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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsHemp Rescues Kentucky’s Flailing Agriculture Industry
October 11, 2015
Jessica Firger
The fallout from the tobacco industry's troubles has left many farms in Kentucky struggling to stay afloat. A few years ago, James Comer, Kentuckys commissioner of agriculture, made a bold move: He vowed to revive Kentuckys farms by bringing back a crop that long ago grew in abundanceindustrial hemp.
Farmers havent cultivated industrial hemp in Kentucky since World War II, when the U.S. government needed the fiber for military supplies. Now, decades later, hemp is quite literally changing the landscape of the Bluegrass State.
Though it looks and smellsand is regulatedlike the illicit cannabis sativa plant, industrial hemp certainly isnt pot. The multipurpose crop can be used to produce a diverse assortment of products that will benefit a number of businesses, including the food, automotive, pharmaceutical and nutraceuticals industries.
We want to be the leading state in the nation for industrial hemp, says Comer. We want to be the Silicon Valley for industrial hemp and we can do that because we can grow itwe have good farmers that need a new crop to grow. We have a heritage here.
http://www.rawstory.com/2015/10/hemp-rescues-kentuckys-flailing-agriculture-industry/
valerief
(53,235 posts)rurallib
(62,415 posts)valerief
(53,235 posts)Dustlawyer
(10,495 posts)He probably has his head up his ass like the rest of those gerrymandered make-leg SOB's!
blackspade
(10,056 posts)Practical solutions to complex problems mixed with complete dumbassery.
Aristus
(66,367 posts)with the fiery, empty-headed fanaticism of the South.
Having said that, I lived there for five years. Three as a kid, two as an adult, all five at Fort Knox. I actually liked it there.
After I grew into my previously nebulous, unformed liberalism, I began to appreciate Louisville's colorful, liberal, and vibrant gay community.
Maybe simple practical necessity will save the state's farmers. Grow hemp, Kentucky!
A Little Weird
(1,754 posts)James Comer's term is ending soon. He's been the primary champion of this project. He didn't run again because he ran for governor instead but lost in the primaries to a crazier republican. I hope the next administration will support the continuation of this program.