Old Farmer's Almanac Quietly Added Cannabis Growing Guide This Year

The Old Farmer's Almanac included cannabis in its planting and gardening guide this year, a subtle but noteworthy shift for the 234-year-old agricultural publication that's been advising American farmers since 1792.

Editor-in-Chief Carol Connare clarified the inclusion after social media buzz last month suggested the addition was groundbreaking. The reality is more nuanced—and speaks to hemp's complicated legal status over the past century.

"It's not exactly new," Connare explained in recent comments. The Almanac has featured hemp cultivation advice before, particularly during periods when the crop was legal for industrial production. What's different now is the cultural context and the plant's expanding legal status across much of the United States.

The Hemp Exception

The 2018 Farm Bill legalized hemp cultivation nationwide, defining it as cannabis with less than 0.3% THC. That federal green light has made hemp a legitimate agricultural crop again—something it hasn't been consistently since the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937 effectively banned all cannabis cultivation.

The Almanac's planting guide focuses on hemp's agricultural applications: fiber production, seed harvesting, and CBD cultivation. It includes standard growing information like optimal planting dates, soil requirements, and climate considerations. The publication stops short of covering high-THC cannabis cultivation, which remains federally illegal despite legalization in 24 states.

For context, U.S. hemp acreage has fluctuated wildly since 2018 legalization. The USDA reported 54,152 licensed acres in 2022, down from a peak of nearly 150,000 acres in 2019 as market oversaturation and regulatory uncertainty cooled the initial boom.

Mainstream Agricultural Recognition

The inclusion matters less for what it says about the Almanac and more for what it signals about American agriculture. When a publication that predates the U.S. Constitution treats cannabis as just another crop—alongside tomatoes, corn, and squash—it reflects how thoroughly hemp has been reintegrated into legitimate farming.

"We're seeing hemp treated like any other specialty crop now," said one agricultural extension agent familiar with the publication. "That's a big shift from even five years ago."

The Almanac joins other mainstream gardening publications that have added cannabis cultivation guides in recent years. Rodale's Organic Life, Mother Earth News, and various state agricultural extension services now publish hemp growing information without controversy.

What's Next for Cannabis Agriculture

The hemp industry faces ongoing challenges despite its legal status. Processors struggle with oversupply of CBD biomass, and farmers complain about lack of established markets and processing infrastructure. The USDA's hemp regulations, finalized in 2021, remain stricter than many state programs—requiring testing within 15 days of harvest and mandating destruction of non-compliant crops.

Meanwhile, high-THC cannabis cultivation remains in legal limbo at the federal level. Growers in legal states have developed sophisticated techniques, but can't access federal agricultural programs, crop insurance, or interstate commerce protections available to other farmers.

The Old Farmer's Almanac will continue including hemp in future editions, according to Connare. Whether it eventually adds cultivation advice for recreational cannabis depends largely on federal rescheduling or legalization—something that could happen if the DEA follows through on proposed rules to move cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III.

For now, hemp's presence in America's oldest continuously published periodical represents a small but meaningful marker of normalization. The plant that was once so controversial it couldn't be named is now getting the same treatment as pole beans and pumpkins.

This article is based on original reporting by hightimes.com.