Source: bizlex.com
Little time was wasted in getting the hemp initiative moving forward in Kentucky since passage of the Farm Bill.
The national agriculture legislation contained a provision to allow hemp research plots in those states where laws had already been passed allowing for the revitalization of the crop. Agriculture Commissioner James Comer announced the creation of hemp pilot projects in the state, which supporters hope will mean the beginning of bringing hemp back to regular production in a place that once led the nation in industrial hemp production.
“Our goal is to have, by the end of March, in detail, all the pilot projects and who’s going to participate in them and exactly what the objective is,” he said. “We’re still trying to determine a few things and working closely with Attorney General Jack Conway to make sure everybody is on the same page.”
It was Conway who, in response to concerns voiced from “various stakeholders including law enforcement officials throughout the state, members of the General Assembly and members of the public,” sent an advisory letter late last summer to Kentucky State Police Commissioner Rodney Brewer, issuing his understanding of state and federal law as it pertains to growing hemp.
In that letter, Conway said it was illegal to grow industrial hemp without express authorization from the federal government under both federal and Kentucky law.
That authorization, at least in the form of research, has been granted by way of the recently passed Farm Bill, and Conway’s office has worked closed with Comer to ensure compliance with the guidelines set forth in legislation.
“I appreciate Commissioner Comer working with the Office of the Attorney General as he implements the pilot projects in Kentucky,” Conway said.
According to information provided by the Kentucky Department of Agriculture, Comer has asked Conway to “contact federal border patrol entities on behalf of the commonwealth of Kentucky to make certain hemp seeds for the pilot project are legally imported for the purposes outlined in the Farm Bill.”
Conway has also pledged to work with Comer to help pursue a federal waiver from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration that would allow for the expansion of industrial hemp production for commercial purposes, noted the KDA.
Comer said the cooperation between agriculture and law enforcement is a critical element of moving this industry forward.
“I appreciate Attorney General Conway’s willingness to open the lines of communication and help us overcome the legal obstacles to this new market for Kentucky farmers,” he said.
Initially, five projects have been announced and will be conducted at Eastern Kentucky University, Kentucky State University, the University of Louisville, Murray State University and the University of Kentucky.
Each project will research five different aspects of the plant, using five different seeds.
“I think it’s important we do this research for a year or two because we don’t know which variety of seed grows best on which type of soil or which farm equipment will harvest the hemp,” said Comer.
Brian Furnish, chair of the Kentucky Hemp Commission, said some of this research can be conducted on private land via an amendment to the Farm Bill brought forth by U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell.
“The bill allows the Department of Agriculture to work with individuals who own the farms to do these projects and the universities will oversee them,” he said.
Furnish added that by getting some of the work in the hands of the farmers, it may speed up the project.
“Our biggest issue is, in the next year or two, finding the variety of hemp from wherever in the world, that will grow the best in Kentucky,” he said. “Just because a hemp plant grows well in Canada or China or any other place in the world that grows hemp, doesn’t mean that it will grow well in Kentucky. It will take a little while to figure that out.”
Furnish noted that he wouldn’t want to see a lot of acreage planted in the wrong type of seed which could produce problems.
He also said that companies that serve in the hemp industry, from seed development to manufacturing, in other parts of the world have offered their assistance to the state in finding the answers to these questions.
“We don’t want to give farmers false hope that they can go out here and plant 200 acres and it’s going to be profitable just because they put it in the ground,” Furnish said. “We need to walk before we run in this project.”
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