LOCAL RC&D URGES LOOK AT INDUSTRIAL HEMP

Upcoming Event - November 20th, 1999

Corn, soybeans and hemp. Doesn't sound like the usual crop rotation, does it?

Maybe not, but there's a growing number of people who think that industrial
hemp does have a role to play in the future of agriculture for this area.

They include the Prairie Country Research and Development Council in
Willmar, which is helping co-sponsor an upcoming conference on industrial
hemp.

The Nov. 20 "Hemp and Sustainable Farming Expo" at the Arrowwood Resort in
Alexandria is an opportunity for area farmers to explore what the prospects
are for diversifying their production by making hemp an alternative crop,
according to Randy Nelson, RC & D director in Willmar.

Nelson said the local council already has gone on record of urging the
state to look at the possibility of making industrial hemp a legal, but
regulated, crop. Given the current farm situation, council members believe
it is important to take a look at getting in on the ground floor of this
emerging industry, he explained.

Proponents believe that industrial hemp offers an opportunity both to
diversify and add value. Industrial hemp can be processed into nearly
30,000 different products. They range from non-dairy butter, cheese and
milk to long-wearing denim and clothing articles, paper products and, of
course, rope.

Renville County farmers planted 4,000 acres of industrial hemp in 1943 and
1944 to make rope for the U.S. Navy during World War II, according to Frank
Svoboda's "A History of Agriculture in Renville County.'' Farmers raising
hemp in Kandiyohi, Renville and other neighboring counties were to bring
their product to processing plants specially built for hemp in Bird Island
and Lake Lillian.

Hemp fell victim both to the war's end and a growing preference among
farmers for a new and emerging crop - soybeans.

Nelson said there are some who believe that hemp could become what soybeans
have been for this area: A value-added crop well-suited to changing farm
needs. Hemp is both pest- and drought-resistant, said Nelson, and requires
minimal amounts of fertilizer. Many prefer sustainable agricultural
practices to raise the crop, he said.

Will it sell? Kevin Edberg, Minnesota Department of Agriculture, will
address the topic at the upcoming conference. Nelson said many countries
are opening up their lands to industrial hemp production in the belief that
markets for the crop are sure to grow.

Gov. Jesse Ventura has expressed his interest in seeing Minnesota explore
its potential, and the University of Minnesota is currently conducting
research on the crop.

All the same, it faces formidable challenges. State and federal law
enforcement groups warn that legalizing industrial hemp could make it
impossible to stop domestic production of its well-known cousin, marijuana.

Nelson said the local RC & D board members believe that regulatory controls
certainly would be needed. They support a proposal calling on the
Department of Agriculture to license hemp production. Farmers would be
issued permits to raise the plant, and their fields would be subject to
unannounced inspections.

Farmers raising the crop would not need to worry about nighttime raids by
those wanting to smoke their hemp. Industrial hemp contains only tiny
amounts of THC, the compound which gives marijuana users the high they
seek. Smoking industrial hemp provides nothing more than a headache, say
hemp proponents.

The Nov. 20 conference will run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and include both
seminars and exhibits. The Minnesota Department of Agriculture and WesMin
Resource Conservation and Development are co-sponsors of the event with the
local RC & D. For more information, contact the Wes Min RC & D at 320-763-4733.