Proposed legislation will help support Wisconsin’s infant hemp industry. State Senator Patrick Testin said the legislation creates truth in labeling laws for hemp products, and incorporates lessons learned over the past year to create a program that better meets the needs of Wisconsin farmers and processors.
“We want to make sure that we’re able to administer our own program because we think we can administer it more effectively at the state level, as opposed to having the feds come in and mandate who it’s going to look and operate,” Testin said.
Is there money to be made? Representative Tony Kurtz is an organic farmer who grew hemp last year, the inaugural year for the state’s hemp program. “I’ll put it this way, I’m not growing it to lose money,” Kurtz said. “I think it will be profitable.”
The growing market for hemp derived products could represent an opportunity for Wisconsin’s hard-pressed dairy farmers to diversify. “Our farmers are going to run with this,” Testin said. “We’re really poisd right now to be the national leader.”
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