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Hemp meeting draws crowd

Hemp meeting draws crowd Writer: Bruce Schultz at 337-788-8821 or bschultz@agcenter.lsu.edu (11/15/19) ALEXANDRIA, La. — About 500 people attended an LSU AgCenter meeting Nov. 13 to find out about the potential of growing industrial hemp as a cash crop. Experts advised that the commodity can generate income, but they warned that it’s not without risk. Hemp has several uses. It can be grown for CBD oil that has therapeutic applications for inflammation and anxiety. It is related to marijuana, but it does not have psychoactive characteristics. The crop also can be grown for seed to be used as food for animal and human consumption. Hemp is also grown for fiber to make a wide variety of products, including rope and industrial products. Bill Richardson, LSU vice president for agriculture, said the public has been seeking more information about hemp. “We’ve been getting thousands of questions for our county agents,” he said. The AgCenter first anticipated the meeting would attract about 100 people, but more than 550 registered. Rogers Leonard, AgCenter associate vice president for plant, soil and water resource programs, said the AgCenter hasn’t had time to evaluate the crop under Louisiana conditions and develop recommendations for growing the commodity. He said a Hemp Working Group has been formed with AgCenter experts for pest control, agronomics, economics and variety evaluation. Also, a hemp website, http://bit.ly/32QLHCm, has been developed to provide preliminary information, he said. The AgCenter has started research efforts that will be in full swing in 2020. “We intend to develop a fully integrated extension outreach program,” Leonard said State Rep. Clay Schexnayder, of Ascension Parish, who wrote the successful bill this year to legalize hemp in Louisiana, said a similar measure died in the legislature in 2016. But it passed this year unanimously in the House and with only one opposing vote in the Senate. “This bill is one of the biggest accomplishments the Legislature has done in the past 50 years for creating jobs,” he said. The hemp business potential in Louisiana is significant. “I think the sky is the limit,” Schexnayder said. Lester Cannon, of the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry, said the agency intends to develop regulations that will encourage hemp production. “We’re trying to get a solid regulatory foundation,” he said. An LDAF license is needed to grow, transport or process hemp.