Hemp farming is on the grow in the peace Garden State.

As MyNDNow reports, the state approving hemp farming in 1997, though farmers weren't really allowed to start growing it until 2014.

Hemp is not the same as marijuana. It's grown for different purposes. Yet growing both is technically illegal, on the federal level. As the article notes, "The Federal Controlled Substances Act prohibits the cultivation, processing, distribution and even the possession of industrial hemp, except when used for research purposes."

Hemp is versatile. It is used to make everything from canvas boat covers, to rope, to body oils, plastic and paper.

Still, the hemp market is growing, and prices are dropping.

Ag Commissioner Doug Gehring says, "When this all started, we saw prices 80 cents to a dollar a pound. Last year they dropped to about 60 cents a pound. This year I've heard contract prices around 40 cents."

So, for all the hoops the farmers may have to jump through, it looks like hemp in North Dakota is here to stay.

 

[Source: MyNDNow.com]

 

 

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