Posted May 7, 2014
Kentucky’s first legal hemp crop since the 1950s is
ready to be planted this month, according to an article by the Southeastern
Farm Press available here.
While Kentucky has already been on track for hemp
production, passing Senate Bill 50 which exempts industrial hemp from the state
controlled substances act, industrial hemp cultivation for research was
recently allowed in the 2014 farm bill, signed into law on Feb. 7.
Kentucky will begin several new pilot research projects
around the state through the University of Kentucky, Murray State University,
and University of Louisville. The
programs will study the cultivation of Kentucky Heirloom hemp seed, hemp fiber,
bio-remediation, and renewable energy.
Agricultural Commissioner James Comer said he expects
the first batch of hemp seeds to arrive soon at the state Agricultural
Department, according to an article by the Courier-Journal available here. “We’re rapidly approaching a crucial time for
the seeds to be put in the ground,” he said.
“Hopefully we can get enough seeds to have credible
research data gathered by this fall,” said Comer. “And next year, hopefully we’ll have enough
seeds to have several processors in the state and several farmers under
contract growing it.”
For more information, a recent report on hemp as an
agricultural commodity from the Congressional Research Service is available on
the National Agricultural Law Center’s website here.
