Hidden in a corn field in Southwest Colorado is a thriving hemp crop being cultivated by agronomists from Colorado State University.
Despite the secrecy, the experiment testing 12 varieties of industrial hemp is above-board, with permits and permission from the Colorado Department of Agriculture, CSU and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency. “We’re keeping a low profile to avoid any trouble, like vandalism or theft by youth mistaking it for marijuana,” said Abdel Berrada, senior researcher with CSU’s Southwest Colorado Research Center in Yellow Jacket.
Industrial hemp – a genetic cousin of marijuana – is used to make paper, oil, biodiesel, rope, clothing, soap and as a substitute for plastic and other products.
Hemp is defined as not more than 0.3 percent THC, the psychoactive ingredient of recreational and medical marijuana, which typically has 10 to 30 percent THC.
A provision in the 2014 U.S. Farm Bill sanctions industrial hemp cultivation for research purposes by universities, despite being a banned substance under the federal Controlled Substances Act.
Voters in Colorado legalized hemp production along with recreational marijuana under Amendment 64 in 2012. Permits for hemp crops are issued by the Colorado Department of Agriculture, and crops are subject to inspection for the 0.3 percent THC standard.
A recent tour of the half-acre crop revealed CSU’s field of tightly packed hemp plants growing 10 feet high with bright-green, leafy stalks that buzzed with bees.
Berrada and his team were encouraged by the crop. “We’re excited about the potential for a new profitable crop. They are doing really well in our climate and soil with no major problems or pests,” he said. “We’re learning a lot, and there is a lot more to know.
“There has been a lot of local demand for information about hemp, and there are a few private growers,” Berrada said. “And that is what we do: respond to the needs of the farmers.”
Tours of the hemp crop are available by appointment. Call the research center at 562-4255.
jmimiaga@cortezjournal.com
