Source: wkms.org
Panel Discussion at the 2018 WAVE Conference: The Reemergence of Industrial Hemp and the Opportunity for West Kentucky
NICOLE ERWIN / WKMS
A Chinese hemp hardwood flooring company has shown interest in developing a pilot project in west Kentucky.
Murray State University’s Hutson School of Agriculture Dean Tony Brannon announced Thursday during a hemp panel discussion at an ag conference in Carlisle County that the company called him two weeks ago saying it wants to work with Murray State.
“If this works we are going to build a series of $5M plants that will employ up to 25 people in each plant," Brannon said. "A very sustainable product, hemp hardwood flooring is from the fiber side [of the plant] so we are excited about that side too." Brannon said there are a range of potential products to be produced from the hemp plant.
Murray State has taken a leadership position in the nation’s hemp industry revitalization. Brannon said the university was the first school in the country to plant hemp seeds under provisions provided by the 2014 Farm Bill.
The flooring company would use the fiber component of the plant, other potential markets include seed and oil extracts. Brannon said the crop has produced around 16.7 million dollars in gross product sales.
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