| Ben Droz. |
| Hemp growing in Colorado. |
Thirteen producers have registered to legally grow hemp in Colorado in the month since registration began, according to the state Department of Agriculture. However, those thirteen producers hold a total of twenty registrations, as several of them are registered to grow in more than one location or for more than one purpose. Ten of the registrations are for commercial purposes, while the other ten are for research and development. The Denver Westword spoke with three producers, who told the paper about their plans for planting marijuana’s sober stepsister.
Veronica Carpio, the owner of Colorado Hemp Coffee and the administrator for Grow Hemp Colorado, currently holds two registrations: one for commercial growing and one for research and development. Her plots, which are located in Boulder County, are just an acre each. She hopes to use the commercial plot to grow hemp for her coffee and other products she’s developing, and the R&D plot to attempt to cross-breed some seed strains.
The availability of seed is the biggest hurdle to growing hemp on a large scale, Carpio and others say. There is virtually no seed available since hemp, which is still illegal at the federal level and in most states, hasn’t been widely grown in the United States since World War II. “You’re lucky if you get your hands on them at this point,” she says.
But Carpio is hopeful that will change after the upcoming growing season. She and other producers hope to spend the season multiplying what little seed they have. “We do have some of best growers in Colorado,” she says.
Read more over at the Denver Westword.