Courtesy photo – Sanford-based company Small House Farm, which has products in Mt. Pleasant stores, was awarded a 2017 Good Food Award for its cold-pressed hemp seed oil.
Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services inspector closely examines the first grouping of hemp plants delivered into the state of Florida in more than seven decades by Green Roads, the $1.3 million inaugural sponsor of the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) hemp pilot research program. The initial plant supply being readied for propagation and planting includes 10 each of five varieties that UF/IFAS scientists will study to learn which are suitable for planting in Florida, develop industrial hemp management practices and cropping systems economically viable for Florida and assess hemp invasion risk in Florida’s natural and greenhouse environments.
Changes in federal regulations plus last years passage of legalized marijuana has some in agriculture seeing hemp as a savior crop, but Isabella County’s top agricultural official is advising caution.
“There’s lots of hype, there’s just no place to sell it,” said Paul Gross, Isabella County’s MSU Extension agent.
For years, advocates for hemp have touted as something of a wonder crop, with applications for health supplements, industry and construction. There was a slight hitch. It’s related to marijuana and was illegal under state and federal law to grow, even though it has a much lower level of THC.
That all changed last year. The 2018 Farm Bill legalized the growing of hemp by separating it from cannabis in the federal schedule of narcotics. Hemp with a THC level of less than .3 percent is now legal to transport across state lines.
Michigan legalized marijuana in last November’s election. Last week, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer added industrial hemp to an already-rich diversity of crops grown in Michigan.
“Michigan is uniquely positioned to grow, process and manufacture industrial hemp. We are one of the nation’s most agriculturally diverse states — growing 300 different commodities on a commercial basis — making it a natural fit,” Whitmer said in a press release. “This emerging crop not only cultivates new opportunity for our farming community, but it also creates an avenue for new businesses to crop up across the state.”
The state started accepting applications Tuesday for people interested in participating in a statewide hemp pilot project. There are two levels of participation, one for people who want to grow it and one for people who want to try to process it. The cost is $100 for growers, $1,350 for processors.
This has farmers across the state, battered by low commodity prices, looking to hemp as an alternative. That’s where Gross said that’s a bit premature.
There are lots of unanswered questions, especially related to who to sell the hemp to when it’s grown. Much of the plant has application. Hemp fiber is stronger than some synthetic products and can be used as a natural replacement in fiberglass. The seed has a lot of protein. But the real value is in the oil.
All of it requires a production infrastructure that doesn’t currently exist.
“There’s a lot of gray area,” Gross said. That includes maintaining a level of THC throughout the entire crop that doesn’t run afoul the law.