USDA Shares Hemp Farm Success Story, Touting Agency’s Resources To Aid CBD Producers – Medical Marijuana Program Connection

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is sharing the success story of an Indiana-based hemp farm, touting how the agency offered financial and technical assistance to help the business to maximize its output of high-quality CBD oil.

While hemp was treated the same as marijuana under federal law for decades, the crop was federally legalized under the 2018 Farm Bill, inspiring farmers across the country to begin cultivating it amid growing demand for derivatives like CBD.

USDA has worked to support the industry, promoting various resources that are available to hemp farmers as they navigate rapidly developing rules and policies.

In a post that’s part of its “Fridays on the Farm” series, USDA highlighted Papa G’s Organic Hemp Farm, a father-son business that started when Jeffrey Garland proposed growing the crop at his father’s farm in Indiana—which he had been thinking of selling until the two agreed to give hemp a shot by applying for a license under the state’s recently enacted regulations.

“Outwardly, the cannabis plants used to produce hemp oil are nearly identical to those used to produce marijuana, what differs is the internal chemistry,” USDA’s Brandon O’Connor wrote. “While marijuana plants are bred to produce the maximum amount of the psychoactive compound THC, hemp plants can be bred to maximize the non-psychoactive compound CBD, which is known for its medicinal uses, and can also be bred for fiber and grain products.”

The USDA blog…