(photo by Mick Henderson)
President Donald Trump signed the 2018 Farm Bill into law Thursday afternoon. U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell praised the President for signing the measure, which contains legislation he authored that legalizes hemp.
A release says Senator McConnell’s bill legalizes hemp as an agricultural commodity by removing it from the federal list of controlled substances. It also gives states the opportunity to become the primary regulators of hemp production, allows hemp researchers to apply for competitive federal grants from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and makes hemp eligible for crop insurance. The measure builds upon the hemp pilot programs, which Senator McConnell secured in the 2014 Farm Bill.
Senator McConnell says he is confident the ingenuity of Kentucky’s farmers and producers will find new and creative uses for this exciting crop. He says we are at the beginning of a new era, and he cannot wait to see what comes next.
According to the 2017 processor production reports, Kentucky licensed processors paid growers in the Commonwealth $7.5 million for harvested hemp. In addition, Industrial Hemp Research Pilot Program processor licenses reported $25.6 million in capital improvements and investments and $16.7 million in gross product sales. In 2017, more than 3,200 acres of hemp were being grown in Kentucky.
In addition to the hemp initiative, McConnell notes the Farm Bill strengthens the safety measures that directly help commodity producers as they confront low prices, volatile markets, and the constant threat of natural disasters. It also invests in the future of American agriculture and rural communities by expanding rural broadband, enhancing water infrastructure, and continuing the fight against the opioid epidemic.
