Hemp cover
Nearly 13,000 acres of industrial hemp will be grown under Kentucky’s fourth year of pilot programs aimed at resurrecting the long-banned plant as a viable cash crop.
The Kentucky Department of Agriculture announced it has approved 209 grower applications for the 2017 season, vastly expanding the acreage in the program over previous years.
“By nearly tripling hemp acreage in 2017 and attracting more processors to the state, we are significantly growing opportunities for Kentucky farmers,” Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles said in a statement. “Our strategy is to use KDA’s research pilot program to encourage the industrial hemp industry to expand and prosper in Kentucky. Although it is not clear when Congress might act to remove industrial hemp from the list of controlled substances, my strategic objective is to position the Commonwealth’s growers and processors to ultimately prevail as national leaders in industrial hemp production.”
KDA officials also said 11 processors where approved, adding to 29 previously OK’d through multiyear applications.
Meanwhile, one of the state’s major processors, Winchester-based Atalo Holdings Inc., announced it had paid out $2 million to it’s group of growers for the 2016 harvest year.
“In 2016, we had 58 growers and 2,466 acres approved for hemp production, making us one of the largest permitted hemp companies in the U.S.,” said Dave Spalding, a growers representative for Atalo. “At our Hemp Research Campus, the mission is to provide leadership and value through research, development and commercialization of industrial hemp.”