Pubdate: Mon, 07 Apr 2014
Source: Denver Post (CO)
Page: 4A
Copyright: 2014 The Denver Post Corp
Contact:  http://www.denverpost.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/122
Author: Yesenia Robles

HEMP CURIOSITY SPROUTING

Adams County Symposium Addresses Farmers' Queries.

Brighton - After more than a half-century of being forbidden from
growing hemp, farmers from across the state gathered in Adams County
recently to ask experts about the now-legal plant.

"I've read about it," said Dick Blumenhein, a Boulder resident with a
farm in Saguache. "It's good for the soil and versatile."

But Blumenhein wanted to know more about what he should consider and
how to grow an industrial hemp crop later this year.

Adams County staff has been fielding calls with similar questions, so
officials decided to host a hemp symposium Thursday. Boulder County
hosted a similar event on March 1, which was the first day the state
started to accept hemp-farming applications.

Partnering with Vote Hemp, a nonprofit advocacy group, and the Rocky
Mountain Farmers Union, almost 200 people showed up in Adams County
for the paid event to listen to speakers from the industry, including
many from Canada, where hemp is legal.

"This is a new field-not that it's brand new, but we all need this
information," Adams County Commissioner Charles Tedesco said. "We want
to be on the forefront."

Colorado's Amendment 64 legalized recreational marijuana sales and
also allowed for the cultivation, processing and sale of hemp in the
state.

State regulations require growers to register and submit plants for
random tests to ensure the THC level of their crop stays below 0.3
percent.

In March, 13 entities submitted plans to legally grow hemp for
commercial or research purposes. The state's registration period
remains open until May 1.

Of the 13 who have registered, several are in northern Colorado,
including one in Brighton. Other growers registered out of Colorado
Springs, Grand Junction and Mosca in Alamosa County.

Some of the curious farmers at the symposium own farmland outside
Colorado.

Federally, growing and processing hemp remains illegal, but the farm
bill passed at the start of this year included a provision that allows
universities or state departments to grow hemp for research if their
state allows it. Colorado is one of nine states to legalize hemp farming.

Although states have legalized industrial hemp, conflicting federal
laws have left questions around the ability to get crop insurance and
find seed, which is illegal to import.

"I didn't know it was legal, but I'm quickly getting up to speed,"
said Dennis Gronli, whose family owns farmland in Brighton. "What's
exciting is the potential ecological impacts."  
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MAP posted-by: Jo-D