Experts Caution Farmers About Raising the Reefer's Cousin

SAN ANGELO, Texas — Texas farmers soon will be able to legally plant fields of hemp for the first time since the 1930s.

Much has changed since then, but one thing hasn’t: Texas farmers can count on Texas A&M AgriLife for practical information and expert insight.

According to a press release, the Texas A&M AgriLife Hemp Team traveled across the state this winter holding meetings in halls packed full of farmers who paid up to $20 each to learn about the pitfalls and possibilities of industrial hemp production.

See the video at Hemp for Farmers.

“There’s a lot of hype out there about growing hemp, but Texas farmers know where to go for the straight facts,” said John Sharp, chancellor of The Texas A&M University System. “AgriLife experts have advised growers for more than 100 years, cultivating a level of trust and credibility they appreciate.”

Topics covered in the meetings included the botany of cannabis, the cost of growing and processing industrial hemp and expected potential yields, THC and law enforcement and the development of markets for industrial hemp.

“We’re not selling anything,” said Dr. Reagan Noland, AgriLife Extension agronomist at San Angelo. “The goal of AgriLife Extension is to help Texas farmers make informed decisions.”

Farmers need all the information they can get before they decide to apply for a license from the Texas Department of Agriculture, which is in the process of finalizing the program’s administrative rules and expects to begin issuing licenses and permits by mid-March.

For more information on growing industrial hemp in Texas, including the AgriLife presentation to farmers this winter, visit: https://agrilifeextension.tamu.edu/browse/hemp/hot-topics/