Elemental Processing of Lexington, Kentucky is suing Oregon-based HP Farms for $44 million over bad seeds.
Elemental Processing produces CBD, a wildly popular plant extract used in various treatments.
According to Oregon Live, Elemental claims that HP Farms sold it more than six million mostly worthless hemp seeds.
Elemental says that most of the seeds were male, whereas it is the feminized plants that produce the flower. The biggest problem is that Elemental didn't know that it had a bum crop until the seeds had sprouted and farmers had to plow them under.
According to Elemental, the bad seeds could cost at least $44 million in profits.
According to the lawsuit, male seeds sell for less than a penny, whereas feminized seeds cost up to $1. Having too many male plants also stops the feminized plans from flowering.
Oregon state planted 50,000 acres of hemp this year, making it the largest producer in the nation.
According to Forbes, the CBD market could reach $20 billion by 2024. Better shore up your seed suppliers.
