Ingrid Setzer, Industrial Hemp Advocate, USA
When a Florida farmer told Ingrid Setzer he wished he could grow Industrial Hemp, she thought he was crazy. Then she did her research. She went on to found the Florida Hemp Industries Association chapter and is Co-Producing the Hempsters Documentary Film Series.
I live and breathe the Hemp Industry. Aside from raising my two sons, there is nothing else in my life that I am as passionate about. As the President of the Florida chapter of the HIA—Hemp Industries Association—I act as a source of information to anyone needing to learn about industrial Hemp. I go to the yearly HIA conference and continue to stay up to date on what’s happening in the Cannabis and Hemp communities.
This position is relatively new for me. Before March of 2014, there was no Florida HIA. I saw the need, contacted the main office and boom! Here I am, helping re-establish and re-grow the Hemp industry in my state. There is no official office, per se. This whole movement is still very grass-roots in most states. It’s really a labor of love at this point. I created this position for myself; it didn’t come with a salary.
Before March of 2014, there was no Florida HIA. I saw the need, contacted the main office and boom! Here I am, helping re-establish and re-grow the Hemp industry in my state.
There are currently no legislators working to legalize Hemp and Marijuana in Florida. Part of my role is facilitating communications to make progress for legalization. I spoke with a scientist from Kentucky—where Hemp cultivation is legal—and he told me we needed to justify WHY it should be allowed to be grown. Well, I dove in and did my research. I found out that the first large colony in Florida was established in New Smyrna Beach. They were settlers from Spain who brought Hemp with them and grew it here! So, I’m writing to my legislators and I’m constantly on the hunt for relevant information.
One thing that has really helped my outreach is my position as Co-Producer of the Hempsters Documentary Film Series. Producer Diana Oliver’s multi-award winning Hempsters Plant the Seed is the first in the series. It was released in 2011 and documents early legalization efforts, spanning 14-years. It stars Woody Harrelson, Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, Alex White Plume, Ralph Nader, Julia Butterfly Hill, Craig Lee and other respected allies and activists. We’re now in pre-production and funding for next year’s follow-up films, Hempsters an American Revolution and Hempsters Canada Seeds of Growth. With a focus on Hemp uses/products/industries, we’ll be traveling through 23 US states and Canadian provinces with multi-award winning Producer Zach Hagen and Director Jason Krawczyk of Alternate Ending Studios. We’re currently running an Indiegogo campaign to help with funding these projects.
He looked out over his field and said, “I wish I could grow a field of Hemp.” I thought he was nuts! Everything I’d heard about Hemp equated it with Marijuana. I knew it was illegal and that’s pretty much it. All I could think of was that he was headed for jail, which sadly is the perception that a lot, if not most, people have. He kindly talked to me for an hour, explaining to me exactly what Hemp was, its history, and why it was illegal.
I guess you could say that Hemp is sort of in my blood and I finally responded to its calling back in 2012. I come from a long line of professional gardeners. I’m a certified Lee County Master Gardener and a member of the Lee County Florida Green Team and I’m actually a florist by day. A few years ago, I was on my route, picking up flowers from one of my wholesalers/farmers. He looked out over his field and said, “I wish I could grow a field of Hemp.” I thought he was nuts! Everything I’d heard about Hemp equated it with Marijuana. I knew it was illegal and that’s pretty much it. All I could think of was that he was headed for jail, which sadly is the perception that a lot, if not most, people have. He kindly talked to me for an hour, explaining to me exactly what Hemp was, its history, and why it was illegal.
That day changed my life forever! That’s when I reached out to HIA. From there I reached out to the IFAS—Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences—to start asking questions. My real passion with Hemp is the nutritional aspect of its oil and seeds. It’s an amazing source of high quality protein and healthy fats! I wanted to know WHY Florida was not growing this amazing plant! I didn’t get very far; the scientists at IFAS were literally not even allowed to talk to me about Hemp in any way, shape, or form. For a crop that was once mandated to be grown by our federal government, this ban just seemed ludicrous to me! People need this nutrition. Our economy needs this crop. Period!
I wish that we could just dispel the fear and ignorance surrounding this plant. Cannabis is more than a psychoactive plant. Hemp is a cousin of Marijuana, but you cannot get high off of it. But it has over 10,000 industrial uses.
I guess you could say I’ve always had a heart for a good cause and for helping people. I was previously an event coordinator with the American Heart Association. I also worked with Matter of Trust, an organization for eco-enthusiasts for renewable resources. Long story, but it turns out that hair—yes, like the hair on your head—fur, feathers, and fleece, all have amazing absorptive value. We started a campaign to collect these items and have them shipped to one location to help with the BP oil spill disaster in 2010. I actually broke a USPS record, having a package sent from every single zip code in the US to one address. Yes, we collected a lot of material to help with the oil spill!
The point of that story is that I’m tenacious. And I’m now applying that tenacity to moving forward the Hemp industry!
Our entire country will benefit from Hemp, from the most personal level to the most vast economic level. And I have to mention Indigenous people, as well. All you have to do is read or watch Alex White Plume’s story to see the injustice that has been done. If they are truly sovereign nations, let them act as so! All of the tribes and reservations would benefit in so many ways from cultivating Hemp, but especially the poverty-stricken tribes. It’s a wrong that needs to be made right!
I wish that we could just dispel the fear and ignorance surrounding this plant. Cannabis is more than a psychoactive plant. Hemp is a cousin of Marijuana, but you cannot get high off of it. But it has over 10,000 industrial uses.
Frankly, very few people are in this industry to get rich. We are here working our butts off because it’s right!
My life at this point is a mission to educate people about Hemp and to help bring the plant back to its rightful spot in our country. Pablo Picasso is credited with saying, “The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.” I know my gift. I live every day doing my best to give it away.
And I plan on continuing to do so with my work with the HIA and with the Hempsters Documentary Film Series. We have so much good work to do. It takes a lot of tenacity. Frankly, very few people are in this industry to get rich. We are here working our butts off because it’s right!
So, if you’re in the industry, just keep your focus and love one another. Keep it a labor of love and the fruits of your labor will multiply!
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