Winchester-based agricultural technology firm GenCanna has announced the successful development of non-GMO hemp genetics with 0.0% THC through their partnership with the University of Kentucky.
The research was led by Global Development Director Henri Marmillion and University of Kentucky Professor David Hildebrand.
“This is a remarkable development for the hemp industry and for Kentucky,” said the state’s Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles in a news release. “When I became Agriculture Commissioner, I promised to make Kentucky the epicenter of hemp research and production in the United States. Announcements like these prove Kentucky is well-positioned to grow and invest in our state and our people.”
GenCanna will be aligning cultivation operations with Atalo Holdings during the 2019 growing season, each having access to 10,000 acres for cultivation.
Professor Hildebrand says that the overall goal of the research is to improve to efficiency and increase production of CBD and other non-THC cannabinoids in varieties of hemp. He says that they are also developing new methods to measure cannabinoid levels in both harvested crops and plants that are still growing in the fields.
“The growth of our industry necessitates innovations that scale,” said GenCanna President and U.S. Hemp Roundtable chairman Steve Bevan. “Our OC:00TM genetics are virtually free of THC and will give both industry participants and industry onlookers confidence-in-compliance as they work to deliver new solutions from the hemp plant.”
“We built GenCanna to develop a scalable supply of CBD products that meet the strictest quality and safety standards, and our work with the University of Kentucky is another step towards us fulfilling that mission,” he said.
GenCanna recently announced expansion plans that include the buildout of a $40 million facility in Graves County that they expect to bring more than 80 new jobs to the area.
