Texas A&M AgriLife hemp team advises curious growers : Don’t bet the farm on hemp just yet…
San Angelo, Texas, USA
February 26, 2020
Texas farmers soon will be able to legally plant fields of hemp for the first time since the 1930s.
Much has changed since then, but one thing hasn’t: Texas farmers can count on Texas A&M AgriLife for practical information and expert insight.
The Texas A&M AgriLife Hemp Team traveled across the state this winter holding meetings in halls packed full of farmers who paid up to $20 each to learn about the pitfalls and possibilities of industrial hemp production.
“There’s a lot of hype out there about growing hemp, but Texas farmers know where to go for the straight facts,” said John Sharp, chancellor of The Texas A&M University System. “AgriLife experts have advised growers for more than 100 years, cultivating a level of trust and credibility they appreciate.”
Topics covered in the meetings included the botany of cannabis, the cost of growing and processing industrial hemp and expected potential yields, THC and law enforcement and the development of markets for industrial hemp.
“We’re not selling anything,” said Dr. Reagan Noland, an assistant professor of soil and crop sciences at Texas A&M University and an extension agronomist in San Angelo. “The goal of AgriLife Extension is to help Texas farmers make informed decisions.”
Farmers need all the information they can get before they decide to apply for a license from the Texas Department of Agriculture, which is in the process of finalizing the program’s administrative rules and expects to begin issuing licenses and permits by mid-March.
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