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Kentucky: Hemp Seeds Legally Planted For First Time In Decades
Hemp has been legally planted in Kentucky for the first time in decades, signaling the tentative return of a crop which once was a lucrative industry for the Bluegrass State.
University of Kentucky researchers on Tuesday planted a small crop of 13 varieties of hemp seeds, finally released last week by the federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) after pointless bureaucratic wrangling.
Although industrial hemp was an indispensable crop for Kentucky through World War II, it was the first time it had been legally planted in the state since the 1970s, reports Janet Patton at the Herald Leader.
University of Kentucky agronomists RIch Mundell and David Williams will supervise the hemp study. The plants are expected to sprout in 7 to 10 days and will be harvested in October. Each variety will be evaluated for its seed and fiber production.
“It’s exciting to be working on something different, and we’re very hopeful it will be successful,” said Williams. “Generally speaking, compared to some crops, it’s not difficult to grow.
“But there are some things that are unknown today,” Williams continued. “In particular, differences in the varieties of hemp we have access to today.”
While much of the economic interest in hemp decades ago was based on its fiber, now there’s more focus on the seeds, which can be press for a nutritious oil which contains essential fatty acids (EFAs) Omega 3 and 6.
