Hemp explored as a viable crop in Minnesota
MINNEAPOLIS — Sharpeyed students at the University of Minnesota might do double-takes this summer if they spot what looks like marijuana plants growing on the agricultural testing fields at the St. Paul campus.
But the dark green foliage with jagged leaves will actually be industrial hemp, a close look-alike and cousin to marijuana that’s useless for getting high but potentially valuable for certain foods, cosmetics and oil.
Signs will be posted to indicate that the plants are a hemp experiment and not a drug.
The industrial hemp is part of a pilot program regulated by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture that’s now beginning its second year and has generated surprising interest.
Last year, seven producers planted about 37 acres of the crop in the state. In 2017, 42 growers will be planting more than 2,100 acres in 26 counties.
Andrea Vaubel, Minnesota Department of Agriculture assistant commissioner, attributes some of the interest to greater public and farmer realization that industrial hemp is a legitimate crop, and that it’s different from medical hemp or cannabis. Industrial hemp is the same plant, she said, but its delta-9 THC level — which gives marijuana its kick — is less than 0.3 percent.
“You’d have to smoke a whole field of it, and all you’d get is a headache,” she said.
Even though industrial hemp has no value as a drug, it is still considered a Schedule 1 narcotic under the federal Controlled Substances Act and has been illegal to grow since the 1940s.
However, the 2014 Farm Bill allowed states to begin pilot programs to raise industrial hemp as long as they had corresponding laws to regulate it. About half of the states have done so or are moving in that direction.
Vaubel said the goal of the state’s pilot program is to study the growth, cultivation and marketing of industrial hemp.
“We really want to understand if this is a viable crop for Minnesota, and are there markets out there for farmers to capitalize on,” she said. “So far we think there are.”
Because of federal restrictions, Minnesota producers ordering industrial hemp seeds must have them delivered to the state agriculture department, which inspects and tests them. The growers also need to apply for state permits, pass criminal background checks and agree to various other conditions during the season and after the hemp is harvested.
Bryan Biegler, a corn and soybean farmer in southwestern Minnesota’s Murray County, said he’s excited about trying to grow industrial hemp for the first time this year. He ordered seed for 5 acres as an experiment, because corn and soybean prices are relatively low and he’s looking for crops that will diversify his operation.
“I’m in a full learning curve on this,” Biegler said. “I know some of the uses for hemp, but as far as planting it and everything, it’s completely new to me.”
Canada has a well-established industrial hemp industry, so Biegler and others are buying seed from sources there. It costs about $2.50 a pound, he said, or about $125 per acre — not much more than the corn seed that usually costs him between $100 and $120 per acre, depending on the variety.