 2017 WHIP is just one of many programs available through USDA to help with recovery. From crop insurance to on-the-ground rehabilitation programs like the Emergency Conservation Program (ECP) and Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), USDA is here to help. The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 provided funding for ECP and the Emergency Watershed Protection Program. The Act also provided amendments to make programs like the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees and Farm-raised Fish Program, Tree Assistance Program and Livestock Indemnity Program even more responsive.
FSA will hold a sign-up for 2017 WHIP no later than July 16. Additional information on WHIP is available on FSA’s 2017 WHIP webpage. For immediate assistance under any of our other disaster programs, please contact a local USDA service center or learn more at www.fsa.usda.gov/disaster.
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Sandy City seeks to prohibit puppy store sales
Humane Society of Utah supports an ordinance to ban the sale of dogs, cats and rabbits
Sandy City is proposing an ordinance to prohibit the sale of dogs, cats and rabbits in pet stores and encourage a humane model where these animals are obtained from shelters and rescue groups instead. The Humane Society of Utah (HSU) supports this ordinance and encourages other Utah cities and counties to do the same. If passed, this law will not affect any existing pet store in Sandy City but will prevent future pet stores from selling puppies. A local ordinance would not affect responsible breeders selling from their homes. The ordinance will be discussed during the City Council Meeting Tuesday, May 1, at 7 p.m. at Sandy City Hall located at 10000 Centennial Parkway in Sandy.
“Recently, a puppy store sought to open in Sandy City and was met with opposition and protest from the community,” said Gene Baierschmidt, HSU executive director. “The store has since opened in West Jordan. We hope that more cities and counties pass a pet store ordinance like this because we don’t need to produce any more dogs when there are millions of them waiting in shelters across the country who need our help.”
The Humane Society of Utah encourages pet stores to become part of the pet overpopulation solution rather than continuing to add to the problem. PetSmart and Petco, the largest and most successful pet store chains in the country, do not sell puppies and instead allow shelters and rescue groups to adopt out homeless pets from inside their stores.
Pet store ordinances are designed to require pet stores to obtain animals from humane sources and keep documentation of their source, not to put pet stores out of business. Humane model pet store owners credit their success to having a better reputation in the community.
“Pet stores do not obtain dogs from responsible breeders because responsible breeders do not sell puppies to pet stores,” said Baierschmidt. Ninety-six percent of national clubs include statements in their Codes of Ethics that their breeders should not and/or do not sell to pet stores.
Puppies in pet stores are often sick because they are born into deplorable conditions, exposed to a wide range of diseases, and are susceptible to genetic disorders. “We see dogs who enter our shelter with behavioral problems because they were taken from their mother too young to be sold in a pet store and were never socialized the way they should be,” said Baierschmidt.
“A responsible breeder will invite you to their home to see the puppy’s parents, living conditions, and answer questions about their health because they have invested a lot of time and money into their care,” said Baierschmidt. “Why would responsible breeders send their puppies to a store for someone else to profit from when they can sell directly themselves? We know pet stores obtain their puppies from inhumane sources, and ordinances like this are a step in the right direction to decrease backyard breeding and puppy mills.”
Ordinances encouraging consumers to adopt lessens the burden on shelters that take in pet store dogs. Data show that shelter intake and euthanasia rates decline in cities that prohibit the sale of puppy mill dogs. “City residents should not have to accept the importing of puppies from puppy mills or backyard breeders while their tax dollars are spent housing and euthanizing homeless dogs in their local shelter,” said Baierschmidt.
More than 230 cities in the U.S. have of laws that regulate the sale of companion animals. Pet store ordinances have been upheld in federal district courts in Rhode Island, Florida, Illinois, and Arizona, and in courts in Chicago and New York City, and have never been struck down.
In 2015, Salt Lake County passed an ordinance to end the sale of dogs, cats and rabbits in pet stores. The law does not affect any existing pet store and only applies to the unincorporated area of the county, but will prohibit any future pet stores from opening.
Animal shelters frequently have purebred animals, puppies and kittens available for adoption throughout the year. Visit www.utahhumane.org/adopt to view available animals at the Humane Society of Utah.
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About the Humane Society of Utah
The Humane Society of Utah is dedicated to the elimination of pain, fear and suffering in all animals. Since 1960, the HSU has been sheltering homeless animals, fighting cruelty and neglect, and creating an environment of respect, responsibility, and compassion for all animals across the state of Utah. HSU is the largest open-admission
private animal
shelter in the state
,
and welcomes any companion animal that can legally be admitted. As a member of the No-Kill Utah (NKUT) Coalition, the HSU works hard to ensure that every healthy and treatable pet that enters the facility will be placed into a loving home. The Humane Society of Utah is a local, private 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that does not receive any state tax dollars or government funding. HSU is funded by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses and foundations. Read more about the HSU online at www.utahhumane.org.
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Hemp, Inc. Applauds Oklahoma for Becoming 37th State to Legalize Hemp
SPRING HOPE, NC, April 30, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Hemp, Inc. (OTC PINK: HEMP), a global leader in the industrial hemp industry with the largest multipurpose industrial hemp processing facility in the western hemisphere, announced today that the Company applauds Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin for signing legislation that will allow Oklahoma farmers to grow hemp.
Gov. Fallin signed House Bill 2913 on April 23, 2018, which creates the Oklahoma Industrial Hemp Agricultural Pilot Program. Oklahoma State Reps. Jon Echols and Mickey Dollens said “the bill would help Oklahoma's struggling economy, as an acre of hemp would yield $1,500,” according to KOCO News 5. “Dollens and Echols say the bill would create hundreds of jobs and would generate about $300 million per year.”
The bill defines industrial hemp as “the plant Cannabis sativa L. and any part of the plant, whether growing or not, with a delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol concentration [THC] of not more than three-tenths of one percent (0.3%) on a dry-weight basis.” As Hemp, Inc. has routinely stressed, industrial hemp is not to be confused with marijuana, which has different levels of THC. Notably, the number of states with some type of hemp program outpaces states with medical marijuana programs. Oklahoma is the 37th state to allow hemp cultivation, according to Hemp Industry Daily. Marijuana is legal for medical purposes in 29 states.
“We had the foresight to see how quickly the hemp movement would build momentum,” said Hemp, Inc. CEO, Bruce Perlowin, noting that the demand for America-grown hemp to create a variety of products continues to skyrocket. “America is undergoing a hemp revolution as more states begin to understand the many economic benefits hemp farming and manufacturing can bring to their communities. We applaud Oklahoma for taking this step toward helping its farmers add a viable and lucrative plant to their crop rotation, which helps to support the success of small- and mid-size farms for many years to come.”
Hemp, Inc. began building its 85,000 square foot hemp processing and manufacturing facility in Spring Hope, North Carolina, more than four years ago after identifying a need for a state-of-the-art infrastructure to support the rapid growth of the hemp industry nationwide. Hemp, Inc. continues to be on the frontlines of the hemp marketplace, and recently announced its signed consulting agreement with HQ Global Education, Inc. (OTC:HQGE), a scientific research development company, to provide consulting services in an effort to help HQ Global Education, Inc. expand into the hemp cannabidiol (CBD) industry. According to the agreement, HQGE will receive professional, ongoing, consulting services in the hemp CBD market, specifically in the areas of growing high quality organically-grown CBD-rich hemp, harvesting, extracting and creating a variety of high-end CBD products for its business and partnerships in the industry.
Oklahoma’s action follows news that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell introduced a bill that would remove industrial hemp from the federal government’s schedule of controlled substances.
ABOUT HEMP, INC.
With a deep-rooted social and environmental mission at its core, Hemp, Inc. seeks to build a business constituency for the American small farmer, the American veteran, and other groups experiencing the ever-increasing disparity between tapering income and soaring expenses. As a leader in the industrial hemp industry with ownership of the largest commercial multi-purpose industrial hemp processing facility in North America, Hemp, Inc. believes there can be tangible benefits reaped from adhering to a corporate social responsibility plan.
HEMP, INC.'S "TRIPLE BOTTOM LINE"
With a deep-rooted social and environmental mission at its core, Hemp, Inc. seeks to build a business constituency for the American small farmer, the American veteran, and other groups experiencing the ever-increasing disparity between tapering income and soaring expenses. As a leader in the industrial hemp industry with ownership of the largest commercial multi-purpose industrial hemp processing facility in North America, Hemp, Inc. believes there can be tangible benefits reaped from adhering to a corporate social responsibility plan. Thus, Hemp, Inc.'s "Triple Bottom Line" approach serves as an important tool in balancing meeting business objectives and the needs of society and environment at the same time.
SOCIAL NETWORKS
http://www.twitter.com/hempinc (Twitter)
http://www.facebook.com/hempinc (Facebook)
https://www.facebook.com/KingOfPot (Bruce Perlowin's Facebook Page)
https://www.facebook.com/TheHempUniversity/ (The Hemp University's Facebook Page)
SUBSCRIBE TO HEMP, INC.'S VIDEO UPDATES
"Hemp, Inc. Presents" is capturing the historic, monumental re-creation of the hemp decorticator today as America begins to evolve into a cleaner, green, eco-friendly sustainable environment. What many see as the next American Industrial Revolution is actually the Industrial Hemp Revolution. Watch as Hemp, Inc., the No. 1 leader in the industrial hemp industry, engages its shareholders and the public through each step in bringing back the hemp decorticator as described in the "Freedom Leaf Magazine" article "The Return of the Hemp Decorticator" by Steve Bloom.
"Hemp, Inc. Presents" is accessible 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, by visiting www.hempinc.com. To subscribe to the "Hemp, Inc. Presents" YouTube channel, be sure to click the subscribe button.
UPCOMING INTERNATIONAL AND DOMESTIC EVENTS
Across the globe, the hemp industry is rising to astronomical levels. In the wake of the hemp industry projected to grow 700% and hit $1.8 billion by 2020, there has been more education and networking within the industry. That means more events and conferences, thus, Hemp, Inc. has started compiling an ongoing list of upcoming hemp events around the world. Check out the listing of international and domestic events here.
FORWARD-LOOKING DISCLAIMER AND DISCLOSURES
This press release may contain certain forward-looking statements and information, as defined within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and is subject to the Safe Harbor created by those sections. This material contains statements about expected future events and/or financial results that are forward-looking in nature and subject to risks and uncertainties. Such forward-looking statements by definition involve risks, uncertainties.
Hemp, Inc.
855-436-7688
ir@hempinc.com
Source: Hemp, Inc.
