The State Department of Agriculture has received certification of approval from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for the state’s plan submitted regarding the regulation of industrial hemp.
Approval for the plan means producers will continue to be regulated at the state level in lieu of federal oversight.
Farmers will continue to operate under the current rules and regulations for the 2020 growing season. After October, West Virginia’s approved plan will go into effect.
“At the end of the day, this brings a lot of clarity for our farmers. With these guidelines, producers will know exactly what is expected of them in the coming seasons. We will continue to work with those producers on establishing best practices to further the industry,” Commissioner of Agriculture Kent Leonhardt said.
It’s a growing industry.
“Over the past two years, the amount of [industrial hemp] farmers in West Virginia has about quadrupled,” Morgan Leach, CEO of West Virginia Hemp Farmers Cooperative and president of West Virginia Hemp Industries Association, said.
According to the West Virginia Department of Agriculture website, “the number of West Virginia licensed industrial hemp growers jumped from 24 in 2017 to 178 in 2019.”
Leach said people farm hemp in every region of West Virginia.
“Industrial hemp is an opportunity for a new niche cash crop for the state. Many farmers who were not utilizing their land have applied for industrial hemp licenses,” said Crescent Gallagher, communications director for the WVDA, via email.
The boom in industrial hemp growth started in 2017 after the West Virginia Legislature expanded the pilot program for industrial hemp from just research to include commercial growing.
Now anyone who meets licensing requirements of the Department of Agriculture and pays associated fees ($100, plus $5 per acre for a new licensee and $50 plus $5 per acre for renewals), may grow hemp legally.
The Industrial Hemp Development Act (West Virginia Code Chapter 19, Article 12 as amended), conforming to federal law, identifies industrial hemp as cannabis satival, containing no more than 0.3% tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). The state Department of Agriculture enforces this regulation.
THC, one of at least 113 cannabinoids identified in cannabis, is the principle psychoactive constituent of cannabis. Other cannabinoids, particularly CBD, are purported to have health benefits without psychoactive properties.
The strains of industrial hemp most commonly grown in West Virginia are best suited for producing oil — such as CBD oil — rather than fiber material.
“The big market for hemp right now is CBD oil,” Leach said. “Everyone sells CBD now.”
Patrick Griffith, founder of Native Roots, a local hemp product business, said, “we kind of jumped on this CBD bandwagon for now.”
This year will be Griffith’s second growing season. Last year, he and his business partner grew 200 plants at four locations in Monongalia and Preston counties and harvested 15 pounds of material.
Griffith used knowledge and relationships built from years in the tobacco sales business in learning to market his primary product, Feather’s Flower: smokable hemp flowers. Griffith said the positive testimonials he’s heard from those who have used his product for inflammation and pain management have been heart-warming.
“It has absolutely changed their lives,” he said.
Last year, his business turned a $10,000 profit from sales in 16 counties across the state, according to Griffith. This year they are adding heat-extracted CBD oil to their products, which he hopes will be in stores soon.
Griffith said while Mother Nature takes care of most of the growing needs of industrial hemp, the business is “not just put it in the ground and get a big check.”
Griffith attributes much of his success with starting small — growing an amount he and his business partner could handle during the season and process after harvest.
Leach said the most successful hemp farmers in the state complete the whole process, from seed to shelf. There aren’t many processors who don’t also grow their own hemp, according to Leach. He said he’s heard from West Virginia farmers stories of selling raw materials to processing companies around the country but with varying success.
“I’m sitting on a few thousand pounds of bio mass this year,” Leach said. “We are limited in processing, it’s a bottle neck for the industry.” He said the West Virginia Hemp Farmers Cooperative offers drying and storage for those who don’t process, or who’ve grown more than they can store in their own facilities. The cooperative can also send material on to processors.
There are no fiber processing companies in West Virginia currently, and few in surrounding states.
“We are always looking for opportunities to invest in agriculture processing. As a whole, the state needs to support more of these types of operations,” Gallagher said. “We have created an agriculture business development division that is working in conjunction with the West Virginia Department of Commerce to assist these businesses.”
Leach attributes the lack of hemp fiber processing companies to the low cost of clothing and other fiber derived goods around the world. The CBD product industry faces a similar difficulty as imports often undercut oil and other products.
Leach predicted that increased rules, regulations and permit requirements will make it even more difficult for hemp growers and processors in the state.
Gallagher said, “Folks should verify the CBD products as they are mostly unregulated as of right now. This will change with industry standards and oversight from the federal government, but do your own research before you buy.”
He also said, “The number of farmers continue to grow each year. As long as the demand grows, we can expect this to be the trend.”
By Aldona Bird
TWEET @DominionPostWV
