Some of the harvest from industrial hemp crops grown in Kentucky as part of a pilot program will be tried out for stable bedding.
Seeds were released to the Kentucky Department of Agriculture in time for late-May and early-June planting.
The trial involved the planting of 13 different varieties to assess their performance and the quality of the fiber produced.
It is understood most of the fields have just been harvested in the trial, which has used the skills of tertiary institutions across Kentucky.
Researchers intend to assess the crop for a variety of uses, including as stable bedding for horses. Some of the crop will be tested for use in textiles and biofuels
Hemp is considered well-suited to the Kentucky climate and assessments suggest the crops have fared well, with some reportedly 10 feet tall at the time of harvest.
Kentucky passed a law in 2013 which was sought by Agriculture Commissioner James Comer and US Republican Senator Rand Paul to allow the trials.
The problem has been that federal law has treated hemp like its far more potent cousin, marijuana.
However, the Farm Bill passed by Congress this year opened the way for state agriculture departments and universities to conduct pilot programs with industrial hemp.
Hemp has uses in everything from cosmetics to clothing, concrete, highway sound barriers and insulation for homes.
The University of Kentucky’s crop was planted at its Spindletop Research Farm.
Kentucky was a leading hemp producing state before the crop was outlawed in the US due to its similarity to marijuana.
Comer said: “The University of Kentucky’s pilot program will help us recover much of the knowledge about industrial hemp production that has been lost since hemp was last grown in Kentucky.”
He said he hoped the pilot program would ultimately bring industrial hemp back to Kentucky and, with it, new jobs and new farm income.
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