Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about IHPA, growing hemp in Washington State, investing in industrial hemp infrastructure, and our policy positions.
Farmers
Contact IHPA directly through our website or email jared.mayzak@ihpamerica.com. We will assess your acreage, location, irrigation access, and existing equipment to determine fit. Approved growers receive WSU-certified seed, a personalized agronomic support plan, and a guaranteed purchase contract before the planting season begins.
IHPA contracts for three hemp production types:
- Fiber hemp — harvested for long-strand bast fiber and hurd. Best suited for Eastern Washington dryland or supplemental irrigation.
- Dual-purpose hemp — harvested for both seed/grain and stalk. Suited for diversified operations.
- Grain/oilseed hemp — harvested primarily for certified seed and hemp oil feedstock.
Typical yields by production type:
- Fiber hemp: 4–6 tons dry stalk per acre
- Dual-purpose: 800–1,200 lbs seed + 1.5–2 tons stalk per acre
- Grain/oilseed: 1,200–2,000 lbs seed per acre
Industrial hemp has a 70–120 day cycle from planting to harvest — one of the fastest large-biomass crops available. In Eastern Washington, planting typically begins in May and harvest runs August through October depending on production type. The short cycle allows hemp to fit cleanly into existing rotation schedules without disrupting your primary crop program.
Hemp is adaptable but performs best in well-drained, loamy soils with a pH of 6.0–7.5. Water requirements by region:
- Central Washington: 12–18" seasonal irrigation
- Eastern Washington: 4–6" supplemental irrigation
- Western Washington: Typically sufficient rainfall
Grain hemp can be harvested with a standard combine. Fiber hemp requires a modified or dedicated cutting and raking setup — similar to flax or hay equipment — to preserve fiber length. IHPA provides harvesting guidance and will work with you on equipment requirements before contracting. As our network grows, we are developing shared equipment and harvesting support for contracted growers.
IHPA provides contracted growers with:
- WSU-certified seed genetics validated for regional performance
- Agronomic guidance on seeding rates, nutrient management, and irrigation scheduling
- Access to WSU research findings on hemp cultivar performance
- Soil carbon tracking through our Seed2Sink™ MRV platform
- Hands-on harvesting support as our team scales
Hemp is one of the strongest rotation crops available for Pacific Northwest grain and potato systems. It breaks fusarium and nematode cycles common in wheat and potato rotations, suppresses weeds through canopy closure by day 20–25, and improves soil structure through its three root types (tap, fibrous, adventitious). IHPA's 5-year rotation model integrates hemp into existing wheat, corn, potato, and legume systems with minimal disruption.
Yes — this is a core part of IHPA's value proposition for growers. Hemp sequesters 40 tons of carbon per acre (soil-validated by Kuo Testing Labs). IHPA's Seed2Sink™ MRV platform tracks and verifies soil carbon outcomes across your operation, creating a pathway to verified carbon credit revenue stacked on top of your fiber, hurd, and grain contract payments.
Investors
IHPA is pre-revenue and in active development. We have secured our site (Kaiser Mead brownfield, Mead, Spokane County, WA), executed an MOU with Washington State University, signed a Letter of Intent with Hemp Traders (Los Angeles) for 100,000 lbs/month of processed fiber and hurd, and received letters of support from U.S. Senator Patty Murray. We are currently raising a bridge round to fund facility buildout and equipment acquisition.
IHPA is raising a bridge round at $0.50 per share (100 million total shares authorized, 20 million reserved for investors). The bridge round funds initial facility development, equipment deposits, and supply chain buildout at our Kaiser Mead site. IHPA is currently structured as a Washington LLC with a planned conversion to a Delaware Public Benefit Corporation. Request our investor deck for full details: jared.mayzak@ihpamerica.com.
IHPA is targeting a 50/50 public-private capital structure across our Seed Round and build-out phases. Public co-investment sources include:
- Washington State Department of Commerce CCA grant (Phase I application submitted)
- USDA REAP loan guarantee (biochar pyrolysis reactor qualifies as biomass renewable energy system)
- WA DNR and other state agency programs
IHPA operates at the intersection of three large and growing markets: domestic industrial materials ($25T+ global), sustainable construction and carbon materials, and verified carbon removal. Our serviceable addressable market is estimated at $66B with an initial SOM of $149M based on our processing capacity model. The "missing middle" — lack of domestic hemp processing infrastructure — is the core bottleneck IHPA is purpose-built to solve.
- LOI: 100,000 lbs/month committed offtake — Hemp Traders (Los Angeles)
- MOU: Washington State University — certified seed genetics and soil carbon research
- Soil data: 40 tons of carbon per acre — validated by Kuo Testing Labs
- Government support: U.S. Senator Patty Murray letter of support
- Site secured: Kaiser Mead NPL Superfund brownfield, Mead, Spokane County, WA
- Grant application: CCA Phase I submitted to WA Department of Commerce
IHPA is an early-stage company and carries the risks typical of pre-revenue infrastructure development, including: regulatory environment changes for industrial hemp, construction and permitting timelines, commodity price variability for hemp fiber and hurd, and dependency on farmer adoption in the supply chain. IHPA mitigates these through its site selection (shovel-ready brownfield), committed offtake (LOI), public-private capital structure, and WSU-backed supply chain development.
Email jared.mayzak@ihpamerica.com with a brief note on your investment focus. We will respond within 24–48 hours with our current bridge round deck and supporting materials.
Policy & Regulation
No. Industrial hemp and marijuana are both Cannabis sativa L., but they are legally and functionally distinct. Under the 2018 Farm Bill, industrial hemp is defined as cannabis containing 0.3% or less delta-9 THC by dry weight. Hemp grown for fiber, hurd, seed, and biochar contains negligible THC and produces no intoxicating effect. IHPA processes only industrial hemp for non-intoxicating, durable industrial materials — our operations are legally and operationally distinct from cannabis/marijuana in every jurisdiction.
Yes. Industrial hemp cultivation is legal in Washington State under both state law and the 2018 federal Farm Bill. Growers must register with the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) and use certified seed that tests below the 0.3% delta-9 THC threshold. IHPA provides WSU-certified seed genetics and guidance through the WSDA licensing and registration process.
The 0.3% delta-9 THC limit was borrowed from a 1970s academic paper — it was never based on agronomic science or pharmacology. In practice, it creates "hot crop" risk for farmers whose hemp tests slightly above the threshold due to weather, harvest timing, or natural variability — resulting in crop destruction with no compensation. IHPA supports raising the threshold to 3% delta-9 THC by dry weight, which would align with modern agronomic reality and eliminate most hot crop incidents without meaningfully increasing intoxicant risk.
IHPA supports full federal descheduling of Cannabis sativa L. and a science-based regulatory framework that treats intoxicating cannabis products the same way we treat alcohol and tobacco — with age verification, potency labeling, lab testing, licensed retail, and excise taxation. We are preparing a formal public comment for DEA Docket No. DEA-1362 and intend to participate in the anticipated federal descheduling commission as a voice for industrial hemp agriculture and processing — not the intoxicant market.
IHPA does not produce intoxicating products. However, we believe the unregulated hemp-derived intoxicant market — delta-8, THCA flower, high-dose gummies — creates serious consumer safety risks and harms the reputation of legitimate industrial hemp operators. Our position: any product intended to intoxicate should be regulated as an intoxicant, regardless of whether it is hemp-derived or cannabis-derived. The same consumer protections that apply to alcohol and tobacco should apply here.
Industrial hemp processing — as practiced by IHPA — is a manufacturing operation, not a cannabis operation. We process hemp stalks into fiber, hurd, and biochar using mechanical decortication and pyrolysis equipment. There are no cannabinoid extraction processes, no THC concentration steps, and no consumer product manufacturing in our facility. The inputs (certified industrial hemp) and outputs (fiber bales, hurd, biochar) are non-intoxicating industrial materials. This distinction is central to IHPA's regulatory positioning and our advocacy work.
Seed2Sink™ is IHPA's Measurement, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) platform for soil carbon outcomes across our grower network. It tracks carbon sequestration data from planting through processing, enabling verified carbon credit generation that meets the permanence and additionality standards that tree-planting offsets routinely fail. As carbon markets mature and federal carbon policy develops, Seed2Sink positions IHPA's supply chain to generate lab-validated, auditable carbon credits — not modeled estimates.