The North Carolina hemp industry has fallen short of its projected success despite its potential economic benefits and opportunities for farmers. The floral hemp sector specifically has been struggling due to excessive production and decreasing prices. The objective of the research was to examine the experiences and obstacles faced by early adopters and stakeholders of the hemp industry in NC. Through structured focus group discussions and interviews, data were collected and analyzed to gain insight into the industry’s direction. The results revealed that many floral hemp farmers have abandoned the crop because of financial setbacks, leading to a reduced interest in cultivation compared to five years prior. The floral hemp industry’s rapid growth and decline have tempered farmers’ expectations of the crop’s potential. The findings will provide a foundation for further research into NC’s hemp production and economy, enabling the provision of necessary information and extension services for profitable hemp farming in the state.

Profitability remains elusive for many small-scale cattle farmers, as the high operational costs involved often require a larger herd to achieve a reasonable profit. This study uses key financial metrics and the Monte Carlo probabilistic simulation to evaluate the economic feasibility and viability of integrating cattle and mushroom production to enhance year-round profitability for small-scale ranchers. The study results illustrate a promising outlook for investing in the integration of cattle and mushroom production. This integrated system shows potential for generating significant returns with minimal risk over the long term. The Monte Carlo simulation indicates that combining mushroom farming with cattle farming could substantially decrease feed expenses, fertilizer costs for hay production, and overall operational expenditures, while also increasing revenue from mushroom sales.

Millions of people in developing and middle-income countries continue to experience food insecurity daily. A growing number of studies have associated food insecurity with poorer health outcomes using cross sectional data and household level data. Few of these studies have looked at longitudinal relationship between food insecurity and health outcomes. This study analyses the relationship between food insecurity and child health outcomes in middle and low-income countries using a longitudinal macro level data. The study also introduces two unique instrumental variables, size of arable land and openness to trade, to estimate this relationship. The regressions confirm previous study results that food insecurity has a significant positive relationship with child anemia and child mortality. Food insecurity has a significant negative relationship with life expectancy. Using the instrumental variable approach shows that the estimates are greater than when no instruments are used. Our work suggests that previous studies have underestimated the impact of food insecurity on child health outcomes.

This study evaluates the economic viability of industrial hemp production in North Carolina, focusing on three production systems: floral, grain, and fiber. Enterprise budgets were developed to assess costs and returns per hectare. Risk-based investment metrics, including net present value (NPV), internal rate of return (IRR), and benefit–cost ratio (BCR), were projected over a five-year horizon. Results indicate that floral hemp has the highest estimated production costs but also offers the greatest potential, while fiber and grain hemp present more moderate but stable outcomes. Estimated IRRs for all three systems exceeded the 5.5% discount rate, and BCRs were above one, suggesting that revenues can cover costs under baseline conditions. Sensitivity analyses highlight the influence of yield and market price variability, particularly for floral hemp, which shows higher upside potential, but greater risk compared to grain and fiber. Monte Carlo simulations reinforce these findings, demonstrating that profitability is possible across all hemp types but subject to significant uncertainty, especially in floral markets. The analysis also reveals that limited processing capacity and the absence of equilibrium pricing in North Carolina contribute to market inefficiencies, constraining producer profitability. Overall, these results provide benchmark financial estimates for growers and policymakers while the region’s hemp markets, and processing infrastructure continue to mature.