Tagged: farm bill

Gov. Steve Beshear is asking federal officials to look into whether industrial hemp could be grown in Kentucky without hindering drug eradication efforts.

Kentucky lawmakers passed a bill earlier this year that lays the groundwork for hemp farming if the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration were to lift restrictions on the crop.

Beshear allowed the bill to become law without his signature, saying he shared concerns raised by law enforcement about how industrial hemp could be used to hide an illegal marijuana crop.    

Kentucky's agriculture commissioner says a recent legislative setback shouldn't cause hemp supporters to give up hopes of getting the crop legalized. James Comer says he's not surprised that language legalizing industrial hemp wasn’t added to the first drafts of farm bills in the U.S. House and Senate.

Last week, a group of Kentucky U.S. Senators and House members tried--and failed--to get the provision included in the legislation.

Kentucky poet and farmer Wendell Berry advocated for a 50-Year farm bill at the 13th annual Healthy Food, Local Farms Conference this past weekend.

Farm bills are usually passed by Congress every five years. But Berry says a longer-term 50-year farm bill would be more beneficial to the environment.