New State Law Encourages Growing Hemp In Hudson Valley

HUDSON VALLEY, NY - A new law makes it easier for farmers across the Hudson Valley to grow hemp.

The legislation, recently signed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, declares industrial hemp to be "an agricultural commodity" and is intended to bolster New York State's agricultural economy, including in the creation of products derived from the plant-based material.

Included in the new law is an program to sign off on standards for hemp seeds, along with an initiative to gather data for publication. The data, which is for inquiry, will pertain to aspects ranging from growth of the plants to products that are created from it.

The Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) has been named as an entity to share "best farming practices" for hemp, according to the legislative text.

The law also includes the formation of a special workgroup of experts and a hotline, the latter of which includes a phone number and website.

CCE has also received a $400,000 grant for its involvement, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced in his End of Session Report, which provides a recap of legislative activities for this year.

The governor added that an industrial-hemp "summit" was recently held in Ithaca, which is also the home of CCE. The legislative change, according to Cuomo's report, also included removal of a limit on places that are legally allowed to grow hemp and initiating growing permits for farms that are private. The change means that the number of lawful sites for hemp research stands at 10, according to Cuomo's report.

Photo: Hemp plants. Image by H. Zell, posted to Wikimedia Commons and made available under a Creative Commons license.