Kentucky banks on hemp as next cash crop
Cannabis leaves will be lifting high across Kentucky fields this growing season as hemp, a legal relative to marijuana, continues to gain popularity among state growers and producers.
The Kentucky Department of Agriculture has approved 209 applications to grow approximately 12,800 acres of industrial hemp for research purposes this year, according to Doris Hamilton, Kentucky Department of Agriculture industrial hemp program manager.
This marks a giant leap from the 33 acres of industrial hemp grown in 2014, which steadily rose to 922 acres in 2015 and to more than 2,350 acres in 2016.
Farmers say the public may have misconceptions about hemp; some still view it as taboo and far too close to marijuana. But according to the state agriculture department's website, hemp is "genetically different than marijuana and distinguished by its use and chemical makeup."
Read more: http://www.somerset-kentucky.com/cnhi_network/kentucky-banks-on-hemp-as-next-cash-crop/article_a578ad5d-2ba5-5baa-bb05-3f0c985f5bf5.html
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