In April, Kansas Governor Laura Kelly (D) signed HB2167 which created the Commercial Industrial Hemp Program and allowed farmers in the state to apply for licenses to grow industrial hemp.
The new law replaced a state program which only allowed for the research of hemp and its potential uses.
Now, licensed farmers in the state are ready to help bring back one of the world’s most versatile and profitable crops for the first time in decades.
According to Hays Post, Kansas has approved 5,200 acres in 71 counties for growing hemp, and out of 396 applications that were received for the now-closed 2019 round, 248 were issued, 192 of which were for growers.
Farmers have now begun putting their first commercial hemp crops into the ground, having planted 680 acres as of July 1.
“This is an exciting and historical time for Kansas farmers because this is the first time they have been able to legally cultivate this crop in decades,” said Hemp Inc. CEO Bruce Perlowin in a press release. “We hope to use this learning period to educate farmers in the state on the crop, and provide them access to hemp-industry experts who can help guide them to producing a healthy, high-quality crop that can bring back the family farm, so this is definitely an exciting time.”
Without going into detail, Perlowin says that Hemp Inc. is currently working on something to aid farmers in the growing process that could potentially revolutionize the hemp industry.
