The Wild Adventures of a New Mexico Hemp Farmer
Doug Fine was an international journalist before he moved to New Mexico to start a polyculture farm and embrace a rural way of life. He’s the author of six books, including four on hemp and cannabis, and his film American Hemp Farmer won Best New Mexico Documentary Feature at the 2024 Santa Fe Film Festival. He’s a vociferous advocate for hemp as a source of nutrition, healing, clothing and industrial fiber, building material, energy source, and climate change solution.
TIMELINE
2’03 why Doug left suburban New York to farm in New Mexico
3’16 how he became a hemp farmer
3’59 wake up call when there was a wildfire in New Mexico in 2013 and a bear came from the fire and killed their goats
4’51 hemp is a great plant for food security and carbon sequestration
6’18 protein density and many other advantages of hemp
7’15 hemp’s taproots create an environment for beneficial microbial life in the soil
8’19 hemp seems to be beneficial for phytoremediation, or soil cleanup where soil has radioactive contamination
10’01 growing companion crops with the hemp
10’57 hemp as a good for people and animals
12’08 quantifying nutrients and protein in their own family
13’42 hemp for health maintenance
15’42 we co-evolved with cannabinoid plants
18’16 the industry of hemp — small and large businesses
18’51 hemp as a path to localizing food economy
20’20 the corporate mindset isn’t about being earth-friendly or people-centric
23’00 the problem of regulation and the stigma of cannabinoid plants
26’44 regulation should be only for things that leave the farm
27’37 the problem of living food vs. the dead food system
29’17 there are very few food safety issues with farmers market food, while the main safety problems are with corporate food
32’38 petroleum free harvest and packaging on Doug’s farm
35’52 preventing the problems of consolidation and monopolies in the hemp industry
39’40 he tries not to buy everything local
41’29 the need for consumer education
44’29 how do you find the regional craft producers
44’41 the season doesn’t end at harvest time, you have to market and get the word out all year round
46’31 rural life and rural customers
48’30 American Hemp Farmer movie
52’24 the challenge of getting the film out to the world
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