Hemp Voices: Andrew Bish, Global Fiber Processing
Andrew Bish, Global Fiber Processing
Advocating for hemp as an alternative rotational crop has been extremely challenging at times, but rewarding. Being a part of a community of people that are trying to bring a commodity into existence is far from easy. I’m often confronted by those who are impatient (that person is me some days!) with the current industry progress, and I try to remind people that it requires people to do things to get things done.
Regarding hemp building, the exciting part is finding ways to use this crop to make economic sense. If hemp were to clean our soils and air, but we cannot find other uses for it, the crop simply will not become a mainstream commodity. Trying to save the world is great, but it is economics that drives decision-making. When we can couple doing good by the world and its inhabitants together with positive economic activity, things start to get exciting!
What was a win for your company in the past year?
The opening alone was our biggest win this year! Fortunately, we also had the grand opening of our first stand-alone decortication facility. The facility is located outside of Monte Vista, CO, just a few miles from our manufacturing facility, where the bulk of our equipment was designed, fabricated, and assembled.
What is something about hemp building/construction/processing you didn’t know a year ago? There is an entirely new understanding and deep respect for the process required to launch a new facility. I would say operating a decortication line inside of a building you already are familiar with, together with employees that understand the equipment and the facilities necessary to operate said equipment still comes with its challenges. Moreover, taking that same equipment, identifying the right facility that has the appropriate power, ventilation, size, access to rail, etc., etc., etc. is another challenge. And of course, all of that before you hire a team, train the team, create new operating procedures, etc. That’s a lot! Furthermore, we still have to find the customers! In summary, our team, especially our on-the-ground leader Melissa (God bless her), learned more than there was to know, and we are all better for it. I can assure you of that.
What challenges does the hemp building industry face that it must overcome in the next five years? I’m often asked this question, and I usually say, “standards”. And while I think that is still a significant obstacle, and one that will ultimately lead to more rapid innovation possibilities, I believe we need more innovators. Hempcrete is good at certain things, and I don’t want ever to discredit those working in this space because the product has applications. But it is not the end. It’s not a concrete replacement (to be fair, it’s not trying to be). We need more innovators and more money in this area of research because we are just touching on what is possible. And with more time spent in this arena, the more there is to gain for the hemp-building industry as a whole.
