Ron Strider
Well-Known Member
The Washington State Department of Agriculture was moving closer Wednesday to issuing the state's first licenses to grow hemp, embarking on an experiment to bring back a crop that's still classified as a controlled substance by the federal government.
WSDA's hemp coordinator Emily Febles said Wednesday that the state has received six applications to grow hemp. The state was processing the applications, but could issue a license later in the day, she said.
Washington lawmakers authorized hemp growing under the guise of a research program. The 2014 Farm Bill allows hemp to be grown under the supervision of state agriculture departments and universities.
Because hemp is a federally controlled substance, Washington had to receive permission from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration to import seeds from Canada, where hemp farming has been a regulated but legal activity for two decades.
Febles said a truck carrying the first shipment of hemp seeds is on its way to the WSDA's secure-storage facility in Spokane, where farmers will have to pick up the seeds and plant them within 24 hours.
Hemp entrepreneur Cory Sharp said Wednesday that his business partner, Palmer Farms, tentatively plans to plant 70 acres Friday in Moses Lake and another 5 acres on June 6.
"If everything goes correctly, we're planting Friday morning," he said. "The seeds are en route."
Sharp said he also has lined up farmers to plant 30 acres of hemp in the Tri-Cities and 10 acres in Mount Vernon.
He said he's still lining up financing to process hemp into either seeds or fiber or both, perhaps in Grant County.
"The processing facility is going to happen," Sharp said. "We will have too much hemp growing for us to not have a processing facility."
Washington will join several other states, including Oregon, that have hemp cultivation. WSDA has taken a cautious approach, following the limited freedom that the Farm Bill afforded hemp growers and processors.
According to WSDA, hemp growers and processors must be licensed by the state. State lawmakers, however, this year removed hemp for the state's controlled substances act, casting doubt on WSDA's ability to enforce licensing requirements. WSDA subsequently got authority from lawmakers to adopt a rule allowing it to fine unlicensed hemp farming. The rule has yet to be written.
News Moderator: Ron Strider 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Washington farm hopes to plant hemp soon - Washington - Capital Press
Author: Don Jenkins
Contact: About Capital Press - - Capital Press
Photo Credit: Minnesota Department of Agriculture
Website: Capital Press
WSDA's hemp coordinator Emily Febles said Wednesday that the state has received six applications to grow hemp. The state was processing the applications, but could issue a license later in the day, she said.
Washington lawmakers authorized hemp growing under the guise of a research program. The 2014 Farm Bill allows hemp to be grown under the supervision of state agriculture departments and universities.
Because hemp is a federally controlled substance, Washington had to receive permission from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration to import seeds from Canada, where hemp farming has been a regulated but legal activity for two decades.
Febles said a truck carrying the first shipment of hemp seeds is on its way to the WSDA's secure-storage facility in Spokane, where farmers will have to pick up the seeds and plant them within 24 hours.
Hemp entrepreneur Cory Sharp said Wednesday that his business partner, Palmer Farms, tentatively plans to plant 70 acres Friday in Moses Lake and another 5 acres on June 6.
"If everything goes correctly, we're planting Friday morning," he said. "The seeds are en route."
Sharp said he also has lined up farmers to plant 30 acres of hemp in the Tri-Cities and 10 acres in Mount Vernon.
He said he's still lining up financing to process hemp into either seeds or fiber or both, perhaps in Grant County.
"The processing facility is going to happen," Sharp said. "We will have too much hemp growing for us to not have a processing facility."
Washington will join several other states, including Oregon, that have hemp cultivation. WSDA has taken a cautious approach, following the limited freedom that the Farm Bill afforded hemp growers and processors.
According to WSDA, hemp growers and processors must be licensed by the state. State lawmakers, however, this year removed hemp for the state's controlled substances act, casting doubt on WSDA's ability to enforce licensing requirements. WSDA subsequently got authority from lawmakers to adopt a rule allowing it to fine unlicensed hemp farming. The rule has yet to be written.
News Moderator: Ron Strider 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Washington farm hopes to plant hemp soon - Washington - Capital Press
Author: Don Jenkins
Contact: About Capital Press - - Capital Press
Photo Credit: Minnesota Department of Agriculture
Website: Capital Press
