A local farmer has received a license from WIU to research growing hemp in Illinois.
Andy Huston says he is growing 17 acres, two of which are being grown for research purposes. Hemp is a cannabis plant that is being used for high CBD oil production.
The difference between a marijuana plant and a hemp plant is the level of THC found in the plant. A plant must have a point three per cent for it to be considered marijuana.
Huston says the purpose of the research project is to learn more about hemp production:
“What we tried last year is to get as much knowledge as we could on growing hemp in Illinois, because it hadn’t been done since World War II. The techniques and strains we’re using this go-around are a lot different than what they were using back then.”
Oregon and Colorado are two to three years ahead of Illinois in their hemp growing.
