Governor Ned Lamont visited Connecticut’s first hemp farm and research center in Ledyard on Thursday to give an update on the hemp farming industry.
Lamont says Connecticut’s hemp industry is behind other states, but that’s going to change.
“What you see behind us here is going to be an amazing new agricultural industry and Connecticut’s going to take the lead cause we’re able to move fast on that. And we did it in time to get a real harvest going.”
Dylan Williams is the state’s first hemp farmer and is now helping other farmers grow the plant, including 12th generation farmers from South Windsor.
“They’re trying to introduce hemp onto their land, and we’ve been working with them side-by-side, and they’re doing about five acres out there. They’ve been out of dairy production for about 15 years, and they think they can bring economic viability once again to their farm with a new agricultural commodity.”
Hemp can be used to make around 52,000 different products from clothing to shampoo, as well as paper.
In May Lamont signed into law a new pilot program to allow farmers to grow industrial hemp for the first time.
Since then the Connecticut Department of Agriculture has awarded 82 licenses to farmers.