Source: mailtribune.com
Edgar Winters plans to grow 25 acres of hemp in the Applegate Valley this year, if he can clear various state and federal hurdles. Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell
A 25-acre field in the Applegate might become the largest crop of once-forbidden hemp in Oregon.
Edgar Winters, who was the first person in Oregon to get a permit to grow hemp, already has plowed his field and hopes to put 650 pounds of seed in the ground this spring to raise up to seven tons per acre of hemp, the version of cannabis that doesn’t get you stoned.
Winters' biggest catch is finding a source of seed that will survive scrutiny by state agencies and the federal Drug Enforcement Administration. The federal government lists hemp in the same category as heroin under the Controlled Substances Act of 1970 but recently has been allowing some states to gain access to seeds.
According to Oregon law, industrial hemp must contain less than 0.3 percent tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) to distinguish it from marijuana, which contains much higher THC levels. THC is the active ingredient that produces a “high” from pot.
Seeds aren’t available in Oregon, though hemp grows wild in many Midwestern states. Both Kentucky and Colorado currently allow hemp cultivation.
Industrial hemp once was widely grown and milled in the U.S., even by the country’s first president, George Washington. Hemp can used for fabric, food, paper, oils and cosmetics, among other things.
Winters, who said he has a medical marijuana card, has had little luck getting Canadian producers to sell him seed, so he’s thinking of going to Europe and paying $4.12 a pound compared to $2.05 from Canada. Ultimately, he said, he’ll develop his own seed stock that is suited to Oregon’s climate.
The 64-year-old, who is looking to buy a house in the Applegate to be close to his land, said he wants to fulfill his lifelong ambition of growing industrial hemp in the U.S.
“I grew hemp when I was 7 years old for my grandfather in Alabama,” he said. “It’s not my first rodeo.”
Winters said he hopes to grow hemp primarily for its seeds, which can be pressed to extract nutrient-rich oils that can be used in lotions, salves, foods and other products. Winters said he has processing facilities in Murphy.
Under current Oregon law, hemp seeds grown in the state cannot be used to extract hemp oil, though the Legislature may change that statute.
Winters said he hopes to supply hemp oil to Natural Good Medicines, a company run by his wife.
He is also executive director of the Oregon Agriculture Food and Rural Consortium, which was registered with the Oregon Secretary of State on Aug. 6, 2014, with an address at 7065 Monte Vista Court, Eagle Point. Natural Good Medicines is also listed at the same address, according to the Secretary of State.
Ron Pence, operations manager for commodity inspection with the Oregon Department of Agriculture, said hemp producers currently can’t grow seed to extract oils, though Sen. Floyd Prosanski, D-Eugene, is working on legislation to correct that.
“It’s quite clear that seed isn’t allowed to be used for anything other than propagation,” Pence said.
If the Legislature changes the current statute, Pence said it would take 45 to 60 days for his department to go through a rule-making process before farmers could legally extract hemp oil from the seed, which he said could occur well before harvest time.
Pence is currently searching for seeds that can be brought into Oregon from another state or country, which will require a special permit from the DEA. Oregon State University would store the seeds and make them available to farmers who have hemp permits.
After a few years, the hemp farmers would likely develop their own seeds that would be available in Oregon, Pence said.
If a farmer had his own seed source that wasn’t approved by the DEA, that farmer could run afoul of federal law, Pence said.
Also, he said farmers have to be careful that the hemp they’re growing doesn’t have THC levels that are higher than allowed by Oregon law.
One potential conflict could occur between hemp farmers and pot farmers. The pollen from hemp could drift into cannabis fields. High-grade pot is seedless. Pollen from hemp plants could cause the recreational pot plants to develop seeds, lowering the potency of the smokeable pot.
“I don’t know how far it can travel, maybe a quarter-mile," Pence said. "It’s not real likely that hemp pollen could contaminate a marijuana crop. But it is possible.”
So far, only two hemp-cultivation permits have been issued, including Winters' and one for a Willamette Valley hops farmer. Pence said his department estimated that up to 20 farmers could apply for permits, though he acknowledged that was a “wild guess.”
“If we had a known supply of seed available now, we would have more activity,” Pence said.
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